Henkel continues to drive progress towards the concept of a circular economy in its beauty portfolio with the relaunch of three major retail brands—Nature Box, Gliss Kur, and Syoss—taking significant steps to enhance sustainability features in the packaging.
“We are fully committed to contributing to a circular economy and are working towards our ambitious packaging targets for 2025. The relaunch of three of our biggest brands marks a true milestone and demonstrates our holistic approach to transform our entire portfolio with regards to sustainability,” said Philippe Blank, Head of Circular Economy at Henkel Beauty Care.
Nature Box Uses Social Plastic: As of September, the hair and body care brand is ECOCERT certified. This certification confirms that all Nature Box products are made with at least 98 percent natural-origin ingredients (including water). In addition, all products have vegan formulas and are free from synthetic colorants and/or silicones (depending on respective products). With Nature Box’s relaunch, Henkel is also taking further steps in its collaboration with the social enterprise Plastic Bank. Nature Box is the first beauty brand to introduce Social Plastic as a packaging material for its complete bottle portfolio: all bottle bodies of Nature Box are made of 98 percent Social Plastic—plastic that has been collected by people living in poverty before it can enter oceans and waterways. Henkel is currently working to replace the remaining 2 percent virgin plastic with the recycled material.
Syoss Uses Recyclable Black Packaging: The carbon black color often used in black packaging usually creates a challenge for the recycling value chain because the material cannot be identified and properly sorted by recycling systems. Last year, Henkel introduced its first recyclable black plastic packaging, creating an innovative solution to make black plastic packaging more sustainable. The iconic black packaging of Henkel’s haircare brand Syoss is fully recyclable due to the innovative carbon-free colorant, and all shampoo bottles are made of 98 percent recycled material (excluding cap).
Gliss Kur Packaging Increases Proportion of Recycled Plastic: Schwarzkopf brand Gliss Kur increases the proportion of recycled material in the entire product range. The new shampoo and conditioner PE bottles are made of 30 percent recycled content, the shampoo and Express Repair Conditioner PET bottles consist of 97 percent recycled material. All bottle bodies are 100 percent recyclable and by reducing the use of metallic foil, the overall recycling process is simplified. Additionally, the new black caps are made of carbon-free material, which means that they are fully recyclable as well.
As part of Henkel’s sustainability efforts, the company has set itself ambitious packaging targets for 2025 to promote a circular economy. By then, 100 percent of Henkel’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable and the company will reduce fossil-based virgin plastics by half in its consumer goods packaging. Additionally, Henkel wants to contribute to avoiding plastic waste being disposed of in the environment.
“Plastic waste ending up in the environment is one of the biggest challenges humankind is facing today. At Henkel, we recognize our responsibility to address this global problem—and we take action. We are committed to driving progress toward a circular economy, partnering along the value chain to promote sustainable solutions, and contributing to avoid plastic waste,” says Sylvie Nicol, Member of the Henkel Management Board responsible for Human Resources and Sustainability.
