It is estimated that 400 million toothpaste tubes are discarded every year in the United States alone. On the global level, that number increases to 1.5 billion discarded toothpaste tubes. Toothpaste tubes are traditionally impossible to recycle using conventional methods because of several layers of plastics, polymers, and resins that are often sandwiched around a thin layer of aluminum.

After five years in development, Colgate announced the first-of-its-kind recyclable toothpaste tube last summer. Henkel is following suit, making a commitment to convert its oral care tube portfolio to fully recyclable tubes produced by its packaging supplier Albéa. The transition will be pioneered by the Spanish toothpaste brand Licor del Polo and will be executed across all oral care brands by early 2021.

To advance the sustainability features of its toothpaste tubes, Henkel is using Albéa’s proprietary Greenleaf tube technology, which enables the packaging to be fully recyclable wherever collection schemes are active. Greenleaf tubes are recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (USA) and SUEZ.Circpack (Europe) as technically recyclable within the existing, effective HDPE bottles recycling stream. Additionally, the unique tube-making technology uses a single-blown film, thus significantly reducing the product’s CO2 footprint.

“We want to foster a circular economy and pursue ambitious packaging targets. This joint development is a major step for us to further improve the recyclability of our packaging portfolio and is contributing significantly to our goal to achieve 100 percent recyclability until 2025,” said Philippe Blank, Head of Packaging Sustainability at Henkel Beauty Care. “By introducing Albéa’s Greenleaf technology, we are now shifting more than 700 tons of packaging material per year into a category, that can be utilized and recovered by existing waste recycling streams.”

Zoran Joksic, Sales Director at Albéa, adds: “With Henkel, we are demonstrating that leading companies with established brands such as Licor del Polo are at the forefront of the sustainability challenge. What makes a difference is the company’s sense of purpose—and this is a value that Albéa shares with Henkel.”

In addition to the rollout of the recyclable packaging solution, both companies are jointly working to improve even further and harmonize all single components of the tube. “We have a clear goal: Together we want to launch the world’s first full HDPE tube in 2021, which will then include the cap as well,” said Philippe Blank.

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 50 percent in its consumer goods packaging. Additionally, Henkel wants to contribute to avoiding plastic waste being disposed of in the environment.