Colgate has been hailed for breaking new ground in the packaging world by launching a new toothpaste in a recyclable tube.
The new ‘Smile for Good’ brand is part of the company’s target to make all of its packaging recyclable by 2025.
Global consumers are estimated to use 20 billion tubes of toothpaste a year.
Until now, these tubes have been typically difficult to recycle, due to their traditional mix of materials, such as plastic or aluminum.
But now Colgate’s engineers have found a way to transform high density polyethylene (HDPE) – the hard plastic used to produce milk containers – into a ‘comfortably squeezable’ tube, which can be placed in traditional recycling collections after use.
The breakthrough tube was five years in development, but Colgate-Palmolive have said they will share the technology with rival manufacturers, as part of its commitment to reduce usage of one of the least-recyclable forms of plastic packaging.
“Colgate wants to make tubes a part of the circular economy by keeping this plastic productive and eliminating waste,” said Colgate-Palmolive’s chief executive, Noel Wallace.
“If we can standardise recyclable tubes among all companies, we all win. We can align on these common standards for tubes and still compete with what’s inside them.”
The new toothpaste is on sale in Boots and Waitrose and, whilst it comes at a high price for consumers at £5 for a 75ml tube – six times more than other Colgate brands – the breakthrough has been welcomed by waste industry experts.
“It is encouraging to see a major brand making efforts to design plastic packaging that is more easily recyclable,” said Helen Bird, strategic engagement manager at the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
“It is important that changes like this are made in collaboration with other partners in the supply chain, to ensure that the packaging can be recycled within our current infrastructure.”
Image courtesy of Colgate-Palmolive.
