P&G-Viridor contract propels Ariel detergent towards circularity, HolyGrail 2.0 project eyes mega consortium

18 Feb 2020 --- Ariel is projecting to save an equivalent of 200 million virgin plastic bottles over five years through a new circular economy partnership between brand owner Procter & Gamble (P&G) and UK recycling and energy recovery company Viridor. The companies have agreed to a five-year contract to recycle and reprocess high-density polyethylene (rHDPE) for reuse in Ariel laundry detergent bottles. Also, the P&G brands Lenor, Unstoppables and Fairy are set to become the first commercial implementations in Europe of the intelligent sorting technology HolyGrail 2.0 with the formation of a mega consortium of companies across the value chain reportedly on the horizon.

Beginning in the 2020/21 fiscal year, the contract will see Viridor supply recycled, high-quality rHDPE to P&G, which is aiming to make all Ariel packaging recyclable by 2022 and to reduce 30 percent of its plastic packaging by 2025.

“There are a limited number of suppliers in Europe today that can offer sufficient volumes of high-quality rHDPE resins and we are working with several of them. P&G and Viridor have successfully worked together for a number of years already and Viridor has proven to be able to help meet our longer-term sustainability goals,” a P&G spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.

In parallel-running circular economy initiatives, P&G Hair Care has committed to trial recycled PET (rPET) and increase the recycled content in its packaging.

Meanwhile, sustainability projects orchestrated by P&G brands Ariel and Fairy, and the Holy Grail 2.0 intelligent packaging project, have been recognized by the 1000 Efficient Solutions Label of the Solar Impulse Foundation.

Click to EnlargeP&G and Viridor have entered a five-year partnership to facilitate the recycling of HDPE plastic for reuse in Ariel laundry detergent bottles.

Circular PET
In further efforts, P&G Hair Care Europe will be trialing new packaging with recycled plastic material for Pantene products, starting with the brand’s clear bottles. The material is made from advanced recycling of polyethylene terephthalate Circular PET, through advanced monomer recycling – meaning the material can be used in beauty packaging over and over again. The new material, to be produced by Indorama Ventures, is suitable for all brands packed in PET bottles. 

Moreover, Ariel’s low temperature cleaning technologies dubbed Ariel Cold Wash and Fairy’s water-, energy- and waste-saving automatic dishwashing program dubbed Fairycology have been granted the 1000 Efficient Solutions Label. The innovative label aims to illustrate and encourage scalable technologies that both protect the environment and support clean economic growth. 

In search of the HolyGrail 2.0
Aspiring to transform packaging sorting and enhance recycling, the HolyGrail 2.0 intelligent packaging project also received the 1000 Efficient Solutions Label alongside the Circular Economy Innovation of the Year award. It received this award for the significant changes it could bring to packaging, sorting, post-consumer recycled resin supply. 

Lenor, Unstoppables and Fairy brands will become the first commercial implementations of HolyGrail intelligent packaging in Europe. HolyGrail 2.0 is the second phase of the project, which will be exploring a possible test market in 2021 with the formation of a mega consortium of companies across the value chain with more than 115 partners. 

No stopping Lenor Unstoppables
Another P&G brand, Lenor Unstoppables, currently uses 50 percent rPET in its freshness product and plans to soon be using 100 percent rPET, the spokesperson highlights. “Many other brands, including Fairy dishwash, are all increasing their recycled resin content in line with our 2020- and P&G’s Ambition 2030 goals,” they say. 

“It’s our ambition for 2030 to have only recyclable or reusable packaging. To drive circular economies, we need to ensure there are robust end markets for such materials. By making this announcement, we create a demand-pull for recycled resin, unleashing market forces and contributing to a circular economy. The supply of PCR will need to continue growing as more brands increase usage of it,” P&G explains.

Investing in the long-term
As the largest UK-owned recycling, renewable energy and waste management company, Viridor Head of Sustainability Dan Cooke recently called for closer collaboration between supermarkets and recycling companies. His comments came in response to a recent Green Alliance report indicating that plastics are only the tip of the single-use iceberg and that throwaway culture is the root cause of packaging’s environmental scourge.Click to EnlargeAriel’s commitments target all packaging being recyclable by 2022 and a 30 percent plastic usage reduction by 2025.

Viridor recently invested £65 million (US$84.6 million) in a new recycling and reprocessing center in Avonmouth, near Bristol, in what is now the UK’s largest multi-polymer plant. The new plastics recycling plant will be powered by energy generated using non-recyclable waste as its fuel.

“Our investment in sophisticated recycling infrastructure will not end here. We have been very clear about our commitment to investment, innovation and collaboration to drive the circular economy in the UK, with this program reflecting the clear preference for recycled material,” says Viridor’s Managing Director of Recycling, Simon Hicks.

P&G and Viridor are both founding partners of the UK Plastics Pact, a collaborative initiative run by WRAP with support from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The Pact brings businesses such as P&G and Viridor from across the entire plastics value chain together with the UK government and NGOs. Together, the Pact’s members aim to transform the plastics economy and tackle plastic pollution. 

By Anni Schleicher

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