Beiersdorf pledges recycled PET in 90% of European bottles in year-end resolution

19 Nov 2020 --- German personal care multinational Beiersdorf is ramping up recycled plastic use in its products to help tackle the global single-use plastics crisis.

The company is aiming to make 90 percent of its PET bottles in Europe from recycled content by the end of 2020 and launched an innovative Nivea bottle boasting 50 percent less plastic.

In line with its 2025 environmental sustainability goals, the company has formed partnerships against plastic pollution with the UN Plastic Treaty, the Cooperation with Fraunhofer Institute, Werner & Mertz, the German drugstore dm and others.

“As we strongly believe the global plastic problem cannot be solved in silos, broader collaboration is needed, and we are taking action beyond our own business,” explains Jean-Francois Pascal, vice president corporate sustainability at Beiersdorf.

“We are teaming up with our suppliers, trade partners, NGOs, scientific institutions and other industry players.”

Stefan De Loecker, Beiersdorf CEO, adds: “To reduce our carbon footprint significantly, we must improve our products and fuel a circular approach. In this context, our action on product packaging, especially on plastic, plays a key role.”

“We are not only setting ambitious targets; we are intensively working on them to deliver with concrete actions.”Beiersdorf is aiming to make 90% of its PET bottles in Europe from recycled by the end of 2020.

Recycled PET bottles
To minimize its environmental footprint, Beiersdorf is following a fourfold approach. This is dubbed “4Rs” as it seeks to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Replace” the company’s plastic packaging across brands, such as Nivea and Eucerin. 

By the end of 2020, Beiersdorf aims to convert 90 percent of its PET bottles in Europe to include recycled material. This measure alone will save more than an estimated 1,200 metric tons of fossil-based virgin plastic per year. 

Moreover, recent product launches, such as the Nivea Shower Fresh Blends, have come to market in PET bottles made from at least 97 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, avoiding 150 tons of fossil-based virgin plastic. 

Germany will have switched the vast majority of bottles of its Nivea Shower & Shampoo range on the market to recycled material before the end of this year.

Both PET and HDPE bottles will come from PCR streams, saving around 2,000 tons of fossil-based virgin plastic. Other European countries will reportedly follow suit.

The overall vision is to achieve a circular economy, according to the company. One important element in this approach is the use of PCR, materials that originate from the recycling of household waste.

Beiersdorf launched an innovative Nivea bottle boasting 50% less plastic.When using secondary raw materials in packaging, natural resources are protected, the use of fossil-based virgin plastic is avoided and CO2 emissions are reduced, Beiersdorf says. 

Breakthrough in material-reduction
Research and packaging development has led Beiersdorf to achieve “a breakthrough in plastic reduction,” the company supports. 

The bottle and cap of the new Nivea Naturally Good Body Lotion have been designed to use 50 percent less plastic than a comparable standard Nivea body lotion packaging. 

The packaging is very thin and has a uniquely shaped bottom area that can be easily squeezed and rolled up tightly – very similar to a toothpaste tube. This brings the additional benefit to consumers that the lotion can be used easily until the last drop. 

The bottle is also fully recyclable and can be integrated into the material loop in all countries with existing waste infrastructures. 

Furthermore, the transportation of the product from the factory to the retailers is more sustainable as the new design has improved pallet utilization through its thinner and lighter packaging.

Collaborating on eco-moves
Beiersdorf was among 29 companies to sign the business call for a UN treaty on plastic pollution initiated by the WWF, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Boston Consulting Group. In a joint approach, the call is to push governments to negotiate and agree on a UN treaty on plastic pollution.

In the area of “Reuse,” for example, the first instore shower gel refill stations were launched in cooperation with one major German retailer, the drugstore chain dm, in selected stores. 

With the aim to drive reusability and to reduce single-use plastic, the customized refill machine is designed to provide the highest hygiene standards, intuitive handling and innovativeness.

Beiersdorf is taking part in the testing phase of this approach with two Nivea Men After Shave products.Beiersdorf also partnered with Terracycle in the Loop zero waste initiative. With this approach, used-up product packaging is collected at consumers’ homes, cleaned and refilled, enabling multiple use. 

Beiersdorf is taking part in the Loop testing phase with two Nivea Men After Shave products.

Care Beyond Skin agenda
Following the company’s commitment and purpose to “Care Beyond Skin,” Beiersdorf previously defined a new sustainability agenda. 

“We care beyond skin at Beiersdorf and so we have chosen this motto also for our Sustainability Agenda. It is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN and strives above all to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees,” says the company’s CEO, De Loecker. 

Three concrete targets are set for 2025 in the context of plastic and sustainable packaging: Beiersdorf wants to reduce the use of fossil-based virgin plastic by 50 percent within the next five years, increase the share of recycled material for plastic packaging to 30 percent and make 100 percent of all product packaging either reusable, refillable or recyclable.

The company previously launched cosmetic bottles made of 100 percent recycled polyethylene (PE) for its Nivea brand.

Edited by Kristiana Lalou