GSK Consumer Healthcare reduces plastic in Advil bottles with compression blow forming tech

23 Apr 2021 --- GSK Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH) is using compression blow forming (CBF) technology to reduce the plastic in its more than 80 million Advil bottles by 20 percent. The new bottle format is set to eradicate nearly 500,000 pounds of HDPE plastic.

GSKCH is relying on new barrier resin technology, which reduces the amount of resin required to mold and craft the bottles while maintaining the same barrier protection properties.

“Over-the-counter (OTC) products are smaller and typically used less often [than plastic milk bottles] so they are not consumers’ first focus when it comes to [environmentally] sustainable packaging,” Sarah McDonald, vice president of sustainability at GSKCH, tells PackagingInsights. 

“Having said this, consumers want to buy sustainably across all product categories. When we can offer trusted products from well-known brands in more sustainable packaging, this is a point of difference and gives consumers another reason to choose our products.” 

New resin tech
GSKCH’s primary goal is to eliminate as much plastic from the Advil bottles as feasible without impacting the packaging’s barrier performance, structural integrity or recyclability.

GSKCH uses CBF technology to reduce the amount of resin required to mold and craft the bottles.CBF technology reduces the amount of resin required to mold the bottles while maintaining the same barrier protection properties. CBF also has some other advantages, including improved moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) properties.

The resin used is a unique Bi Modal HDPE resin with a nucleating agent, McDonald continues. “We chose this material due to the unique properties of the HDPE to work with the barrier additive while maintaining its full recyclability.” 

“It’s also worth noting the changes result in plastic reductions for both the Advil bottles and its closure system,” McDonald adds. The new resin tech enables 20 percent less plastic used in the Advil bottles and 11 percent less plastic in the closures or caps.

Plastic reductions beyond Advil
GSKCH piloted the plastic reduction move with Advil because the brand uses millions of bottles annually, says McDonald.

“People look to brands to act on this visible and tangible aspect of sustainability and to minimize their plastic waste. However, price, quality and brand are key drivers of purchase so we need to deliver on all consumer expectations,” she says.

Excluding “easy open” bottles, Advil will have reduced the plastic in nearly all bottles available in stores and online by 2022.

The current Advil initiative is part of GSKCH’s target to make all its consumer product packaging recyclable or reusable, including eliminating all problematic and unnecessary plastics, where quality and safety permits, by 2025.

On this journey, GSKCH began exploring paper bottling for its wellness and oral health brands, including Centrum, Sensodyne and parodontax.

By Anni Schleicher