Henkel opens Packaging RecycLab in China to advance circularity and meet local needs

The Henkel Packaging RecycLab has launched its operations in Shanghai, China. The facility is built to evaluate adhesive solutions and their role in advancing packaging recyclability. The new lab aims to drive innovation and accelerate the transition toward a circular economy.

Amid global circular economy efforts, the Packaging RecycLab aims to strengthen Henkel’s capabilities in serving the Chinese and broader Asia-Pacific markets through localized testing and process optimization.

A China Packaging Federation (CPF) delegation visited the Packaging RecycLab and explored the possibility for future cooperation.

The CPF chairperson, Li Hua, says: “The Packaging RecycLab combines an international perspective with local market needs. It will serve as valuable infrastructure for the entire industry.”

Accelerating sustainable solutions

Henkel has established the integrated center, combining development, testing, evaluation, and industry-academia-research collaboration, ahead of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.

Yanjie Zheng, APAC sustainability manager for Henkel Packaging Adhesives, points out the challenges spanning the entire packaging lifecycle — from sustainable design and carbon footprint reduction to end-of-life recycling and regulatory compliance.

Henkel says its integrated solutions are designed to accelerate the industry’s sustainability ambitions.The company says the facility is built on the internationally recognized CEPI/4Evergreen testing framework. It simulates “industrial recycling processes to provide critical data for packaging design.” According to Henkel, this supports customers in improving solutions and assisting the industry in establishing a design-for-recycling closed-loop system.

Dr. Alejandro Schoenhoff, head of packaging APAC at Henkel Adhesive Technologies, underscores the role of the Chinese market in global sustainability. He says the launch of the Henkel Packaging RecycLab in China is a “key strategic step.”

He notes that Henkel is “taking concrete actions” to support the transformation of packaging by helping customers improve material selection and packaging structures through systematic technical services. This initiative aims to reduce environmental footprints and achieve a win-win for economic and ecological benefits.

The Packaging RecycLab provides the Chinese packaging industry with a “world-class recycling verification platform,” says the company.

Henkel promises to continue increasing innovation investments in China and expand the cooperative ecosystem and collaborating with more partners to support the green transformation of China’s packaging industry.

Last month, Henkel updated the packaging material and design for its personal care brand, Fa, to include recycled materials.