P&G’s Fairy Max Power eliminates waste with leak-proof “upside down” bottle design

07 Feb 2022 --- Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) Fairy Max Power has transitioned to an upside-down bottle with “patented leak guard technology.” The washing up liquid also boasts an improved formula and in-built dosing mechanism to moderate use and reduce mess and waste. The bottle is reportedly fully recyclable and made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) material.

The upside-down bottle means consumers are now able to “get the last drop” of product out of each purchase. P&G promises Fairy Max Power’s new formula will mean “four times less scrubbing” than the previous formula.

Fairy Max Power says the bottle is its most “transformative” redesign in years. Consumers can find the improved product in its Original and Antibacterial form throughout the UK in Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Wilko.

“By listening to consumers, we combined a highly effective new formula with useful packaging improvements,” says Scot Popham, P&G’s director of communications. “The upside-down bottle with leak guard protection was specifically designed for ease of use, from the first drop to the last.”The upside down design means users will now “get every drop” from bottles.

To increase the product’s environmental sustainability credentials, the “UK’s number one washing up liquid” brand has chosen to make the bottle out of 100% PCR material. 

P&G’s circularity strides
Last July, P&G piloted an innovative paper bottle design in partnership with the Paper Bottle Company for its Lenor brand of fabric softener. The bottle is made of paper and a layer of PCR PET, with plans to integrate the PET into the paper layer to create a product that is “fully recyclable in the paper stream.”

Recently, P&G increased the ease of use for its Dawn brand dishwashing liquid bottle. The more inclusive redesign targeted Dawn’s disabled consumers, who may have trouble grasping traditional bottle designs.

Meanwhile, recycled plastic prices are skyrocketing worldwide as industries fight for control over the market to boost their environmental sustainability credentials. The packaging industry has been hard hit, with the cost of recycled PET rising 103% in the past year, according to data group ICIS. 

With more companies making increasing commitments to sustainability, and recycled packaging on the rise, how companies will cope with this deficit remains to be seen.

Edited by Olivia Nelson