Colgate is always looking for ways to minimize the impact of its packaging on the environment by reducing excess packaging and ensuring that materials are recyclable. There are numerous examples of these efforts across the Colgate world in different product categories.
The Company has been a leader in introducing concentrated products, which require less packaging because they fit into smaller containers. Introducing concentrated formulas is a strategy we continue to use. For example, in Europe, LaCroix, a bleach concentrate, and Soupline, a fabric softener concentrate, are sold in sachets, a type of package that uses fewer materials than a traditional package. In the U.S., Palmolive Ultra dish liquid is concentrated for consumers to use one-third less liquid. In 2006, Colgate introduced Suavitel Ultra fabric softener, which is concentrated so the consumer will use two-thirds less liquid.
In 2006, in Europe, Asia and Africa, Colgate reduced the thickness of foil and plastic laminate used in toothpaste tubes, resulting in a 13 percent weight reduction. Similar reductions are planned for North America and Latin America.
Reducing packaging weight also saves by using less fuel in transporting finished products and therefore lowers emissions.
In fabric softener, the bottles and refill containers for Softlan in China use from 2.5 percent to 34 percent less plastic per amount of liquid delivered and weigh less than other brands containers in the category. There is a similar story in Mexico with Suavitel, where the fabric softener package uses from 14 percent to 24 percent less plastic per amount of fabric softener liquid than other brands in the category.
In Thailand, Colgate has continually improved the environmental impact of Puff fabric softener bottles, starting in 1999 with better control of the blow-molding process, then in 2000, by incorporating structural ribs in the design and in 2002 by using a superior grade of polyethylene, leading to a 33 percent decrease in weight of plastic used per bottle. Then, in 2005, the bottle was replaced by a flexible pouch for a total decrease in grams of plastic per liter of product of 83 percent since 1999. In Europe, the Soupline fabric softener bottles, which are made from 50 percent consumer-recycled PET plastic, use 10 percent to 33 percent less plastic (depending on the bottle size) than a major competitor.
Colgate’s Hill’s pet foods business has made great strides in reducing a variety of packaging forms. The paper bags for Science Diet dry pet food were reduced by 20 percent, and the plastic liners in bags were reduced by 75 percent. Since 1990, the amount of steel used in cans of Science Diet wet food has been reduced in steps. Based on today’s sales volume, today’s annual usage of steel is approximately 4.9 million pounds less than it would have been in 1990 for the same sales volume.
At Colgate, the search for even more ways to minimize packaging continues to be an important objective.
