Consumer brands giant P&G announced that its P&G Beauty division is launching a refill system for shampoo products in Europe, utilizing a new reusable 100% aluminium bottle and a recyclable refill pouch, made using 60% less plastic compared to the standard brand bottle. The new packaging system will be available in 2021 for P&G brands Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie.

Artur Litarowicz, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Haircare for P&G Europe said:

“We need to start turning the tide on the plastic waste crisis and there is no time to waste when it comes to protecting our planet. That is why I’m thrilled to announce a new packaging innovation called the ‘good refill system’. This will allow consumers to have the product they love now in a beautiful, reusable aluminium bottle and refill pouches as of 2021. This will be launched across Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie. We know this is just the start. There is so much more to do, and I am passionate about P&G Beauty being a force for good across Europe as we step towards achieving our 2030 Responsible Beauty goals at pace.”

P&G’s sustainability goals include targets to produce 100% recyclable or reusable packaging and to reduce the use of virgin petroleum plastic in packaging by 50% by 2030. According to the company, P&G Beauty is on track to reduce virgin plastic usage by 50% in shampoos and conditioners bottles by the end of 2021, from a 2016 base year. By 2021, P&G Beauty expects efforts to result in 300 million fewer virgin plastic bottles being produced yearly.

Virginie Helias, P&G’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said:

“We have committed to enable and inspire responsible consumption through innovation on our product and packaging. Our leading beauty brands in Europe touch millions of lives. This new packaging innovation will contribute to making the reuse of packaging irresistible, while enabling a reduction of virgin plastic as per P&G’s Ambition 2030 commitment. It’s no longer about if or what we can do, but how quickly we can do it – the window is now for embracing new sustainable lifestyles.”

P&G’s new initiative was announced at a live panel of sustainability experts at the Reuters Responsible Business Summit. Fellow panelist Tom Szaky, founder and CEO at TerraCycle, said:

“I’ve long been a believer that a refill behaviour is a big part of the future of sustainable packaging and the innovation announced by P&G Beauty today is a positive step in the right direction for the many millions of households Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie serve. While there is of course more to be done, it’s great to see large companies such as P&G Beauty taking the issue seriously and using their scale to drive change quickly and impactfully.”