Unilever launches toiletry range with 100% recycled packaging in UK

The company announced that it would roll out its Love Beauty and Planet (LBP) line – which includes a range of face masks, shampoos, conditioners and shower gels – in the UK earlier this week, after its fully-recycled and 100% recyclable packaging proved popular among millennials in North America.

The launch of the LBP products falls under Unilever’s Sustainable Living division, which aims to integrate sustainability into the group’s products and values, according to the company’s vice president of beauty and personal care for the UK and Ireland, Chris Barron.

The division, which covers 26 brands including Ben & Jerry’s, Dove and Hellmann’s, accounted for a record 70% of Unilever’s turnover growth last year and grew 46% faster than the rest of the business.

“LBP reflects our passion at Unilever to enable everyone to live more sustainably and consciously by highlighting the simple steps we can all take to help make a better future for our planet,” said Barron.

“We have never been more aware of the need to be more responsible in the choices we make, even for something as simple as which shampoo we choose to use, so we are delighted to have embarked on this exciting journey. I believe that together, we truly can help make a genuine impact, whilst making the world a more beautiful place.”

UK boost

Unilever said in a statement that the launch of the LBP range aims to help boost the recycling rate of bathroom product packaging in the UK above its current rate of 50%.

The products, which form the first new personal care brand created by Unilever since 1998, were launched in the US last December and are set to go on sale in Boots stores across the UK later this week. Their launch comes after Unilever committed to making all of its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

Unilever is one of the signatories to the UK Plastic Pact, a joint commitment amongst retailers and brands to make unnecessary single-use plastic packaging “a thing of the past”. The company has also agreed to a new partnership to develop technology capable of converting PET plastic waste into virgin-grade materials available for use in food packaging.

edie’s Responsible Retail 2018

Solving key challenges – including modern slavery, supply chain involvement and the circular economy – will be one of the key themes of edie’s third annual Responsible Retail conference, taking place on 20 September 2018 at 99 City Road, London.

The full-day event has been designed for the retailers, sustainability professionals and key stakeholders that are looking for the information, insight and inspiration required to seize the sustainability opportunity.

Find out more about Responsible Retail 2018 and register to attend here.

Sarah George