Andrex to use 30% recycled content in plastic packaging

British toiletries brand Andrex has confirmed that its packaging will consist of 30% recycled plastic content, as it pushes forward with an ambition to reach at least 50% recycled plastic content by 2023.


Andrex to use 30% recycled content in plastic packaging

Currently

Andrex has confirmed that new packaging will be used on Classic Clean packs from this month and will remove 481 tonnes of virgin plastic material over the next 12 months – equivalent to more than 48 million 500ml plastic bottles.

The new packaging is being designed using 30% recycled plastic packaging, made from post-consumer resin. It builds on a longer-term commitment to reduce the brand’s usage of virgin plastic by incorporating at least 50% recycled content by 2023.

Kimberly-Clark UK’s vice president and managing director of Kimberly-Clark UK Ori Ben Shai, which owns Andrex, said: “At Andrex, we are committed to improving the sustainability of our products and packaging. The launch of the new 30% recycled plastic packaging forms part of our wider ambition to leave a greener ‘pawprint’ on the planet.

“Beyond this, we aim to have at least 50% recycled plastic content in our packaging by 2023, and we will continue to look for more sustainable alternatives that reduce our environmental footprint, without compromising on the quality of our products that our customers know and love.”

Currently, all Andrex toilet tissue and dry packaging are 100% recyclable. The brand recently removed plastic handles from toilet roll packaging, a move that will save 31 tonnes of plastic each year.

Fine to Flush

In February, Andrex announced that its washlet wipes range had achieved Water UK’s ‘Fine to Flush’ certification, which symbolises that flushing them won’t contribute to damage to UK sewers.

Andrex has placed the Fine to Flush logo on its Washlet products. The wipes were independently tested by technical experts WRc, with the results finding that the products break down upon entering UK sewer systems and won’t contribute to “fatbergs” that clog up sewer systems or seep into the natural environment.

Andrex estimates that around six million UK households purchased wipes in the last 12 months, with 50% choosing its Andrex Washlets range. The new products are biodegradable and contain 0% plastic and 100% natural fibres.

More than 14.8 billion baby wipes are used in the UK every year, many of which end up in waterways, oceans and wastewater systems. In fact, wet wipes made up more than 90% of the material causing sewer blockages investigated by Water UK in 2017.

Matt Mace

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