Recyclable black plastic packaging

Together with its supplier Ampacet, a provider of masterbatch, Henkel is developing a solution for black plastic packaging that is fully recyclable. 

The new packaging material uses an alternative carbon-free black colour, enabling used bottles to be integrated back into the value chain.

It will be introduced for black bottles of toilet cleaning products under the Bref brand, followed by further Henkel products in the course of this year.

“Recognising that black bottles are one of the central challenges when it comes to recyclability of used packaging, we want to be part of the solution: The new material will contribute to closing the loop of plastic packaging in a sustainable way,” says Vineet Varman, Head of International Packaging Development for Special Detergents at Henkel Laundry & Home Care. “Our joint development projects across all our three business units underline Henkel’s commitment to sustainable packaging and to drive progress toward a circular value chain.”

Solution for recyclability of black plastic bottles

Due to the used colour so far, black plastic packaging poses a challenge for the recycling value chain: recycling facilities use near infra-red (NIR) technology to identify the plastic materials to be recycled. The optical sensors utilize the reflection of light to detect the material and sort it accordingly. 

Black plastic packaging, however, due to presence of carbon black cannot be identified and sorted properly by these optical sensors.

Development projects with significant progress

Next to the successful development of the recyclable black bottle for the Bref products, Henkel and Ampacet are currently piloting the new packaging for different products across business units and categories. 

Through tests under real conditions, the suitability of the new material was confirmed. 

Cyclos-HTP, an institute specialised in the classification, assessment and certification of recyclability of packaging and goods certified that Henkel’s bottles with this carbon-free black colour are fully detectable and sortable. 

Henkel’s packaging development teams are now working on integrating the new material into additional packaging types while ensuring it meets the highest quality standards. 

As a next step, they are driving the integration of recycled content in the packaging.

The development of recyclable black plastic packaging is another step for Henkel in implementing its packaging strategy and targets. 

By 2025, 100% of the company’s packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable.* 

Henkel also wants to increase the share of recycled plastic to 35% for its consumer goods products in Europe by 2025. 

In order to drive innovation in packaging development and to find effective solutions that can be developed on a large scale, Henkel is engaged in several partnerships and cross-industry initiatives: 

For example, the company is member of the New Plastics Economy (NPEC), founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) and partner of social enterprise Plastic Bank.

* Excluding adhesive products where residue may affect recyclability or pollute recycling streams.