Recyclable packaging commitments are on the rise. Just the other day, Unilever announced a new breakthrough in packaging technology that will cut the amount of plastic it needs to use in each bottle by 15%.

Now, personal care products manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive has announced that it will make three out of four of its main packaging categories 100% recyclable by 2020.

Following talks with U.S. environmental organization As You Sow, the personal care giant has agreed that in its home, pet and personal care categories, it intends to make all packaging fully recyclable.

It also pledged to work on its fourth packaging category—oral care—moving toward developing a fully recyclable toothpaste tube or package.


Colgate-Palmolive has said it will also increase the average recycled content of its PET and PP plastics and paper/card packaging to 50% by 2020.

As You Sow senior vice president Conrad MacKerron said: “We congratulate Colgate-Palmolive on its leadership in phasing out unrecyclable packaging. Huge amounts of embedded value and energy are being buried in landfills. These packages should be designed to be recycled, reducing the use of virgin natural resources and mitigating emissions that contribute to climate change.”