In redesigning two tubes from the Almond range, L’Occitane en Provence was looking for an economical solution and teamed up with cosmetic tube manufacturer Albéa and polymer supplier LyondellBasell.
Both tubes are made from LyondellBasell CirculenRevive polymers, which are manufactured using an advanced molecular recycling process that turns plastic waste into raw materials for new polymers.
“Our CirculenRevive products are polymers based on advanced (chemical) recycling technology from our supplier Plastic Energy, a company that turns end-of-life plastic waste streams into pyrolysis feedstock,” said Richard Rudix, senior vice president of Olefins and Polyolefin Europe. LyondellBasell, Middle East, Africa and India.
In fact, Plastic Energy’s patented technology, known as Thermal Anaerobic Conversion (TAC), converts previously non-recyclable plastic waste into what they call TACOIL. This new recycled feedstock has the potential to replace petroleum in the production of virgin plastics for a wide range of applications. This raw material is of the same quality as virgin material and meets the standards of key end markets such as food, medical and cosmetic packaging.
TACOIL by Plastic Energy is a LyondellBasell raw material that converts it to polyethylene (PE) and distributes it to pipes and caps using the mass balance method.
Recycling plastic waste and reusing it to create new packaging helps reduce the consumption of fossil resources and helps fight plastic pollution.
Carlos Monreal, Founder and CEO of Plastic Energy, said: “Advanced Recycling can efficiently recycle contaminated or multi-layered plastics and films that pose challenges for mechanical recycling, making it an additional solution to help solve the global plastic waste problem.”
A life cycle analysis [1] conducted by an independent consultant evaluated the reduced climate change impact of plastic made with Plastic Energy’s TACOIL compared to virgin plastic.
Using recycled polyethylene supplied by LyondellBasell, Albéa produced monomaterial tubes and caps for L’Occitane en Provence.
“This packaging is the holy grail when it comes to responsible packaging today. The tube and cap are 100% recyclable and made from 93% recycled polyethylene (PE). Best of all, they are both made from PE for better recycling and have been recognized recyclable by recycling associations in Europe and the US. This lightweight mono-material packaging is actually a closed loop, which is a real breakthrough,” said Gilles Swingedo, Vice President of Sustainability and Innovation at Tubes.
As part of its efforts to reduce its environmental impact, L’Occitane in 2019 signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Commitment to Create a New Plastics Economy.
“We are accelerating our transition to a circular economy and aiming to achieve 40% recycled content in all our plastic packaging by 2025. The use of advanced recycling technologies in our plastic tubes is a must-have step forward. Collaborating with LyondellBasell and Albéa was key for success,” concluded David Bayard, R&D Packaging Director, L’Occitane en Provence. Collaborating with LyondellBasell and Albéa was the key to success,” concluded David Bayard, R&D Packaging Director, L’Occitane en Provence. Collaboration with LyondellBasell and Albéa was the key to success,” concluded David Bayard, Director of Packaging Research and Development at L’Occitane en Provence. Collaboration with LyondellBasell and Albéa was the key to success,” concludes David Bayard, Director of Packaging Research and Development at L’Occitane en Provence.
[1] Plastic Energy has contracted independent sustainability consulting company Quantis to conduct a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of their recycling process in accordance with ISO 14040/14044. The Executive Summary can be downloaded here.
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Post time: Nov-17-2022