Werner & Mertz has introduced a recyclable stand-up pouch containing post-consumer household recyclate, alongside a recycled plastic dosing system with refill pouches, for its cleaning products in a bid to reduce plastic consumption, improve recyclability, and help users cut costs.
Developed in collaboration with Mondi, the mono-PE stand-up pouch is described as the first on the market to be completely recyclable. It is also said to be the first time that post-consumer recyclate from household waste in the Yellow Bag system has been incorporated into a stand-up pouch without compromising stability, workability during extrusion, assembly, or sealing.
The pouch is designed to use 70% less plastic than a bottle of the same volume, with 27% of the pack (40% in the plastic sheeting) now comprising post-consumer recyclate. This is expected to reduce its carbon footprint ‘significantly’ and help conserve valuable resources.
Whereas Werner & Mertz encouraged consumers to refill the original container with product, it now believes the pouch supplements this function with an overall reduction in plastic.
Additionally, 85% of the entire pack remains unprinted, with only the removable wrap-around label containing any ink. This is believed to streamline the pack’s recyclability and improve the quality of its recyclate, with the label itself said to be free from adhesives and bonding agents.
According to Werner & Mertz, the pouch was reverse engineered for recyclability and the circular economy. Its complete recyclability has been confirmed by the Institute Interseroch and HTP Cyclos.
It was previously thought to be impossible to manufacture the pouch from recyclate, in part because there wasn’t enough packaging film available that satisfied Design for Recycling guidelines. Now, Werner & Mertz’s Frosch and Professional brands have transitioned into the new pouch.
“Plastic sheeting makes up about 40% of the waste in the Yellow Bag and represents enormous but untapped potential!” said packaging developer Alexander Schlau. “In the sense of Design for Recycling, it was important to us to develop a stand-up pouch that was not just theoretically recyclable. We had to ensure practical implementation in the recycling process too.”
He continued: “The recyclate pouch satisfies the same requirements for quality and product protection as a counterpart made of primary plastic. Once again, the Recyclate Initiative proves that ecology and quality are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, they complement each other perfectly.”
Meanwhile, the Switch system – developed in partnership with Teamplast B.V. – is intended as a complete solution for the professional cleaning sector.
The integrated dosing mechanism is intended for easy, intuitive use, with consumers moving the lever to dose exactly 5ml of product. This saves the task of manual measuring, prevents overdosing, avoids direct contact with the cleaning product, and aims to reduce training costs. It also negates the need to purchase extra dosing equipment.
An ergonomically shaped groove on the bottle itself is set to improve grip during use, while the measuring scale on the side of the bottle shows the consumer how much of the product remains. The corresponding refill pouch is set to replenish the dosing bottle’s contents 1:1, which is thought to be more economical than conventional canisters.
The bottle and dosing mechanism are made from 100% recycled plastic, and both are designed to be completely recyclable at end-of-life. The mono-material refill pouch is also reported to offer 85% less packaging volume and 100% recyclability.
Using 10,000 litres of cleaning agents through the Switch system is also believed to avoid 9,291 kg of CO2, 9,959 kg of crude oil, and 1,669 kg of plastic.
Elsewhere in the personal care sector, Clean Cult has packaged new and returning laundry detergent, dish soap, and hand soap scents in paper-based cartons, available on Amazon. The company claims to fund verified plastic recovery efforts and reduce single-use plastic by up to 90% through its partnership with rePurpose Global.
Meanwhile, Unilever has unveiled its new Persil and Comfort Smart Series detergents for auto-dose washing machines from Samsung. Packaging Europe spoke to Tati Lindenberg, chief marketing officer at Unilever Home Care, to learn more about its flexible plastic pouch from a design standpoint, and to contextualize the packaging within Unilever’s wider sustainability goals.
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