P&G partners with Eastman in Herbal Essences product line

The challenge

For nearly two centuries, Procter & Gamble has innovated to provide products that many of us rely on in our homes. P&G’s iconic products are found in millions of bathrooms and laundry rooms across America. Brands like Tide, Bounty, Cascade, Swiffer, and Crest help keep our homes tidy.

Key among P&G’s sustainable initiatives is the goal to reduce the use of virgin, fossil-based plastic by 50% by 2025 across its beauty division. The company's Herbal Essences hair care brand values sustainability of both the botanical ingredients inside the product and the whole package. The brand wanted its primary product packaging to be better aligned with P&G’s sustainability goals. And, as with many large goals, P&G knew it couldn’t reach them alone.

That’s why the company researched extensively to find the ideal manufacturing partner to provide recycled plastic for bottles to be used in its new line of shampoos and conditioners. For Herbal Essences, it was important that its bottles keep the iconic branding that is immediately recognizable to consumers, but it also wanted to increase both the recycled content and recyclability of its bottles. Enter Eastman Renew materials for a match made in sustainability heaven.

The Eastman solution

P&G collaborated with Eastman to find a packaging material that would meet its needs on the sustainability front while allowing it to produce bottles with the same performance and appearance expected by Herbal Essences’ customers. The solution was Eastman Renew, a molecular-recycled PET with 50% certified recycled content.*

Eastman Renew materials are powered by revolutionary molecular recycling technologies that transform single-use plastic waste into basic building blocks that are then used to make high-performance materials. This advanced technology expands the types and amounts of plastic that can be recycled and diverts plastic waste from landfills and the environment.

Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies are enabling a move from a linear economy (take, make, consume, waste) to a circular economy (make, use, reuse, remake, recycle). A circular economy focuses on minimizing waste and maximizing value by finding ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle items that, to date, typically end up in landfills and waterways.

The result P&G announced the result of this successful collaboration in November 2021. Its new Herbal Essences bio:renew sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners feature real, certified botanicals in sustainable bottles. The brand became the company’s first to use Eastman Renew resins for its plastic bottles, resulting in one ton of plastic waste diverted from landfills for every two tons of bottles produced.

This partnership between P&G and Eastman is just the beginning. As the world moves toward a circular economy and more sustainable products and packaging, we are excited to continue working together to create a better future.

*Recycled content is certified through a mass balance allocation process by ISCC.