Andrex®, the UK’s number one non-food FMCG brand, has announced plans to use 30% recycled plastic material in its packaging. Launching with its most popular product, Andrex® Classic Clean, the new packaging will be designed using 30% recycled plastic packaging made from post-consumer resin (PCR). Ensuring the packaging continues to be fully recyclable, PCR is a sustainable packaging alternative made from plastic materials used by consumers. The plastic is then taken to a facility where it is washed, reground and pelletized into a new usable material. The new Andrex® Classic Clean packs will begin to appear on all major retailers’ shelves from June 2020, a change which will remove 481 tonnes of virgin plastic over the next 12 months from this variant alone. That’s the equivalent of over 48 million 500ml PET virgin plastic bottles. The announcement marks yet another step towards a wider ambition to reduce the brand’s usage of virgin plastic. By 2023, Andrex® is targeting to have at least 50% recycled plastic across all its packaging. Ori Ben Shai, Vice President & Managing Director of Kimberly-Clark UK, said: “At Andrex, we are committed to improving the sustainability of our products and packaging. The launch of the new 30% recycled plastic packaging forms part of our wider ambition to leave a greener ‘pawprint’ on the planet. Beyond this, we aim to have at least 50% recycled plastic content in our packaging by 2023, and we will continue to look for more sustainable alternatives that reduce our environmental footprint, without compromising on the quality of our products that our customers know and love.” The announcement is just the latest step in the brand’s wider plan to further enhance its sustainability of its products, packaging and processes as part of the Andrex® Greener Paw Print initiative. All Andrex® Toilet Tissue dry packaging is 100% recyclable and the brand recently removed plastic handles from wrapped Andrex® packs of toilet tissue saving 31 tonnes of plastic per year. In addition to this, Andrex® Washlets were the first major UK brand to receive Water UK’s ‘Fine to Flush’ certification, which scientifically tests whether flushable wipes can be flushed down toilets and pass safely through sewer systems. The certification, announced earlier this year, sits across the full Andrex® Washlets range.
