Kneipp works with Circleback on pilot project
Kneipp is working on a pilot project with the Berlin start-up Circleback and other companies on a deposit solution for personal care packaging.
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Primavera is cooperating with the Berlin start-up Circleback as part of a pilot project. The company offers a deposit system for „bathroom plastic“ modelled on the state system for drinks bottles.
Plastic packaging for shampoos, creams and body lotions are valuable raw materials. Once used, they still end up in the bin at best and are rarely recycled into equivalent packaging. To change this, the natural cosmetics manufacturer Primavera is working on a pilot project with the Berlin start-up Circleback. The company offers a deposit system for „bathroom plastic“ modelled on the state system for drinks bottles.
„As an organic pioneer, we are happy to support recycling ideas such as Circleback's, which break new ground to keep valuable materials in the economic cycle. Our long-term goal is to make all our packaging recyclable.“
Andrea Dahm, Primavera Sustainability Manager
The cooperation project is currently in a pilot phase. Its purpose is to find out, among other things, how the system is accepted by consumers, how well the logistics of the recyclable materials work and how well the system works. how much high-quality recyclate can actually be recovered („proof of concept“).
The demand for high-quality recyclates, i.e. recycled plastic, has exceeded supply for years. To date, only a small proportion of the plastic collected via the Yellow Bag is recycled into new, equivalent packaging. The reason: the bags contain too much contaminated plastic and the different plastics are difficult to separate in the sorting plants. The majority of the collected plastic is therefore incinerated as waste and not recycled.
Shower gel and cream tubes get a new lease of life
Circleback's system is based on the national deposit system for drinks bottles, which has ensured a recycling rate of more than 90 per cent for years. Circleback's business concept is specifically geared towards the cosmetics and personal care industry. The aim is to give participating partner brands such as Primavera recycled material from their „own“ plastic for reuse. The companies pay a fee to Circleback for collection and recycling.
The first vending machine is due to go into operation shortly in a supermarket at Alexanderplatz in Berlin. In the medium term, Circleback plans to set up a nationwide deposit system for plastic packaging from the bathroom.
Primavera is participating in the first step with the packaging of its shower balms. Customers can hand in empty packs in Berlin, where Circleback operates its stations. Circleback processes the packaging into recyclate. The natural cosmetics manufacturer or a cooperating packaging manufacturer can then buy it for reuse via the Circleback recyclate marketplace.
„By participating in Circleback's deposit system, we want to help put the topic of the circular economy on the agenda in our industry and establish new habits,“ says Andrea Dahm. Just as naturally as people take their drinks bottles to the deposit machine, they should do the same with their cosmetics packaging in future. „This emphasises our role as an organic pioneer and our aspiration to treat people, nature and the environment with care and responsibility.“
Source: Primavera Life
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A deposit system for cosmetics packaging
The start-up Circleback is initiating a deposit system for cosmetics packaging such as shampoo bottles and toothpaste tubes in Berlin. Consumers in the capital will soon be able to return such containers to selected supermarkets. The recycled material obtained from the packaging will be delivered directly back to the manufacturer.
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