Henkel improves sustainability of dishwashing gels

More recycled plastic and easy waste separation

The products of the Henkel Home Care brand Somat have an improved, more sustainable packaging. Both the Somat Excellence Duo Gel and the Somat All in 1 Gel bottles now consist of 50 percent recycled plastic coming from end-user household waste. And, with the relaunch, they are even easier to recycle at home.

The Somat All in 1 Gel is additionally available under Henkel’s sustainable Pro Nature product range. With a bottle made of 100 percent recycled polyethylene ‏(rPE) and a closure made of 50 percent recycled polypropylene ‏(rPP), it meets very high sustainability standards. On top of that, the Pro Nature formula consists of 80 percent naturally derived ingredients. It contains zero colorants, phosphates or perfume and is EU Ecolabel-certified.

To facilitate the waste separation and the recycling process for end-consumers, all bottles have an integrated zipper perforation in the sleeve. “With the sleeves solution, we are addressing a major challenge in the consumer goods industry. Most recycled material has a grey color, which is less appealing to the consumer. Therefore, we use colored sleeves containing all product information. The sleeve can be easily separated from the bottle by the consumer to enable the recycling,” says Carsten Bertram, Head of International Packaging Dishwashing.

The gels are efficient even in short and eco dishwashing cycles.

The products are available in Italy, Spain, Central and Eastern European Countries, Russia, as well as in the Middle East and Africa region.

Strong targets for sustainable packaging

Henkel drives active process towards a Circular Economy and has set ambitious targets for 2025 to create smarter, more sustainable packaging. In doing so, the company aims to reduce the amount of virgin plastic from fossil sources in its consumer product packaging by 50 percent. To reach this goal, Henkel will increase the proportion of recycled plastics to more than 30 percent, reduce the absolute plastic volume and make increasing use of bio-based plastics. In addition, 100 percent of Henkel’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable* by 2025.

^{* Excluding products where residue may affect recyclability or pollute recycling systems.}