in 2019, our parent company Colgate-Palmolive Company’s first recyclable tube design earned recognition for technical recyclability from the APR (association of plastic recyclers), showing that tubes of the right design are compatible with HDPE #2 container recycling. we also tested the sortability of tubes; data show that our full size tubes are able to be successfully sorted with minimal mis-sorting.
we have been sharing the technology as well as the approach with tube suppliers, other brands, and any interested parties. in addition to helping the industry transition their tubes, hello, in partnership with Colgate, is focused on working with the recycling community and partnering with key third parties to address turning “recyclable” into widely accepted and “recycled.”
we are part of key collaborative efforts in the journey to recyclability for plastic squeeze tubes. these efforts are making circularity tangible and the tube transition is well underway!
even with all of these efforts, however, during this transition phase your community may not yet accept tubes for recycling. people should check with their local community programs to ensure that tubes are accepted. we are proud to be the leaders in this space and our goal is to continue developing innovative science that creates products that are ultimately better for our planet.