P&G has begun rolling out 37 fl oz Tide laundry detergent bottles in North America made with packaging that contains 50% PCR. The rHDPE used is reprocessed on an Erema machine. According to the company, this is another step in its long-standing use of recyclates in HDPE packaging. The release also points to P&G’s early role in helping establish the rHDPE stream in the United States together with industry partners.
Gian De Belder, Technical Director, R&D Packaging Sustainability at P&G, emphasises the continuity of these efforts: "P&G has been integrating post-consumer recycled materials into packaging in North America for more than 35 years. Throughout this period, the company has maintained continuous use of PCR in HDPE applications, long before recycled content became a widespread industry standard".
The material also notes that in the early 1990s P&G, in collaboration with long-standing partners from the packaging sector, contributed to setting up an rHDPE supply stream in the United States. According to the information provided by the company, this early initiative played a role in strengthening supply reliability and shaping today’s recycling infrastructure.
The introduction of Tide bottles containing 50% PCR increases the recycled content in the packaging of one of the most familiar laundry detergent brands in North America. De Belder points to the role of reprocessing technology: "The PCR material is reprocessed on an Erema machine, supporting the consistent material quality required for brand packaging, high production volumes, and downstream performance".
Strengthening closed-loop material flows
P&G says it plans to continue conversions to 50% PCR over the coming years. In the release, these actions are linked to broader circularity goals and to reinforcing demand for high-quality rHDPE, which is described as an important driver for strengthening closed-loop material flows.
The rollout is also presented as signalling two broader industry trends: the growing maturity of rHDPE supply chains and the role of advanced reprocessing technologies in reliably scaling PCR use across major consumer brands.
