In a win for Australia's circular economy, Unilever ANZ has transitioned the packaging of its Lynx 400ml body wash range to bottles made from 70% post-consumer recycled HDPE resin – all sourced and reprocessed locally.
The initiative is the result of a collaborative supply chain between Unilever ANZ and leading local players in the recycling and packaging sectors.
The recycled material originates from Australian kerbside bins, is sorted by Cleanaway Waste Management, processed into food-grade resin at the Pact-managed Circular Plastics Australia (PE) facility in Laverton, Victoria, and re-manufactured into new bottles at Pact Group's converting plant in Minto, New South Wales. The bottles are then filled at Unilever's North Rocks site in Sydney.
Pact has been manufacturing this bottle format for Unilever for some 20 years, but until now the material used has been polypropylene (PP). The new bottle is made with 70 per cent rHDPE and 30 per cent virgin material, and, importantly, the masterbatch is carbon free black making it fully recyclable.
The move reflects both Unilever’s commitment to packaging sustainability and the increasing capability of Australia’s domestic recycling infrastructure to support closed-loop packaging solutions.
