Henkel Launches Recyclable Black Detergent Bottles

Henkel AG of Germany announced last month that from now on, all HDPE bottles for its Perwoll line of laundry detergents in Western Europe will not only be fully recyclable, but also contain 25% post-consumer recycle (PCR). The bottles are molded by Alpla of Austria.

 

 

Of particular interest, the “fully recyclable” label applies also to Perwoll’s “Renew & Repair” variant, which comes in a black bottle. Historically, black-pigmented bottles have presented a challenge to recycling because the carbon black pigment defeats sorting by near-infrared (NIR) detection technology. Working together with global masterbatch supplier Ampacet, Henkel last year introduced its first recyclable black HDPE bottles using Ampacet’s carbon-black-free Rec-NIR-Black concentrate, which is said to be compatible with NIR scanning. These bottles were for Henkel’s Bref brand of toilet cleaners. Ampacet’s black masterbatch was named “Product Technology Innovation of the Year” at Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2019. Besides being fully recyclable, the new black Perwoll bottles also contain 25% PCR.