P&G’s Pantene premiers plant-based plastic packaging for shampoo range

The new material is made from sugarcane and will be featured on the Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion collection, being initially launched in Western Europe with expansion plans to the rest of the world over the next two years.

“The use of sugarcane-based plastic in our Nature Fusion packaging allows us to offer the same performance consumers expect from Pantene but in a more sustainable way,” ​said Hanneke Faber, P&G’s vice president & brand franchise leader for Global Pantene.

An industry first​

“We’re thrilled to be the first hair care brand to use this technology on its packaging but we also recognize sustainability is a journey and we’re fully committed to it. Our goal is to punctuate this journey with meaningful innovations that make our communities more healthy and beautiful and we hope others will follow.”​
The packaging contains plastic derived from sugarcane, a natural and renewable resource, as opposed to traditional plastic which is made from petroleum, which is a non-renewable material.

Sugarcane-derived plastic has significant environmental benefits as it consumes over 70 percent less fossil fuels and releases over 170 percent less greenhouse gases per ton than traditional petroleum-based plastic.

Plant-based plastics represent the future​
“Plant-based plastics are part of the future for improving the sustainability of packaging. Its use results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less consumption of fossil fuels than traditional petroleum-based plastics,”​ said Anne Johnson, director of GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition, which is a non-profit industry group that equips business with the resources to make products more sustainable.

“When a brand like Pantene introduces this type of technology on a major consumer product line, it represents an innovation in the marketplace and sends a strong signal that will in turn encourage further innovations in sustainability for packaging.”​

When the new Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion sugarcane-based packaging becomes available later this year, P&G were keen to highlight it as a seamless transition for consumers because the formulae will remain unchanged, as well as the fact that the new bottle has virtually identical characteristics to its predecessor but equally recyclable.

By using renewable resources, such as sugarcane-based plastic, Pantene is supporting P&G’s goal of replacing 25 percent of petroleum-based materials with sustainably sourced renewable materials by 2020. P&G’s long term vision is to use 100 percent renewable or recycled materials on all of its products.