Sustainability being the most important theme of the decade, businesses are leveraging new ways of innovative design packaging. Therefore, riding on the path of creating a positive impact on the environment, one of the major speciality packaging company, Essel Propack Limited has collaborated with Unilever to supply fully recyclable Platina tubes in the oral care segment, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Namrata Sain, Consumer Insights Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Sustainability is nearing a stage where it has become a non-negotiable demand, and customers are preferring the brands which cater to those expectations. Hence, consumers will scrutinize the environmental impact of brands and their activities and the companies that are truly committed to these sustainability issues, are expected to edge out the competitors who aren’t. This is in line with the GlobalData Consumer Survey Q1 2021** analysis which states that 36% of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) consumers prefer brands which provide information about brand’s sustainability initiatives.”

Unilever will be using EPL’s Platina tubes which is an eco-friendly laminated tube with less than 5% resin and HDFE closure. HDFE closure is touted to be the world’s first fully sustainable and completely recyclable tube accredited by APR (Association of Plastic Recyclers), suited for oral, beauty and cosmetic brands.

Ms. Namrata adds: “While Unilever will be launching fully recyclable tubes later this year in France & India, EPL’s next move is to supply 100% recyclable Platina tubes to another FMCG giant GSK Consumer Health, catering to five core categories of oral care, C&T, Healthcare and home care.”

GlobalData’s latest research reveals that the oral hygiene market is expected to steadily increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% in France and at 6.7% in India in the 2019 to 2024 period. Within the oral care segments, Toothpaste category generated the highest revenue share of 48.2% and 76.3% in France and India, respectively in 2020P.

Ms. Namrata concludes: “This strategic partnership will aid Unilever’s oral care brands like Signal, Pepsodent and Closeup to become fully recyclable by 2025, gravitating towards sustainability momentum. EPL will be able to contribute its significant role towards sustainable consumption through innovative packaging, increasing the level of transparency and winning the consumers’ trust.”

* Data taken as on 10^th June 2021 from GMD Segment Insights cube, however data forecasts change every month

** This consumer survey was carried out in February 2021 in 42 countries globally, with a sample size of 500 respondents per country.