Henkel Beauty Care employees got a first-hand look at the recycling process during a tour of the Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) facility in Brooklyn, New York.
One of the largest recycling facilities in North America, SMR’s 11-acre sorting center processes and markets more than 200,000 tons of plastic, glass and metal each year.
The Henkel team was joined by representatives from TerraCycle, with whom they are working to improve the recyclability of Henkel’s packaging. As part of its long-term sustainability goal, Henkel aims to make its products three times as efficient by 2030; the tour helped the company’s employees learn more about recycling technologies and future trends.
Related: Henkel Introduces 100% Recycled Plastic
“Henkel is working together with partners along the entire value chain to drive progress towards a circular economy,” said Martina Spinatsch, vice president, R&D, beauty care North America. “We are focused on reducing packaging material, increasing the use of recycled materials and improving the recyclability of our packages.”
“The tour was a great way to grow our foundation and help us continue to build expertise in sustainable package design for Henkel Beauty Care,” added principal packaging engineer Kurt Nelson. “By understanding constraints at the material recovery facility, we are inspired to continue developing more recyclable packages for the complex waste stream in North America.”
