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CINCINNATI, OH — Procter & Gamble is bringing sugarcane to shampoo and makeup with new packaging that will be on shelves next year.
The company will start using sugarcane-based plastic packaging for certain products from its Pantene Pro-V, Covergirl and Max Factor brands.
Resin producer Braskem SA, which already supplies Procter & Gamble with plastic resins in Brazil, is providing the packaging material, which is made with ethanol derived from Brazilian sugarcane.
Procter & Gamble will be introducing the new packaging globally over the next two years and says that because the material will have the same properties as high density polyethylene (HDPE), it will carry HDPE's #2 resin code. HDPE is commonly accepted by recycling programs and recyclers.
Shampoo - CC license by Flickr user martinroell
What about post-consumer
What about post-consumer materials? What's so sustainable about sugarcane, especially if it's for packaging that is used in manufacturing facilities in the US, etc where it must be transported long distances? Much is grown with chemicals in deforested rainforest or other razed native biosystems. Is it compatible with traditional recycling systems? There's a surplus of post consumer materials available and lack of recycling infrastructure and consumer willingness to recycle, leading to the landfilling of significant materials...a true waste. Post-consumer paper fiber could well be more sustainable.
Sugarcane is the or near the
Sugarcane is the or near the top of the worlds largest agricultural crop. World is currently in oversupply at most times. The technology here is simply substituting petro based carbon materials for plant based carbon materials. However, neither one is this case really does anything to serve the environment, since little HDPE is ever actually recycled. The resins itself, in pure form is recyclable, but in real world terms, the materials are too dirty after use for recycling due to they have to be washed completely of any contaminents, which no one does at the moment on a commerical basis.
However, Sugarcane is one of the greatest carbon sinks around. It uses more C02 to grow then most plants or trees. The processing into sugar is almost a wash carbon wise based on what the cane uses in its growth cycle vs. processing at the sugar mill. And it regenerates by itself from its own roots, reducing carbon use to plant, til, no seeds, and for the most part is GMO free to boot.
Sugarcane-based plastic is a
Sugarcane-based plastic is a good first step, but what about the environmental impact of the ingredients in their shampoo and makeup lines?
Very curious about life cycle
Very curious about life cycle assessment of this alternative. Sugarcane farming is a resource/carbon-intensive process, and I'm visualizing slashed and burned rainforest to make way for sugarcane farms. A preferred alternative to virgin petro-based plastics? Would love more information about the analysis done.