Earlier this month, Proctor & Gamble announced plans to use renewable, sustainable, sugarcane-based plastic for packaging on its Pantene Pro-V, Covergirl and Max Factor brands.
I’m happy to see that P&G did its research and chose not to use corn-based plastic. Corn-based plastic has been all the rage lately and can be found in everything from “compostable” silverware to paper coffee cups. Plastic made from corn is not as sustainable as it may appear. GMO corn is typically used and taking corn out of the world’s food supply is elitist at best. So good thing P&G went a different route.
P&G will source the sugarcane-based plastic from Braskem SA, who manufactures the material using ethanol made from sustainably-grown Brazilian sugarcane. The process transforms sugarcane into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, a type commonly used for product packaging. It remains 100% recyclable in existing municipal recycling facilities.
The beauty products will be rolled out globally over the next two years and are expected to be on shelves in 2011.
Now, P&G needs to work on the sustainability of the shampoo, conditioner and make-up inside the packaging as well.
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Image credit: martinroell via Flickr under a CC license
