Kenvue Trials UK Plastics Recycling Scheme In Tesco Supermarkets
Executive Summary
Kenvue is partnering with Tesco supermarkets in the UK to enable consumers to recycle plastic packaging from brands like Calpol.
Consumers in the UK can now recycle the plastic packaging from Kenvue products, such as children’s analgesic brand Calpol, in selected Tesco supermarkets.
“While you can already add Calpol product packaging and glass bottles to appropriate household recycling for curbside collection, we know it can be tricky to ensure that smaller items such as plastic medicine syringes, blister packs and spoons are collected and recycled,” commented Kenvue’s Northern Europe managing director Charmaine England.
“That’s why we’re excited to collaborate with Tesco to give consumers a convenient way to dispose of their Calpol materials.”
Shoppers can also use the recycling points to deposit plastic packaging, blister packs and spoons from other leading Kenvue medicine brands, the firm pointed out.
Deposited items are collected by recycle and reuse specialists MYGroup, which then via its subsidiary ReFactory, transforms this plastic into new objects – much like TerraCycle’s partnership with Procter & Gamble in the US. (Also see "P&G-Sponsored Beauty Recycling Centers Debut In 25 Walmart Stores" - HBW Insight, 8 Sep, 2022.)
“By launching this innovative trial,” England continued, “we’re helping to increase the chances of our plastic materials being recycled and used in new products such as plastic children’s tables and chairs, helping to protect our environment.”
For parents who are not near to a Tesco, Kenvue is also offering a free post service specifically for Calpol syringes.
“As the UK’s best-selling children’s medicine brand, we hear many stories of parents with Calpol syringes that they don’t know what to do with, so we have listened and taken action,” England added.
The new recycling trial with Tesco supports Kenvue’s “Healthy Lives Mission,” launched in 2021, which will see the firm invest $800m by 2030 to “build a healthier tomorrow for people and our planet,” the firm noted.
By 2025, the business intends for the brands to use 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable plastic packaging and certified/post-consumer recycled paper- and pulp-based packaging. (Also see "J&J Consumer Health More Than A Revenue Stream: Driving Development Across Segments" - HBW Insight, 23 Jun, 2021.)