The packaging will feature limited edition “Recycle Me!” messaging and is intended to build recycling awareness among both consumers and MRF operators.

Colgate-Palmolive has launched a recyclable toothpaste tube with limited edition messaging to build recycling awareness among consumers as well as material recovery facility (MRF) operators, reprocessors and other recycling stakeholders. The New York-based consumer products firm says the tube is the first to be recognized as recyclable by external recycling authorities.

The toothpaste tube is made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE,) similar to milk and detergent bottles, and there is no rinsing, cutting or cleaning required before placing the tube into a recycling bin. The company says it chose HDPE because of its high recycling rate—about 30 percent in the U.S. By combining different layers of HDPE laminate at varying thicknesses, Colgate’s engineers were able to produce a tube easier to squeeze than typical products made from HDPE.

Colgate initially launched a prototype of the tube in the U.S. in 2020 under its Tom’s of Maine brand. The packaging was recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), Washington, after demonstrating it could navigate screens and conveyor belts at MRFs and could be repurposed after recycling. “The Association of Plastic Recyclers appreciated the opportunity to partner with Colgate on this important project,” APR President Steve Alexander said in 2020. “Tubes are one of the most widely used forms of plastic packaging that still cannot be recycled. There is a lot of work ahead, but we believe Colgate is off to a great start.”

The tube also features limited edition “Recycle Me!” graphics to alert consumers of the product’s recyclability. The messaging will be found on select tubes of Colgate toothpastes and the company expects to expand the packaging to the rest of its toothpaste line by 2023 in the U.S. and globally by 2025.

Colgate says the goal of the “Recycle Me!” messaging is to build awareness of the recyclable tubes. Since most of the world’s toothpaste tubes have been made with a mix of materials, they have not traditionally not been recycled.

“We want to lead in waste reduction and, in particular, making toothpaste tubes a part of the circular economy,” says Dana Medema, vice president and general manager of oral care for Colgate-Palmolive in North America. “The ‘Recycle Me!’ tube is designed to educate and engage consumers and the recycling community who are both essential to progress and we are excited to initiate and learn from our upcoming pilot program.”

The pilot program is being developed in partnership with peer companies and leading MRF operators and reprocessors in the U.S. It will focus on one county or municipality to test how educational efforts can build toothpaste tube recycling rates and assess the quality of the tube material that is collected for reprocessing. The company says it will use the data to define best practices for tube recycling to be shared with communities and recyclers around the country.

Last year, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics, Midland, Michigan, also announced it had developed a recyclable toothpaste tube using high-performance polyethylene-based technology and removing the aluminum layer of the tube, which has made toothpaste tubes difficult to recycle.

The report says reducing pollution from plastics will require international cooperation to reduce plastic production, improve waste management and increase recycling.

According to the Global Plastics Outlook report produced by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), rising global populations and incomes are driving a “relentless” increase in the amount of plastic being used and thrown away, while the global recycling rate is only 9 percent and policies designed to curb its leakage into the environment are proving ineffective.

The report was issued Feb. 22 in advance of United Nations talks on international action to reduce plastic waste. 

According to the report, almost half of all plastic waste is generated in OECD countries, with the U.S. generating 221 kilograms (487 pounds) per person per year, while European OECD countries generate 114 kilograms (251 pounds) and Japan and Korea generated 69 kilograms (152 pounds), on average. Most plastic pollution comes from inadequate collection and disposal of larger plastic debris known as macroplastics, but the leakage of microplastics (synthetic polymers smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter also are concerning.

OECD countries are behind 14 percent of overall plastic leakage, the report notes, accounting for 11 percent of macroplastics leakage and 35 percent of microplastics leakage.

The report says reducing pollution from plastics will require international cooperation to reduce plastic production and to improve waste management and increase recycling.

Bans and taxes on single-use plastics are in place in more than 120 countries but are not doing enough to reduce overall pollution, according to the report. Most regulations are limited to items like plastic bags, which make up a tiny share of plastic waste and are more effective at reducing littering than curbing plastics consumption. Landfill and incineration taxes that incentivize recycling only exist in a minority of countries. The report calls for increased use of policy instruments, such as extended producer responsibility programs for packaging and durables, landfill taxes, deposit-refund and pay-as-you-throw systems.

While global production of recycled-content plastics more than quadrupled from 6.8 million metric tons in 2000 to 29.1 million metric tons in 2019, it still accounts for only 6 percent of total plastics production, the report notes, adding that more must be done to create a separate and well-functioning market for recycled plastics. Setting recycled content targets and investing in improved recycling technologies could help to make secondary markets more competitive and profitable, according to the report’s authors.

While 15 percent of plastic is collected for recycling, 40 percent of that is disposed of as residues, the report says, leading to the 9 percent recycling rate. Another 19 percent is incinerated, 50 percent is landfilled and 22 percent evades waste management systems and ends up at uncontrolled dumpsites, is burned in open pits or ends up in terrestrial or aquatic environments, especially in poorer countries, the report notes.  

Citing global value chains and trade in plastics, the report suggests that aligning design approaches and regulation of chemicals will be key to improving the circularity of plastics.

Global plastic waste generation more than doubled from 2000 to 2019 to 353 million metric tons, according to the report. Nearly two-thirds of this material comes from plastics with lifetimes of less than five years, while 40 percent comes from packaging, 12 percent from consumer goods and 11 percent from clothing and textiles.

The full Global Plastics Outlook is available for download here.

The company says it is developing a product made completely from recycled aluminum.

Aluminum producer Norsk Hydro ASA, headquartered in Oslo, Norway, has reported fourth-quarter 2021 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 9,011 million kroner, or nearly $1,020 million, compared with 3,403 million kroner, or $386 million, for the last quarter of 2021. The company’s full-year 2021 EBITDA totaled 28,010 million kroner, or $3,173 million compared with 13,106 kroner, or $1,486 million in 2020.

"Our customers are becoming increasingly focused on the actual footprint of the products they use and are asking for more low-carbon aluminum,” says Hydro President and CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim in the news release accompanying the company’s earnings. “We see this in our order books, where sales of Hydro Circal—produced with 75 percent postconsumer scrap—have doubled over the last year. This year, we are pioneering near-zero aluminum with 100 percent postconsumer aluminum, and we are in a dialogue with customers to supply aluminum with a near-zero carbon footprint already this year.”

She adds that the company is seeking to increase its production of low-carbon aluminum by 2025.

Hydro says it saw an adjusted return on average capital employed of 18.6 percent in 2021, noting that was significantly higher than the 3.7 percent it achieved in 2020 and above the ambition to deliver 10 percent over the cycle. The company says strong aluminum demand and pricing and strong macroeconomic conditions arising from the COVID-19 rebound contributed to that result.

While Hydro says the global economy has rebounded to precrisis levels, the pace of growth slowed in the fourth quarter amid the emergence of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, continued global supply-chain shortages, high energy prices and concerns about inflation.

Rising gas and power prices have led to an increase in production costs in Europe, followed by the curtailment of several European smelters, including Hydro's primary aluminum plant Slovalco in Slovakia. Capacity at Slovalco was reduced from 80 percent to 60 percent by mid-February 2022, which constitutes an annual reduction of 35,000 metric tons of production.

At Hydro's Capital Markets Day in December of last year, the company announced its ambitions to strengthen profitability and sustainability. The company says it is a recognized leader in sustainability, and the new sustainability ambitions launched at Capital Markets Day will be a key driver for Hydro's competitive positioning. Hydro has the ambition of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or earlier and is pursuing three decarbonization paths to reduce the carbon footprint of aluminum to net zero: carbon capture and storage solutions for its existing smelters; its HalZero technology for greenfield smelters that is based on converting alumina to aluminum chloride prior to electrolysis in a process where chlorine and carbon are kept in closed loops, resulting in a fully decarbonized process; and recycling more postconsumer aluminum. Hydro will have the first commercial volumes of near-zero carbon products (defined as less than 0.5 kilograms CO2 per kilogram of aluminum) available in 2022 based on using what it describes as “complex” postconsumer scrap. Hydro says this will be made possible by Hydro’s patented aluminum sorting technology and alloying expertise combined with replacing natural gas with hydrogen or electrical heating at recyclers and casthouses. 

The company says recycling is one of its main growth areas, and in the fourth quarter several investment decisions were announced supporting the strategic ambition to grow the current recycling business substantially across the recycling value chain and to double postconsumer scrap usage.

In Michigan, Hydro will invest in the construction of a new aluminum recycling plant to produce 120,000 metric tons of aluminum extrusion ingot per year. During the conference call to discuss its 2021 earnings, Pal Kildemo executive vice president and chief financial officer of Hydro said this investment will allow the company to enter the U.S. market with Hydro Circal, noting that it is “sold at a premium to nonbranded products.”

In Norway, Hydro will establish Høyanger Recycling, a dedicated aluminum recycling facility by the Hydro Høyanger primary aluminum smelter. In Hungary, the company plans to build a new aluminum remelt facility, and the new facility will be built at Hydro's aluminum extrusion plant in Szekesfehervar with an annual capacity of 90,000 metric tons. The company also is further investing in the Deeside recycling plant in the U.K. to increase the plant's aluminum recycling capacity to 70,000 metric tons per year, providing U.K. customers with low-carbon aluminum such as Hydro Circal.

Over the next five years, Hydro says it expects another doubling of sales volumes for its greener products, Hydro Circal and Hydro Reduxa, a primary aluminum product produced using renewable energy. In 2022, the company says it expects volumes for Hydro Circal to increase 25 percent from 2021 levels. Additionally, Hydro says it is positioning its smelter portfolio to meet expected demand for Hydro Reduxa, with volumes expected to grow 30 percent in 2022 compared with 2021.

Hydro also has made progress in the area of battery recycling, with its Hydro Northvolt joint venture battery recycling facility, Hydrovolt, in Fredrikstad, Norway, preparing for commercial production early in the second quarter, Kildemo said. “Plant hot commissioning began in January, and Hydrovolt had a strong end-of-life battery sourcing order intake during Q4, including direct OEM (original equipment manufacturer) contracts, and is building its order book into '23 and '24. When up and running shortly, Hydrovolt will be Europe's largest car battery recycling facility, and the company is also well-positioned for vertical integration and scaling into Europe,” he added.

Hydro Extrusions continues its efforts to restructure, optimize and commercially position its portfolio, the company says. In the fourth quarter, Hydro announced the divestment of its general extrusion operations in Kuppam, India, to Hindalco Industries Ltd. $33 million on a cash-free and debt-free basis. The sale was completed in early February 2022. Hydro Extrusions also investing in a new extrusion press at its aluminum manufacturing plant in Suzhou, China, which will serve China's growing automotive and electric vehicle market.

Paper and board maker donates $100,000 to help rebuild homes in Selma, Alabama, where it has a containerboard mill.

Memphis, Tennessee-based International Paper (IP) says it has donated $75,000 to a California-based disaster relief organization to help rebuild 10 homes and another $25,000 to a foundation that will plant trees. Both donations are being directed toward Selma, Alabama, following tornadoes that struck that community in 2021.

IP says the $75,000 donation has gone to El Segundo, California-based Team Rubicon, while the $25,000 one went to the Nebraska-based Arbor Day Foundation.

In 2021, tornados and severe storms “battered Selma,” IP says, and both nonprofits have been involved in the rebuilding effort. “During the response, Team Rubicon realized that many homeowners in Selma needed additional assistance to make their homes safer and more resilient against future storms,” IP says.

IP says it has “special ties” to Selma because its Riverdale Containerboard Mill is currently the largest employer in Dallas County, which includes Selma, with more than 750 employees. The mill makes recycled-content corrugated board products.

Feb. 24, staff members from IP’s Riverdale Mill visited the work site at one of the homes being repaired by Team Rubicon. Riverdale Mill volunteers also will be assisting with planting trees in cooperation with the Arbor Day Foundation, says IP.

IP says the trees being planted “are an important part of the community recovery process” since they “will help replace trees lost in the storm as well as build climate resiliency."

“We take our responsibility as a community member and partner very seriously,” says Bretton DeJong, mill manager at the Riverdale facility. “Helping our neighbors in the communities where we live and work is a blessing, a privilege, and a challenge we gladly accept.”

IP also says Selma has played “a critical role in American civil rights history, with the March from Selma to Montgomery marking a turning point in the Civil Rights movement that led to the passage of the Voting Rights act in 1965.”

“Our approach to disaster relief is rooted in the belief that every community deserves a chance to recover,” comments Art delaCruz, CEO of Team Rubicon. “In a place like Selma, the combination of physical hazards and socio-economic risks make equitable recovery from disasters challenging.”

Virginia-based scrap firm also says it continues to seek a Nasdaq listing for its stock shares.

Norfolk, Virginia-based Greenwave Technology Solutions Inc. says its subsidiary, Empire Services Inc., is in the process of installing a second auto shredder. Greenwave says the new system would allow it “to double its processing capacity, which could result in its dealer scrap product line generating an additional $8 million to $15 million in revenue over the next 18 months.”

Greenwave says it also is installing a downstream processing system “capable of recovering millimeter-minus pieces of metal from its shred residue or ‘fluff,’ as it is known in the industry.” Greenwave says the downstream system “could generate an additional $10 million to $20 million in revenue over the next 18 to 24 months and significantly increase Empire’s profit margins.”

“With the installation of this second automotive shredder, Empire’s operational infrastructure has the capacity to support significant growth with the goal of generating $100 million in annual revenue by 2025,” Greenwave CEO Danny Meeks says.

He continues, “Prices for scrap metal are on the rise driven by depleted inventories and robust demand, with many analysts projecting they could go much higher. We believe Greenwave is one of the most attractive companies in the scrap metal industry given its current valuation and potential for significant growth. We appreciate Greenwave’s shareholders for their trust and support the past several months as we cleaned up our capitalization structure, closed a $37.7 million offering, and put systems in place to position the company for rapid expansion.”

Greenwave does not mention where its planned second shredder will be. Its Empire subsidiary currently operates from 11 locations in North Carolina and Virginia and says it expects to open its 12th location in Fairmont, North Carolina, this March.

Greenwave also says it expects to submit its application to “uplist” to the Nasdaq exchange this March, “with the goal of listing on a national exchange by June 2022.”