K3® r-PP packaging solutions for Henkel at the Worldstar Global Packaging Awards 2021

Brand owner Henkel and Greiner Packaging started off 2021 with another international award: The K3^® r-PP packaging solutions for Persil 4in1 DISCS detergent featuring 50 percent postconsumer r-PP came out winners at the Worldstar Global Packaging Awards 2021 organized by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO).

• New, improved K3^® packaging solutions for Persil 4in1 DISCS detergent
• Innovative two-layer concept with even better sustainability profile
• Plastic container made of 50 percent postconsumer r-PP
• Plastic content reduced by over 40 percent compared to previous packaging
• Winner at Worldstar Global Packaging Awards 2021

Kremsmünster, Austria, February 2021. The sustainable cardboard-plastic packaging solutions Henkel uses for its Persil 4in1 DISCS have been continually upgraded in recent years and now contain 50 percent postconsumer r-PP. After winning the Green Packaging Award in fall 2020, the jointly developed packaging solution has now garnered another prize at the Worldstar Global Packaging Awards 2021. 

The World Packaging Organisation (WPO) has been presenting the Worldstar Awards every year since 1970 in recognition of the very best packaging solutions from around the globe. The organization’s awards not only support continuous improvement with respect to packaging design and technology – they also draw attention to excellent packaging solutions and the high standard of excellence achieved by manufacturers and brand owners at the international level. “Cardboard-plastic packaging solutions like ours help minimize the use of plastic. As a manufacturer of sustainable packaging, the team here at Greiner Packaging continually takes on new challenges – and as of 2020, we have now brought to market packaging solutions containing 50 percent postconsumer r-PP for the first time. This especially eco-friendly solution thoroughly convinced the jury, and we succeeded in taking home the award out of 17 entries in the household packaging category,” says Lena Mittendorfer, member of the Global Key Account team at Greiner Packaging, who was part of the project.

By creating the K3^® cardboard-plastic packaging products that won the award, Greiner Packaging is helping to reduce plastic consumption as well as offering a high-quality solution – with respect to both its look and its stability. The sustainable packaging solution for Persil is a textbook example of closed-loop thinking, as it now contains 50 percent recycled polypropylene (r-PP) recovered from plastic in household waste. Thanks to its innovative, patented tear-off system, the cardboard sleeve and the plastic container can be easily separated and recycled after use. This means consumers benefit from 100 percent recyclable packaging, and the packaging’s lower plastic content helps to reduce CO₂ emissions, while the cardboard sleeve maintains the container’s stability. Recycled material is used in this packaging solution’s cardboard sleeve, while the containers consist of 50 percent r-PP. Greiner Packaging uses a double-layer approach for the packaging. The inside of the plastic container is made from white, virgin material, which guarantees an ideal color contrast with the colorful detergent DISCS. Meanwhile, the outer layer of the packaging contains r-PP. This layer’s grayish color has no impact on how the packaging looks, because it is wrapped in a cardboard sleeve that can be printed or decorated for an attractive appearance.

Henkel pursues ambitious packaging targets to help avoid and reduce plastic waste and foster a circular economy. For example, by 2025, Henkel wants to reduce the amount of virgin plastics from fossil sources in its consumer products by 50 percent. Both Greiner Packaging and Henkel are signatories to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment launched by the UK-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation. This initiative aims to eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging, to make packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and to increase the use of recycled materials in packaging products. And the new and improved K3^® packaging solution meets these goals perfectly in every respect.