Plastic Waste Management
Plastics, if not managed well, may contribute to grave environmental concerns. At Colgate-Palmolive, we believe that plastic waste is a serious challenge that calls for immediate action and we are committed to working towards a sustainable environment. Addressing the complexity of plastic pollution, requires taking an inclusive and collaborative approach. Realizing this, at Colgate-Palmolive India, we started taking the necessary steps in this direction. From manufacturing to packaging, the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle across the company’s facilities are followed, diligently. It is our company’s constant endeavor to cut down on our overall waste across all levels and to look at new technologies that make waste management more efficient. The plastic waste generated at our plants during filling and packing of products is sent to waste handling/recycling agencies. With the respective State Pollution Control Board’s approval, this waste is recycled for conversion to useful plastic commodities, or co-processed to cement in the most environmentally friendly manner, at cement kilns.
Additionally, at Colgate-Palmolive India we are committed to reducing the use of plastic in our packaging by preferring to use more recycled plastic and being focused on increasing the recyclability of our plastic packaging. On an ongoing basis, the company actively pursues technology related to the development of environmentally improved packaging materials. A team of professionals within Colgate-Palmolive India reviews all current packaging from an environmental standpoint on a continuous basis and sets standards for future packaging design and materials.
In India, the Central Government along with NGOs and various trade associations are working on creating a comprehensive ‘Extended Producers Responsibility’ framework to be implemented under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. Colgate-Palmolive India is working together with the Industry to help contribute to this and is fully committed to comply with it.
In spite of various challenges faced by the industry in this direction, Colgate-Palmolive India has started collection of multi layered plastic (MLP) , in the 12 states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal , Andra Pradesh , Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.The company, in partnership with NEPRA & The Shakti Plastics Industry is collecting MLP that is diverted to cement kilns for energy recovery.
As part of our commitment, Colgate-Palmolive globally, is improving the material sustainability profile of its products, working on eliminating PVC from packaging, and continuously looking for ways to enrich the environment. Overall Colgate-Palmolive has made significant progress, including improving recycled content in packaging, 98 percent of Colgate’s packaging is free from hard-to-recycle plastic. Now, Colgate-Palmolive globally has raised the bar with a new commitment of 100 percent recyclability of the plastic used in packaging across all categories by 2025.
