Unilever has announced that it will invest €100,000 in a new plastic-free laundry tablet that was developed during a one-day hackathon involving leading designers, innovators, and packaging experts.
The crowdsourced innovation will replace billions of single-use laundry sachets sold every year to low-income consumers in developing markets, as an affordable solution for their laundry requirements.
President of Unilever home care, Kees Kruythoff, said, "The scale of the plastic waste issue is getting worse, not better, with the production of plastics expected to double over the next decade.
"This hackathon is part of our broader work with leading experts and innovators to redesign our packaging and work with the wider industry to accelerate the systemic change that is so urgently needed."
An Innovative Solution
The innovation banks on an affordable, plant-derived covering that will protect laundry tablets against humidity - the main reasons behind the use of plastic packaging.
It will undergo further modifications, before being put on trial in the market.
The solution was one of the 10 ideas that emerged during Unilever’s ‘Rethink Plastic’ hackathon - a one-day event hosted in partnership with One Young World, a global forum that connects young leaders to create lasting positive changes, and A Plastic Planet, an international campaign to make the world plastic free.
'A Strong Message'
Commenting on the hackathon, Kate Robertson, co-founder of One Young World said, "This hackathon is a great example of where innovative young leaders are able to showcase their abilities in bringing solutions to the table and utilising the power businesses hold in implementing change."
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet added, "The fact that a huge multinational like Unilever is taking the issue of plastic pollution and solutions seriously is a strong message to all industry worldwide.
"Those businesses that do not seek to change and reduce their plastic usage will not survive."
Other Initiatives
Unilever's initiative is part of a series of efforts taken by the FMCG giant to reduce its plastic footprint globally.
In 2017, the company committed to ensuring that all its plastic packaging will be designed to be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
In the UK, Unilever is a signatory to the UK Plastic Pact - an agreement between governments, businesses, local authorities, NGOs and citizens to tackle plastic waste, and transform the plastics system.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
