HUL’s Surf Excel moves to 50% recycled plastic bottles

HUL partnered with Banyan Nation to innovate and create bottles that are less dependent on virgin plastic thereby reducing the net plastic generated.

Hindustan Unilever’s Surf Excel, today, announced its transition to recyclable bottles made from 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and use of 100% biodegradable actives in its formulation. Surf Excel Matic Liquid was launched in 2016 to give a better laundry experience to Washing Machine users. Over time the business grew and so did its plastic footprint. To live by the clean future principles of the organisation, HUL partnered with Banyan Nation to innovate and create bottles that are less dependent on virgin plastic thereby reducing the net plastic generated. By the end of this year, the brand will cross an annual consumption of 900 tonnes of recycled plastic. HUL is also working on no plastic innovations like the refill machine setup at a store in Mumbai.

Talking about this transition, Prabha Narasimhan, executive director and vice president, Home Care, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) said, “Every decision we make is evaluated, not just on its benefit to the consumers but also on its impact on the environment, now and in the long term, to ensure what is best for the consumer is also good for the larger world we inhabit. Why should the consumer be forced to make a choice between the two?”

“All innovations have a scorecard on various parameters and its positive impact on our clean future agenda is a key criterion to meet for it to move ahead in the organisation’s innovation funnel” says Mr. Sanjiv Mehta, the Chairman and MD of Hindustan Unilever. “If we don’t set higher standards for ourselves, we will not be able to meet the needs of the future generations. We take great pride in innovating to meet the consumers’ needs, some of these aren’t critical for the present but are key for the future. This innovation is yet another step in that direction.”

CEO and Co-founder of Banyan Nation, Mani Kishore Vajipeyajula said, “Banyan Nation’s mission is to ensure that the use of safe and high-quality recycled plastic becomes the norm in mainstream consumer products and packaging. HUL's alignment with our mission and unwavering commitment to sustainability has resulted in over 100 million bottles being made from Banyan Nation’s recycled granules and made available to consumers across India.”

(We got this information in a press release).