Johnson & Johnson's healthy living mission includes conversion to 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable plastic, as well as recycled paper and pulp packaging by 2025.
Convert bottles to recycled plastic. Redesign the baby lotion bottle to abandon the pump. Replace the black Listerine bottle cap with a transparent resin bottle cap. Reduce the size of the carton with Carefree pads and ob tampons to reduce the use of paper.
These are some of the changes Johnson & Johnson will make to transform its consumer healthcare product packaging into a sustainable choice.
The goal is to use 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable plastic packaging for Johnson & Johnson's consumer brands by 2025, as well as certified/post-consumer recycled paper and pulp packaging.
Packaging changes are part of the greater mission of healthy living, in which the company will spend 800 million US dollars to make these packaging changes, while changing the procurement of some products. This includes using household compostable fiber in makeup wipes, and buying oats and cooking oil from environmentally conscious farmers. The company also plans to obtain electricity from renewable energy sources. Johnson & Johnson declined to be interviewed for this story.
Sandeep Kulkarni, president of KoolEarth Solutions, a sustainable packaging consultancy, said that the global company’s efforts are in line with industry goals and trends and hope that packaging can be recyclable, compostable or reusable.
#JNJ proudly launches a healthy life mission-invest 800 million US dollars by 2030 to help improve the health of people and the planet. From Neutrogena® to Listerine®, see how our eight iconic brands make their products more sustainable: https://t.co/wzcE2rz5Fy pic.twitter.com/GNHcSGowYY
Any company that wants to transform into a more sustainable model will start with a baseline assessment of current packaging. Companies may not know how much of their materials meet the standards they want to set. Kulkarni said that companies with a broad product line or global reach may want to start with the highest number of SKUs or the largest market first.
Wes Carter, president of Atlantic Packaging, said that determining the company's sustainability goals should not be one size fits all. The company cooperated with Johnson & Johnson, but Carter did not specifically talk about the Johnson & Johnson project.
"When you can find a match between cost savings and sustainability, these programs will work very well and happen faster."
He said that for any company, it is important to analyze where the biggest opportunities are based on the amount of packaging materials or technology upgrades required. "The company's goals should advance all of this," Carter said.
These goals sometimes conflict in the realm of sustainability. Sustainability work should be highly coordinated with or reside in the company's procurement department. Sometimes sustainable packaging options are more costly. If sustainability work does not belong to the procurement department, and the focus of procurement is low prices, conflicts may arise.
"We are trying to find sustainable solutions, which are also the cost advantage of the organization. When you can find the consistency between cost savings and sustainability, these plans will run very well and happen faster, "Carter said.
Kulkarni said that for packaging to be fully recyclable, every part must be recyclable, including the label. Some bottles use full bottle labels, which may cause recycling problems. The packaging should also be compatible with the recycling process, which may be why Johnson & Johnson wants to remove the pump from some products. The pump needs to be discarded before the bottle is recycled, and not all consumers do this.
When removing things like pumps, the company had to change more than just the design. They must solve the consumer experience problem. Josh Oleson, vice president of product development and innovation at HAVI, said that this includes understanding consumers’ use cases and journeys and empathizing with how they use packaging in their own environment. HAVI is a company that manages the supply chain of large brands, including packaging and sourcing. And logistics. Brands should have a conversation with consumers about why they want to change and how it adapts to their broader brand goals.
But sustainability is not the only consideration for packaging. The packaging must be practical. If the product is damaged in order to use more sustainable packaging materials, the problem is even greater. "You don't want to waste the product," Carter said.
The immediate reduction of waste in the supply chain starts with the use of fewer materials. Packaging optimization testing can help determine the minimum amount of material required to effectively transport the product. "There is no substitute for using less," Carter said.
Oleson said that when considering materials, it is important to have a long-term perspective. One consideration is to maintain the value of raw materials for as long as possible in a circular economy. This includes not only rethinking materials, but also rethinking design. The use of straws in food service is an example. Oleson said that in order to remove the straws, some brands are reconsidering designs, including caps without straws.
When the sustainability plan is designed for B2B rather than B2C, it is easier to recycle materials.
Carter said that if the product is shipped from the manufacturer to a limited number of distribution centers, it is easier to restore the packaging to create a closed loop system. At the same time, consumer products are sent to hundreds of millions of destinations, and the consumer-level recycling infrastructure is poor, Carter said, "much worse than most people realize."
The most successful roadside recycling is paper. "If you can find a paper substitute for plastic, that's something that needs to be evaluated," Carter said.
Johnson & Johnson is working hard to switch to non-plastic materials, such as cardboard, whenever possible. One obstacle is Nicorette gum, because the packaging has barrier requirements as a drug, including moisture protection.
Johnson & Johnson has added compostable targets in its packaging, but there is a difference between home composting and industrial composting. Makeup wipes can be composted at home, but Johnson & Johnson did not mention in the announcement whether or where plastic packaging can be composted.
Kulkarni said: “Most companies that put compostable things there are industrially compostable.” “You have to go to industrial facilities. You can’t put them in your backyard composting system. You have to be careful how you do it. Communicate compostability."
Carter said: "We must be very careful to make general statements about things like'we want to get rid of all plastic packaging.'" Certain types of plastic are effective and can be recycled and recycled. "Be careful not to replace efficient plastics with inefficient substitutes."
One example is the stretch film sold by his company. It is usually made of virgin plastic and uses 6-10 ounces to wrap a pallet. "Trying to change the stretch film to get rid of the plastic packaging goal is invalid. You have to use double-wall corrugated boxes instead," Carter said.
"To get more recycled plastic, you must ensure that you help consumers recycle more and better."
Checking the carbon footprint should be part of the sustainable development process. Carter says that the fewer materials typically used, the lower the carbon footprint.
"When you use plastic packaging, it is very efficient and has a very low carbon footprint. From plastic to paper, you may increase your carbon footprint," Carter said.
If plastic is found to be efficient, the next step is to determine how to recycle plastic packaging and recycle it to create a closed loop system.
Plastic color can also be changed to produce higher recycling values. Johnson & Johnson plans to replace Listerine's black caps with transparent resin caps, and has replaced the black OGX shampoo bottles with transparent caps. Compared with black plastic, transparent plastic can be processed into more forms.
Oleson said that “rethinking raw material choices that take into account the end of life” can have an impact.
Packaging changes affect the manufacturing and filling process, depending on the scope of the change.
Kulkarni said that Johnson & Johnson may obtain the bottles from off-site manufacturers, so "the manufacturing process or the filling line will not change drastically."
Switching from black applause to transparent applause will not change the way the bottle is manufactured or the manufacturing equipment used for filling. But the company may need to adjust the factory's filling sensors to adapt to color changes.
"Be careful not to replace efficient plastics with inefficient substitutes."
Modification of packaging also requires the ability to purchase necessary materials, but the supply of recycled plastics is limited. Kulkarni said: "People are pushing to increase recycling rates, but to get more recycled plastic, you have to make sure to help consumers recycle more and better things."
Carter said the demand for recycled post-consumer resin pellets to be mixed with virgin plastic "is beyond the chart." "Every company in the United States wants to use post-consumer resin in their products, but we don't have a good infrastructure."
He said that due to demand, sales are increasing, but there is not yet a large supply. "I believe we will get there."
Correction: The previous version of this article stated that Atlantic Packaging cooperated with Johnson & Johnson to fulfill its mission of healthy living. The company cooperates with Johnson & Johnson, but not on that mission.
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