Procter & Gamble wants to make its products more sustainable. So it’s testing refillable packages for Olay moisturizer later this year.
Starting in October and running until the end of 2019, people will be able to buy the Olay Regenerist Whip moisturizer in a refillable package, the company shared during a Sustainable Brands conference in Detroit on Wednesday.
The container, which can only be purchased online through the Olay website in the United States and the United Kingdom, will be filled with the moisturizer and come with a pod made of polypropylene, a type of plastic that is recyclable. That pod can be used to refill the jar. The current packaging for the product is made of a durable plastic that is generally not recyclable.
Several big companies are exploring greener versions of their products as people become increasingly aware of the environmental harm caused by packaging waste. P&G is also participating in Loop, a shopping service that offers hundreds of products (made by P&G, PepsiCo, Nestlé and others) in reusable packages. Kroger and Walgreens recently joined the experimental new project as well.
P&G started working on the renewable Olay package last year, Anitra Marsh, associate director of brand communications for P&G skin and personal care, told CNN Business. She said that the company decided to test a reusable container with the Regenerist Whip moisturizer because the product is marketed to women in their 20s and 30s, and customers of that age are particularly concerned about the environment.
The product will be shipped in a container made of recycled paper and will arrive without an outer carton in order to reduce packaging, P&G said.
P&G said it will look at consumer feedback to determine whether and how to move forward with the refillable product.
