Colgate-Palmolive Joins Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Initiative

Colgate-Palmolive Company today announced that it has joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative, reflecting the company’s commitment to 100% recyclability of packaging across all its product categories and its target to achieve 25% recycled content in all plastic packaging by 2025.

The company aims to accelerate its progress in part through scalable improvement in the capacity and quality of recycled material available for our packaging in the years ahead. Additionally, Colgate-Palmolive will continue to innovate in order to reduce and eliminate problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging. Recent successes include a reengineered fabric softener sachet in Latin America and redesigned toothpaste packaging in China that together save more than 50 tons of plastic annually. And Colgate-Palmolive has made significant progress in advancing reduction of problematic plastics, with 98% of its packaging now PVC-free and a goal of 100% by 2020.

Colgate-Palmolive’s 2017 Sustainability Report, titled “Building a Future to Smile About,” provides information on Colgate-Palmolive’s long-standing commitments, details ongoing progress, and highlights the latest achievements in sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Colgate-Palmolive recognizes the need to bring the valuable materials distributed via consumer packaging back into the supply chain to help create a circular economy that enables people and our environment to thrive.

“We are committed to reducing our use of plastic in our packaging, using more recycled plastic, and increasing the recyclability of our plastic packaging,” said Ian Cook, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We’re proud to join this Ellen MacArthur Foundation initiative, an important part of our strategy to help us achieve our goals and keep building a future to smile about.”

Sander Defruyt, Lead of the New Plastics Economy Initiative, welcomes Colgate-Palmolive’s announcement: "Great to see Colgate-Palmolive take a leading role in the transition to a circular economy for plastics with an ambitious set of commitments that recognises the need to eliminate problematic or unnecessary packaging and aims to design all remaining packaging to be recyclable while significantly increasing the use of recycled content. The New Plastics Economy initiative looks forward to working with Colgate-Palmolive over the coming years to achieve their targets."

About Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, and Suavitel, as well as Hill's Science Diet, Hill's Prescription Diet and Hill's Ideal Balance. For more information about Colgate's global business, visit the Company's website at http://www.colgatepalmolive.com. To learn more about Colgate's global oral health education program, Bright Smiles, Bright Futures™, please visit http://www.colgatebsbf.com. CL-C