The Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), with corporate headquarters in Cincinnati, has launched the Fairy Ocean Plastic bottle, which is made completely from postconsumer recycled (PCR) plastic and ocean plastic, to raise awareness about ocean plastic and what can be done to prevent plastic from reaching the ocean.

The Fairy Ocean Plastic Bottle has been created in partnership with TerraCycle, Trenton, New Jersey, and will reach British consumers in 2018. The U.K. launch includes 320,000 bottles, the largest production run of recyclable dish soap bottles in the world made using ocean plastic, according to P&G. The bottle will be made from 10 percent ocean plastic, collected from around the world, and 90 percent postconsumer recycled plastic.

The project also seeks to inspire consumers to participate in beach cleanups and to recycle household packaging.

Stemming the flow of plastic into the ocean is crucial to preserving the health of our ocean, P&G says. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 95 percent of the value of plastic packaging material, worth $80 billion to $120 billion annually, is lost to the economy. If we remain on the current track, more plastic than fish by weight could be in the ocean by 2050.

 

P&G says it intends to extend the initiative across other brands and regions in the future. In an effort to divert plastic waste from landfills and oceans, P&G brands, including Fairy, Dawn, Yes, Dreft and Joy, will continue to divert 8,000 metric tons of plastic from landfill for use in transparent plastic bottles, using an average of 40 percent postconsumer recycled plastic content across 481 million of its transparent dish care bottles globally. If stacked, these bottles would be 11 times the height of Mount Everest, the company says.

Virginie Helias, vice president of global sustainability at P&G, comments: “As the world’s No. 1 dishwashing liquid globally and a much-loved brand in the U.K., we want to use Fairy to raise awareness about the plight of our ocean and raise awareness about the importance of recycling. Our consumers care deeply about this issue, and by using ocean plastic we hope to show that the opportunities are endless when we rethink our approach to waste.’’

Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, says, ‘’We are proud to be working with an iconic brand like Fairy to launch a fully recyclable bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic and ocean plastic. The issue of ocean pollution is a pertinent one, we hope other brands will be inspired to think creatively about waste and make the circular economy a reality.’’

‘’We are thrilled that P&G is raising awareness of ocean plastic pollution amongst their consumers,” says Susan Ruffo, managing director of international initiatives at Ocean Conservancy, Washington. “P&G’s leadership on this issue, including through their participation in the Trash Free Seas Alliance, is critical to solving the ocean plastic crisis.  We are excited that in addition to its work to reach consumers directly through the Fairy bottles, they are also addressing the source of ocean plastic by supporting our initiative to raise over $150 million over the next five years to improve waste collection, sorting and recycling in key ocean plastic economies. Improving waste management in these places can help cut the flow of plastic going into the ocean by half by 2025.”