Walgreens is working to switch the color of bottle caps on certain products from black to white to improve recyclability. The pharmacy chain announced the changes last week as it detailed own-brand packaging initiatives that support advancement toward its 2030 sustainability goals.
This comes three weeks after parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance released its fiscal 2023 ESG report, which includes efforts to improve packaging sustainability.
In its recent update, Walgreens described a project to improve its nail polish remover bottle recyclability by changing black plastic caps to white plastic caps.
“Many recycling facilities use mechanical vision systems, essentially robots with cameras for eyes, to sort packaging that comes in. They have a difficult time correctly identifying black plastic,” so it often ends up in the waste stream or an incorrect recycling stream, said Andrew Horn, senior manager of sustainability operations, in a news release.
The company projects the cap change across seven Walgreens-brand beauty and personal care products will improve recyclability for about 13 tons of plastic, and it’s committed to such developments despite the added marketing challenge. “It’s a risk because we rely on colors to help our customers navigate to our products,” Dionne Carloni, manager of packaging sciences, said in the release.
Walgreens previously committed to four packaging-specific goals by 2030 for its branded products, compared with a 2020 baseline:
- Make 100% of packaging recyclable or reusable by consumers.
- Increase recycled content in plastic packaging to an average of 30% for U.S. brands.
- Reduce plastic packaging by 30%.
- Eliminate problematic single-use packaging.
The company is on track to achieve all the goals, according to the newly released ESG report.
Walgreens is also eliminating the use of PVC plastic in its packaging, such as blister packs, because of the recycling challenges with that material and its general lack of acceptance by recyclers. “PVC can often be replaced with a PET plastic that’s much more recyclable and is indistinguishable to customers,” Horn said.
Reducing its environmental impact — including through waste, emissions and plastic reduction — is one of the four focal areas highlighted in the company’s fiscal 2023 ESG report, which covers the period from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023. Numerous initiatives mentioned in the report involve improving packaging recyclability and collection at end of life.
2023 was the first full year for Walgreens’ program to recycle stock bottles and caps — the plastic containers in which medications arrive to pharmacies before distribution to consumers — at all 10 of its micro-fulfillment centers. The company estimates it diverted 552 metric tons of stock bottles and caps.
The ESG report touts Walgreens’ recycling and reuse work as part of its waste reduction strategy, noting the desire for new partnerships in this space. Across all businesses, the company sent more than 252,000 metric tons of waste to landfill, up from about 240,000 in 2022. It recycled or reused nearly 662,000 metric tons of materials that were diverted from disposal in 2023, up from 613,000 in 2022.
In 2023, Walgreens also worked with its existing partner Effizient, a material handling company, to repurpose reclaimed caps and bottles from its retail stores. Effizient created several prototypes of pallets and store carts that Walgreens could use at its facilities. Last year it also sent 633 metric tons of film to its partner Trex to create upcycled lumber.
In fiscal 2023, Walgreens’ carbon footprint totaled more than 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. The company reduced its absolute scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 3.7%, bringing the total reduction from its 2019 baseline to nearly 25%. The company is now 80% toward completing its 2030 emissions reduction goal. Most of the scope 1 and scope 2 emissions the company produces result from using energy for light and heat, and energy efficiency projects have contributed to reducing emissions, according to the report.
