RecyClass approved Samson HDPE tube technology with Colgate Total artwork

Independent laboratory testing confirmed that the ‘Samson Tube with Colgate Total artwork’ technology by Colgate can be recycled in the high-density polyethylene containers (HDPE) and back into high-end applications.

The ‘Samson Tube with Colgate Total artwork’’ technology in question is a tube technology destined mostly for Oral Care products. It is a fully printed HDPE tube containing EVOH-barrier compatibilized with maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (PE-g-MAH). Decoration of the tube consists of printed blue and red tones, and it represents less than 1% of the total weight of the tested technology. Colgate’s barrier-tube technology is provided with HDPE shoulders and a PET insert which was already anaylsed and approved by the RecyClass in 2020.

Following the results of the testing of the tube, excluding its cap, carried out according to the Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for HDPE containers, ‘Samson Tube with Colgate Total artwork’ technology is fully compatible with the coloured HDPE recycling stream, however, due to the PET insert it results in 20% material mass losses. Since one of the pre-requisites of the RecyClass methodology is to maximize the recyclable polymer in a recycling process, RecyClass HDPE Technical Committee encourages Colgate to replace the PET insert by a PE one.

The technology does not have a negative impact on the rigid HDPE recycling stream when it is designed according to the set conditions. These require that the body of the tube and its shoulder are made of clear or white PE with the prevalence of HDPE, while the EVOH must be in line with RecyClass’ guidelines. Furthermore, the cap must be made of PE and the decorative technology, which consists in direct printing, must follow the RecyClass’ recommendations, and be as limited as possible.

To conclude, recycled plastics generated from the recycling of the tube can be used to manufacture high-quality applications such as containers with up to 25% concentration. This technology will positively contribute to increasing the quality of recycled HDPE containers in Europe and reaching the recycling targets.