Holland & Barrett wages war on plastic waste with own-brand pack relaunch

Wellness and beauty retailer Holland & Barrett is seeking to shed 200 tonnes of plastic a year by re-launching its entire own-brand vitamin range (including beauty supplements) in a new more-sustainable packaging format.

The move will see the weight of all own-brand vitamin packaging, including beauty and wellness gummies, reduced to contain 20% less plastic.

The retailer will also introduce new, smaller bottle sizes and has committed to only use plastic that contains a minimum of 80% recycled material.

The plastic wrapping on caps will also be removed and despite already using PET, the most widely recycled plastic globally, Holland & Barrett will also reduce the colour levels in bottles so that plastic can be reused in more ways when recycled.

Holland & Barrett Head of Brand Management Geraldine Waterton said: “We know sustainability is a really important topic for our customers, and we are continually looking at ways we can reduce our impact on the environment.

“Our own brand vitamin range is one of the biggest on the high street and is made up of over 714 products. We are introducing our new packaging over the next 12 months and in doing so will be saving over 200 tonnes of plastic, while also making sure our bottles are easily recycled at home.”  

The move is the latest in a string of sustainability efforts by Holland & Barrett, with the retailer having banned the sale of single-use beauty sheet masks last month, along with wet-wipes and the use of microplastics in products.