#our-approach

| Our Approach |  How to Recycle |

IMPROVING OUR APPROACH TO PLASTIC

Image showing the design contract between the old bottle design and current one

LESS PLASTIC PER LOTION BOTTLE

We are working to reduce the amount of plastic used in our products while ensuring that the packaging protects the products inside. We’ve redesigned our lotion bottle to use less plastic.

Our lotion bottle formats pictured above, use less plastic than they did before.

130

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TONS

OF PLASTIC AVOIDED BETWEEN 2018 AND 2022, DUE TO THE PACKAGING REDESIGN, THAT’S THE EQUIVALENT OF

2.3

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MILLION

VASELINE® 20.3OZ BOTTLES (THE REDESIGNED FORMAT) 

We’ve started with lotion bottles, and we are working on our Healing Jelly jars next! We don’t have the solution yet, but are exploring ways we can redesign the Healing Jelly Jar so that they contain less plastic in the future.

Circular graphic showing the process of recycled plastic usage

INCREASED USE OF RECYCLED PLASTIC

We are increasing the use of recycled plastic in our bottles in North America.

Manufacturers, including us, are doing a small part by using post-consumer recycled plastic which in turn creates more demand for post-consumer recycled plastics which can help move the industry as a whole to enable increased recycling of those materials.

337

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Tons

AMOUNT OF RECYCLED PLASTIC WE’VE USED ACROSS THE Vaseline® PRODUCT PORTFOLIO IN NORTH AMERICA SINCE 2018. 
THAT’S EQUIVALENT TO THE SAME AMOUNT OF PLASTIC USED IN 
5.8 MILLION Vaseline® 20.3 OZ BOTTLES.

 

Even bigger things are coming – our lotion bottles in the US will each be composed of 50% recycled plastic content by 2023. This is a step up from current bottles which contain 0-25% recycled plastic content. 

 

We are exploring ways to further increase our use of recycled content in our packaging in the future, but these enhancements take time as we need to not only ensure that we can source the required materials, but also that the packaging changes will continue to preserve the quality of our products. We’re testing multiple routes and plastic materials to find the best solutions to use recycled plastic and preserve the lotion experience you expect from us.

Woman climbing on a rock

OUR CHALLENGES

Recyclability is a complex issue. Read below to learn about some of the challenges we face.

Not all packaging components are recyclable yet. Most pumps and tubes in the US are not currently recyclable, but provide useful functionality to our products. We are working to create pumps that are made of one material so that they can be easily recycled, however our current pumps have a metal spring and ball inside the plastic which cannot be separated therefore are not recyclable. While we are working to make our tubes meet the "recycle ready" Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) guidelines, tubes are not widely collected and processed so they are not currently recycled.

 

Most plastic unfortunately does not get recycled and ends up in landfills. Some of the reasons this can happen are recycling can be confusing, improve recycling or lack of access to recycling facilities. Recycling capabilities vary at processing facilities across the country and not all types of plastic can be recycled.

 

Alternative packaging materials. We are exploring how to use materials other than plastic to create our packaging. We haven't used many of these materials for our products yet, so we need to ensure that they can protect the product throughout its lifecycle: from the factory into stores and throughout your use of the product.

Our lotion bottle formats pictured above, use less plastic than they did before.

130

h3 heading

TONS

OF PLASTIC AVOIDED BETWEEN 2018 AND 2022, DUE TO THE PACKAGING REDESIGN, THAT’S THE EQUIVALENT OF

2.3

h3 heading

MILLION

VASELINE® 20.3OZ BOTTLES
(THE REDESIGNED FORMAT) 

We’ve started with lotion bottles, and we are working on our Healing Jelly jars next! We don’t have the solution yet, but are exploring ways we can redesign the Healing Jelly Jar so that they contain less plastic in the future.

Manufacturers, including us, are doing a small part by using post-consumer recycled plastic which in turn creates more demand for post-consumer recycled plastics which can help move the industry as a whole to enable increased recycling of those materials.

337

h3 heading

TONS

AMOUNT OF RECYCLED PLASTIC WE’VE USED ACROSS THE VASELINE® PRODUCT PORTFOLIO IN NORTH AMERICA SINCE 2018. 
THAT’S EQUIVALENT TO THE SAME AMOUNT OF PLASTIC USED IN 
5.8 MILLION VASELINE® 20.3 OZ BOTTLES.

Even bigger things are coming – our lotion bottles in the US will each be composed of 50% recycled plastic content by 2023. This is a step up from current bottles which contain 0-25% recycled plastic content. 

We are exploring ways to further increase our use of recycled content in our packaging in the future, but these enhancements take time as we need to not only ensure that we can source the required materials, but also that the packaging changes will continue to preserve the quality of our products. We’re testing multiple routes and plastic materials to find the best solutions to use recycled plastic and preserve the lotion experience you expect from us.

Not all packaging components are recyclable yet. Most pumps and tubes in the US are not currently recyclable, but provide useful functionality to our products. We are working to create pumps that are made of one material so that they can be easily recycled, however our current pumps have a metal spring and ball inside the plastic which cannot be separated therefore are not recyclable. While we are working to make our tubes meet the "recycle ready" Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) guidelines, tubes are not widely collected and processed so they are not currently recycled.

Most plastic unfortunately does not get recycled and ends up in landfills. Some of the reasons this can happen are recycling can be confusing, improve recycling or lack of access to recycling facilities. Recycling capabilities vary at processing facilities across the country and not all types of plastic can be recycled.

 

Alternative packaging materials. We are exploring how to use materials other than plastic to create our packaging. We haven't used many of these materials for our products yet, so we need to ensure that they can protect the product throughout its lifecycle: from the factory into stores and throughout your use of the product.

#how-to-recycle

Hand holding Vaseline Nourish Moisture bottle in the air

ARE VASELINE® PRODUCTS RECYCLABLE IN THE US?

Don’t Let Dry Skin Crack Your Morale


Most are, but not all.
Not all of our product packaging is recyclable yet, but we’re getting close. We know the rules around recycling can be confusing, that’s why we created this handy guide. 
Read more about Dry skin

 

What’s holding us back? Some packaging components are not yet recyclable but provide useful functionality to our products. Like our current pumps which are made of mixed materials and have a metal spring inside the plastic which cannot be separated in the recycling process and therefore are not recyclable. We are working to develop pumps that are made of one material so that they can be recycled. It takes time to develop and test so these aren’t available yet.


Check the back of pack of the product you have used up (Vaseline® or any other brand) for instructions on how to dispose of the packaging. We are one of 2,600 brands that are part of the How2Recycle program a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public in North America.  If you want more information on the program, you can go directly to How2Recycle.com.


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VASELINE® RECYCLING GUIDE

Vaseline Lotion Bottles with Cap Lineup

  • LOTION BOTTLE WITH CAP

    RECYCLABLE

    Empty & replace Cap- Empty the bottle and keep the cap on the bottle, both pieces are recyclable.

    Check this guide  to see how your local municipality recycles "#2 Plastic Bottles

Vaseline Lotion Bottles with Pump Lineup

  • LOTION BOTTLE WITH PUMP

    RECYCLABLE

    Empty & Remove Pump- Bottles must be emptied and separated out from their pumps, which are not recyclable. Pumps must be disposed of in the trash.

    Check this guide to see how your local municipality recycles "#2 Plastic Bottles

Vaseline Healing Jelly Jars Lineup

  • HEALING JELLY JARS (1.75oz to 13oz)

    RECYCLABLE

    Vaseline® Healing Jelly Jars are now considered widely recyclable!

     

    Empty & Replace Cap- both the jar and the lid are recyclable, keep them attached so they can be recycled together as smaller pieces have a harder time being recycled.

     

    As of July 2022, How2Recycle has changed the classification of Vaseline® Healing Jelly jars made of polypropene (PP) from check locally to widely recyclable. We’re updating the back of pack labels to reflect this change. For more information visit here.

     

    Please note the 0.25oz Vaseline® Lip Therapy jars are not recyclable due to their size. See the “Body Balm Sticks and Other Lip Products” section for more information.

Vaseline Lip Tins Lineup

  • LIP TINS

    RECYCLABLE

    Empty & Replace Cap- Lip tins, including the lid are recyclable, keep them attached so they can be recycled together as smaller pieces have a harder time being recycled.

Vaseline Tubes Packaging Lineup

  • TUBES

    NOT RECYCLABLE

    While some of these products are made with plastic materials that could be recycled, US recycling facilities are not able to collect and process all materials yet.

     

    We are working to ensure tubes meet the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) guidelines for recycle ready. To do so, as part of Unilever, we participated in the evaluation to show the recycling industry that plastic tube materials can be recycled.

     

    More to come as the industry progresses, in the meantime tubes should be disposed of in the trash.

Vaseline Packaging Lineup

  • BODY BALM STICKS AND OTHER LIP PRODUCTS

    NOT RECYCLABLE

    At this time, Vaseline® body balm and select lip products (shown above) are not recyclable and must be disposed of in the trash.


    These products are not recyclable for one or more of the below reasons:
     

    • Products smaller than 2 inches x 2 inches may be too small to be captured by most of the machines that sort products for recycling.
    • Some products are made of multiple materials and the recycling system cannot separate the components for processing.

When you recycle properly, more recycled plastic may become available to us and other manufacturers, which can help reduce the industry’s reliance on virgin  plastic. 

You can help by recycling your Vaseline® products where possible! 

Hand holding Vaseline bottle

Our Products Keep Evolving

We may be a 150 year old brand, but Vaseline® is always evolving. We’ve been taking steps to identify ways to use less virgin plastic in our pack designs, increasing use of recycled plastic, and are continuously exploring new ways to reduce our plastic waste. While we’ve made the most progress on our lotion bottles, we are also actively working on the other formats we sell. 

 

Check out our brand timeline to see our key sustinability milestones across the years.

STAY UP TO DATE ON OUR JOURNEY

We are doing what we can – but know it is not yet enough. That’s why we’ll continue to update our plans and make improvements. Sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date!

Sign up here

Learn More About Vaseline®


Mission