Henkel and Plastic Bank open first collection centers in Egypt

German-based chemical company Henkel and recycling company Plastic Bank have opened their first three plastic waste collection centers in Cairo, aiming to reach a yearly collection capacity of more than 4,500 tonnes of plastic waste in 2023.

Henkel claims that the opening of three collection centres in Egypt is a commitment to delivering environmental, social and economic impact in the country, aiming to steadily expand their engagement in the coming years. 

At the collection centres, people can return collected plastic waste and exchange it for money. This prevents the plastic from entering the rivers and oceans, and at the same time Henkel and Plastic Bank support the local population by improving the lives of collector communities.

Plastic Bank will reprocess the collected plastic as Social Plastic, which can be reintegrated into products and packaging as part of a closed-loop supply chain – for example, in Henkel’s product packaging.

Henkel has already integrated Social Plastic into several of its products. The beauty care brand Nature Box was the first cosmetic brand to introduce Social Plastic as a packaging material for its complete bottle portfolio, with all bottle bodies being made of 98% Social Plastic. Henkel’s laundry and home care Pro Nature cleaners have also transitioned to PET bottle bodies that are made of 100% recycled plastic, of which up to 50% is Social Plastic.