Packaging plays a pivotal role in how Kenvue delivers safe, effective, and accessible consumer health products worldwide. Guided by its Healthy Lives Mission, the company is accelerating efforts to cut virgin plastic and scale smarter material choices across a diverse global portfolio—driving progress that is both practical and measurable.
One example is in China, where the skin health and beauty brand Dabao® has lightweighted multiple plastic bottles, avoiding the use of more than 120 metric tons of plastic. Across markets and categories, Kenvue is applying a consistent framework to deliver impact at scale.
Seven ways Kenvue is advancing sustainable packaging
1) Pragmatic, portfolio-wide targets
Kenvue has set clear goals aligned with industry standards:
- 100% recyclable or refillable packaging by 2025
- 25% reduction in virgin plastic by 2025 (vs. 2020 baseline)
- 50% reduction in virgin plastic by 2030 (vs. 2020 baseline)
2) Embedding the “Four Rs” in design
Kenvue’s circular design principles focus on:
- Reduce: Material efficiency, rightsizing, and new formats
- Replace: Recycled/renewable materials and removal of non-recyclables
- Reuse: Refillable and reusable primary packs
- Recover: Designing packs to be recycle-ready across systems
3) Innovation that cuts waste
Globally, redesigned OGX® Beauty shampoo and conditioner bottles now use 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. Improved squeezability, resized cap orifices, and formulation changes help reduce waste and lower the overall carbon footprint.
4) Replacing non-recyclable materials
In 2024, Zyrtec® transitioned from plastic clamshells to paper, eliminating roughly 152,000 pounds of plastic annually. Outside the U.S., Nicorette® shifted secondary packaging to recyclable paper; notably, the Nicorette® Lozenge Icy Mint 2mg (80 count) redesign cut total product carbon footprint by 17%.
5) Scaling reuse and refills
In Latin America, Johnson’s Baby® launched shampoo and bath products in refillable pouches using mono-material polyethylene—improving recyclability versus multi-layer formats.
6) Optimizing recycling pathways
Kenvue supports both mechanical and advanced (chemical) recycling. While mechanical recycling reshapes plastics, advanced recycling breaks them down to molecular building blocks that can be reintroduced into new products—expanding recovery options for hard-to-recycle streams.
7) Building forward-leaning partnerships
In 2024, Codral® partnered with Chemist Warehouse and Pharmacycle to launch Australia’s largest blister-pack recycling program. To date, more than 7.5 million blister packs (≈ 11 metric tons) have been diverted from landfill and repurposed for steelmaking and outdoor products.
Collaboration at the core
Kenvue’s circularity strategy is reinforced through global collaboration:
- Signatory to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Global Plastics Commitment since 2020
- Investor in Closed Loop Partners Infrastructure Group to help finance U.S. circular-economy projects
- Signatory to The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty
From redesigning materials to reshaping mindsets, Kenvue is demonstrating what scalable packaging progress looks like—grounded in optimization, accountability, and real-world impact.