Our commitment to our planet
At Sure, we’re on a mission to inspire the confidence in everyone to move more. As one of the world’s biggest deodorant brands, it’s our priority to do everything we can to protect the outdoor spaces and places in which we all move. We will minimise our impact on the world around us, so that everyone can keep moving safely.
We’re committed to taking the lead on protecting the planet, showing others the way, and helping you to make more sustainable choices. We’re taking a holistic approach, looking at our complete value chain and working with our partners to help solve the challenge. Together we’re working collaboratively to reduce the production of greenhouse gases that lead to climate change, and to tackle the plastic waste that is polluting our environment
ALL ABOUT OUR PLASTICS USE AND RECYCLING
Plastic pollution is a huge and urgent problem for our planet’s ecosystems. Currently, 40% of the world’s plastic packaging ends up in landfill, while only 14% makes it to a recycling plant, and just 9% is actually recycled. This situation needs to change – quickly.
For us, it all starts with our parent company Unilever’s commitment to tackling waste and packaging. We are working towards the aim of ‘Less plastic. Better plastic. No plastic.’ We’re proud to be part of such a forward-thinking company, and to support Unilever’s industry-leading commitment to achieve the following by 2025:
We will halve our use of virgin plastic.*
At least 25% of the plastic we use will come from a recycled source (also known as ‘post consumer recycled’ material or PCR).
100% of our packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable.
We know that you care about the environment as much as we do – and to take better care of our planet, everyone needs to do their bit. That’s why, as well as innovating to make our products more sustainable, we’re always exploring new recyclable technologies and materials for our packaging. We’re also supporting authorities around the world to make recycling as easy as possible.
Just like you, we never stand still. So let’s take a closer look at the important areas we’re focusing on – from reducing plastic waste, to increasing our use of recycled plastic and making recycling easier.
*compared with 2018 figures.
Just like you, we never stand still. So let’s take a closer look at the important areas we’re focusing on – from reducing plastic waste, to increasing our use of recycled plastic , and making recycling easier.
Reducing plastic waste
What are our ambitions?
At Sure, we’re committed to minimising our use of virgin and single-use plastics wherever possible. To achieve this, we’re continually looking for ways to improve our design and manufacturing, to develop innovative packaging that uses better plastic and produces less waste.
How are we making a difference?
We’re also developing a new lightweight roll-on that will contain recycled plastic (PCR) and use a third less plastic than its current equivalent. And we’re working with retailers to ensure that they choose fully recyclable options for our secondary packaging – the additional material used to protect our products during transportation and storage.
Increasing our use of PCR
What are our ambitions?
PCR is short for post-consumer recycled material. Put simply, it’s plastic that has already been recycled and is ready to be re-used again – keeping plastic waste away from landfill.
Across our global brand, we’re aiming for all our packs to contain as much PCR as possible, both plastic and aluminium. Our bold ambition is to include 50% PCR across our complete range of products by 2025.
The demand for PCR is growing, but it’s still unavailable in some regions; where that’s the case, we’re working with authorities to help them understand the value of PCR and begin recycling the relevant materials.
How are we making a difference?
We’re working to increase the use of PCR in all our deodorants. In Europe and Latin America we’re currently introducing PCR in our roll-ons, while in North America we’re doing the same with our stick deodorants. We’re also exploring the possibility of using PCR in our aerosol spray nozzles.
And it’s not just plastic: we’re pioneering the use of PCR aluminium in our aerosols.
In Germany we’ve launched an award-winning aerosol can that features 25% recycled aluminium and is 14% lighter than its previous equivalent. And in order to introduce PCR aluminium to other countries, Unilever has partnered with Tubex, one of our aerosol can manufacturers. Together we’re working to increase the use of PCR aluminium in our aerosols without impacting the functionality of the can.
The availability of PCR aluminium is currently a challenge, as there’s not enough recycled aluminium of stable and reliable quality – but we're working hard with our suppliers to scale up where possible.
Making recycling easier
What are our ambitions?
Our aim is for all our deodorant packaging to be recyclable by 2025. We’re always working to improve access to recycling, which often differs from country to country depending on local facilities, infrastructure and regulations. Our ambition is to help make recycling simple and accessible for everyone, and to create a future where everyone can recycle their deodorants.
How are we making a difference?
We’re particularly passionate about raising awareness that our aerosols can be infinitely recycled. Many people don’t realise that aerosol cans are made from aluminium, which is a sustainable material that can be recycled forever with no loss of quality.
To help spread the word we’re supporting organisations such as the On-Pack Recycling Label Scheme (OPRL), who are developing straightforward and consistent recycling messages in the UK.
Improving access to recycling is also a crucial factor. The availability of recycling facilities varies across the world, so we’re also supporting trade organisations such as BAMA (the British Aerosol Manufacturers' Association) to encourage authorities to collect and recycle empty aerosols.