Sustainable Pioneering Work: Beiersdorf and Nussbaum Producing More Environmentally Friendly Aerosol Cans Using 100 percent Recycled Aluminum

• Beiersdorf acting as a pioneer: the first aerosol cans made entirely from recycled aluminum to be launched in the market at the end of 2021
• Sights set on mass market: other parts of the Beiersdorf product range to be steadily transitioned to more sustainable packaging alternatives
• Climate protection expanded: successful partnership further reduces the Hamburg company’s carbon emissions and ecological footprint
  

Hamburg, May 27, 2021 – They are pioneers of a new technology – Beiersdorf and the Swiss packaging specialist Nussbaum are producing aerosol cans made entirely from recycled aluminum. After a year of development, the partner companies are producing the innovative aerosol packaging entirely out of used beverage cans – and are beginning a new chapter in the area of the circular economy. The first Beiersdorf products in aerosol cans made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled aluminum will be rolled out in the market as early as at the end of 2021. There are also plans for other parts of the Hamburg skin care company’s product range to gradually be made more sustainable, among other things by using recycled aluminum. This is another way in which Beiersdorf is contributing to the achievement of the climate targets it set with its CARE BEYOND SKIN Sustainability Agenda in 2020. 

“With our pioneering partnership with Nussbaum, we are triggering a cross-industry rethink all along the value chain and are reducing our carbon footprint relating to aerosol cans by up to 90 percent,” says Norbert Menzel, Principal for Packaging Technology. Andreas Fliss, Global Procurement Director Packaging & 3PM, adds: “Long-term partnerships and close collaborations are essential to drive the development of environmentally friendly packaging solutions.”

Beiersdorf and Nussbaum Matzingen AG, which is based in Matzingen in the Canton of Thurgau, have been working together for several decades. With this latest project, both companies have now intensified their partnership in the area of sustainable packaging solutions. “Introducing new technologies into the market together with a global company like Beiersdorf absolutely makes sense in order to make an environmental impact on a large scale. The great thing about this technology is that it is the first that does not use any primary aluminum, instead it is using aluminum waste from beverage cans. In this way, we are achieving raw materials usage which is entirely in keeping with the circular economy,” says Markus Tomasini, CTO of Nussbaum Matzingen AG. The Swiss company builds upon its close network in southern Germany/Austria/Switzerland to manufacture the endlessly recyclable aerosol cans. All of the aluminum beverage cans used as raw material are sourced regionally. This guarantees short material routes and, due to increased demand, also supports material cycles in Central Europe. Another advantage of the innovative technology is that aluminum which is reused multiple times requires up to 95 percent less energy to be processed. What’s more, the light metal does not forfeit any of its quality. This partnership with Nussbaum is not the first of its kind – as recently as in December 2020, Beiersdorf entered into a cooperation with the chemical company Sabic. Here, too, the focus is on renewable and therefore more sustainable cosmetics packaging. 

Beiersdorf has been focusing heavily on gradually making the formulas and product packaging for all of the brands within its portfolio more sustainable for years – all as part of its CARE BEYOND SKIN Sustainability Agenda. “We continuously scrutinize our processes, our procurement structures, and our product development,” explains Jean-François Pascal, Vice President Corporate Sustainability, at Beiersdorf. “Our approach covers the entire value chain including suppliers, partners, and logistics companies.” Climate protection is one of the focus fields of Beiersdorf’s sustainability engagement. It has set itself the goal of reducing its emissions all along the value chain by 30 percent by 2025 compared to the reference year 2018. “By steadily lowering our carbon emissions, we are also enabling our consumers to achieve a climate-friendly lifestyle,” Jean-François Pascal goes on. At the same time, Beiersdorf continues to focus on the principle of the circular economy with regard to packaging. In addition to avoiding product packaging, this is all about ensuring that the three “R’s” – reduce, recycle, and reuse – are observed in the long term with regard to the materials used.