Procter & Gamble is packaging the future

Besides the question of which materials to use, part of the future of packaging is unprecedented multifunctionality. Gone are the days when a laundry detergent bottle was just a container. At least, that’s the impression one gets when looking at Procter & Gamble’s Lenor laundry detergent (Europe, Russia, Japan; sold as Downy in the USA). Since autumn 2020, the bottles have been equipped with a label that is invisible to the human eye, a digital watermark with a name pregnant with meaning: the Holy Grail. This watermark makes it much easier for machines to sort used packaging, noticeably increasing the recyclability of materials. The fact that the watermark simultaneously makes it possible to fully automate check-out processes at supermarkets almost seems like a secondary effect. “And that gained support from very unusual quarters,” Dornheim reports.

It seems obvious that adjustments and innovations are not always successful; ultimately, what still counts is how well customers accept change. And despite public awareness of sustainability and environmental conservation, consumers are not always accommodating. In its solid shape, soap, for example, both conserves more resources, as it is manufactured without water, and saves CO2, as it takes up less space during transport. But customers are slow to adapt to changes like these, something Dornheim is very much aware of. “A lot of the time, change doesn’t happen over night. And on some markets, in some countries, that’s something we’ve had to learn the hard way.”

At the end of the day, perhaps not every attempt needs to be a success – even if that would, of course, be the desired outcome. After all, every attempt gives impetus to the industry, showing that companies are striving for change, and that said change is feasible. And seeing one’s ideas being copied proves that imitation is, indeed, the sincerest form of flattery, at least according to Dornheim. “I always feel it’s an honour, in a way, seeing somebody else copy an idea you introduced to the market. It shows you must have done something right.”