3/7/2023

Four P&G Brands Raise the Bar with Accessible and Sustainable Packaging

Ariel, Gillette, Herbal Essences and Lenor Recognized for inclusive design that drives sustainability.

Our consumers want products that are accessible and that allow them to be more sustainable at home.

“Consumers would go right to, ‘Your packaging is so plastic’, and then usually in the next breath they would say, ‘And it’s so hard to open’,” Kara Buckley, head of Global Grooming Communications at Procter & Gamble, told the Wall Street Journal.

Sumaira Latif, Company Accessibility Leader at Procter & Gamble, says inclusivity and sustainability goals are interrelated.

Sumaira Latif, Company Accessibility Leader at Procter & Gamble

When companies like P&G are designing packaging, it’s “a good opportunity to design packaging that is both good for the environment and for consumers with disabilities,” Latif told Packaging Europe.

That’s why P&G is setting the industry standard for superior packaging design — products that are both sustainable and accessible.

Lenor cardboard pack

Lenor
Our Lenor team has created an environmentally guiltfree packaging alternative while providing a superior consumer experience. The Lenor in-Wash Scent Booster Cardboard Pack incorporates the NaviLens QR code that enhances the consumer experience for those with visual impairments.

Herbal Essences bio:renew

Herbal Essences
“Haircare brand Herbal Essences is one of the pioneers in (the accessibility) field, adding raised stripes to their shampoo bottles and raised circles to their conditioner bottles in 2020,” Izzie Deibe said in Elle Magazine in March 2022.

Herbal Essences is the first P&G brand to use Eastman Renew molecular-recycled plastic in its packaging. The brand is also incorporating principles of inclusive design, which is part of our commitment to create everyday products and innovations that make it a little easier, according to Latif. “We identified an opportunity to help make the shower experience easier for those with low to no vision. Adding tactile symbols to the Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner bottles is a small change, but very meaningful in bringing more independence and confidence when caring for your hair in the shower.”

Gillette Fusion 5

Gillette
By moving away from plastic blister packs that some customers said were frustrating to get into, we’re also driving inclusive design practices.

The Wall Street Journal recently featured Gillette’s inclusive and sustainable packaging design, sharing how it cuts down on the amount of thick plastic we use and how it can also save our consumers the hassle of opening our products. Click here for the full story.

Ariel cardboard packshot

Ariel
Recently launched in Europe, Ariel ECOCLIC® box is the first Ariel laundry pack to be both certified child-safe and designed to be inclusive and intuitive to use for all adults, thanks to an ergonomic opening system that’s powered by extensive research. Among several award-winning innovations, Ariel ECOCLIC® features a NaviLens code, which can be scanned with a phone to locate the product on shelf.

Recently, the PAC Global Awards committee praised P&G’s awardees Lenor, Ariel and Herbal Essences for advancing sustainability, circularity and accessibility.

“Our winners positively impact business performance, enhance brand value, prioritize inclusivity and sustainability, highlight innovation and celebrate collaboration.”