To make the packaging of our laundry and home care and hair and body care products from more sustainable materials, Henkel is continuously developing smart packaging solutions designed for reuse and recycling, reducing fossil-based virgin plastic, and using more recycled plastic. Where no technical solution for recycled plastic exists yet, we explore new solutions, such as the mass balance approach for plastic packaging. At the heart of this initiative is Bochen Shu, Packaging Sustainability Engineer at Henkel Consumer Brands. He plays a key role in driving the mass balance project forward – coordinating efforts across departments, overseeing certification processes, and ensuring seamless collaboration throughout the organization. In this interview, he offers a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges, milestones, and long-term vision of the mass balance approach.
Leading sustainable change: How Henkel is applying the mass balance approach for plastic packaging
What is the mass balance approach, and why did Henkel decide to use it?
Bochen: In the production process of our suppliers, renewable and fossil raw materials are combined to manufacture the plastic for the cage of our toilet rim blocks. This mass balance process and attribution is verified by an independent, third-party certification organization ISCC PLUS. To better understand the mass balance approach, let me compare it to the sourcing of renewable electricity: When paying for renewable electricity, it is not guaranteed that the electricity entering the home comes directly from renewable sources. But one can be sure that the equal amount of energy you buy is produced somewhere by green technologies.
We decided on the mass balance approach because we currently still have significant technical challenges to further increase the amount of recycled plastic for the cage of our toilet rim blocks. First, the availability: The post-consumer recycled (PCR) material needed for the cage of our product is transparent recycled Polypropylene (PP). This resource is very rare and difficult to get in high quality. Second, child safety: PCR material comes with decreased mechanical properties. However, there are some features on which we cannot compromise. For example, our cages are specified to be child safe. PCR materials have wider specification tolerances and fluctuate in quality which influences the pressure lock system that is needed to ensure our cages cannot be opened by children. And third, aesthetics: Our product is dedicated to deliver freshness into the toilet bowl. Increased usage of PCR material leads to a yellowish color and the appearance of black spots in the cages, which is perceived unhygienic and dirty. While there is no technical solution available yet to overcome those challenges to increase the amount of recycled plastic further for the transparent cage of our solid toilet rim blocks, we explore new solutions and decided for the mass balance approach.
In the production process of our suppliers, renewable and fossil raw materials are combined to manufacture the plastic for the cage of our toilet rim blocks. This mass balance process and attribution is verified by an independent, third-party certification organization ISCC PLUS.
Bochen Shu, Packaging Sustainability Engineer at Henkel Consumer Brands
The mass balance approach explained:
How does the mass balance approach contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions?
Bochen: With the mass balance approach, we invest into the cooperation with our suppliers to increase the amount of renewable raw materials to produce plastic and thus contribute to CO₂ footprint reduction. The impact becomes clear when looking at the numbers: Compared to conventional fossil-based virgin plastic, the so produced plastic based on renewable raw materials will come with a lower CO₂ footprint, amounting currently to more than 10,000 tons CO₂ in annual savings globally, based on the same sales figures as in the previous year. To put that into perspective, that’s how much 500,000 trees absorb per year.
This kind of reduction is crucial for us, especially as we work toward our long-term climate goals: a 30 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from our supply chain by 2030 and a 90 percent absolute reduction of all emissions by 2045, both based on our 2021 baseline. These targets are part of our long-term net-zero strategy. Packaging falls under Scope 3 emissions, which are emissions from our supply chain and represent the largest share of Henkel’s total carbon footprint.
What exactly are the different emissions scopes – and what do they really mean?
How is the mass balance approach certified and why is certification important?
Bochen: We use the ISCC PLUS certification system, which is part of the broader International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) framework. This is very important because we cannot guarantee that the plastic for our packaging which our suppliers deliver is directly made from renewable raw materials. But due to the certification by ISCC PLUS it is assured that the equal amount of renewable raw materials that would be needed to manufacture the plastic for the cages of our toilet rim blocks is actually sourced and used by our suppliers for the production of plastic. Therefore, the approach is called “mass balance”.
The cage of our rim blocks contains 30 percent recycled plastic, and for the remaining 70 percent we finance the replacement of fossil raw materials by renewables allocated by the ISCC mass balance approach.
With the mass balance approach, we invest into the cooperation with our suppliers to increase the amount of renewable raw materials to produce plastic and thus contribute to CO₂ footprint reduction.
Bochen Shu, Packaging Sustainability Engineer at Henkel Consumer Brands
For which product packaging are you currently relying on the mass balance approach and are there plans to expand it to other products?
Bochen: We’ve already implemented the mass balance approach in the transparent plastic cages of our solid toilet rim blocks, and we are actively working on expanding this solution across the remaining solid rim block formats to ensure more sustainable approach in the near future. As a bridging technology, the mass balance approach supports this transition by enabling the reduction of fossil resource use today.
Learn more about the implementation of the mass balance approach at Henkel
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