Kneipp cooperates with start-up Circleback

The collaboration is intended to create a deposit system for cosmetics packaging. The pilot project will be launched this year.

The cosmetics company Kneipp is now working together with the start-up Circleback. The cooperation is intended to create a deposit system for cosmetics packaging, similar to what is already in place for deposit bottles. "The idea of transferring structures already learned from the beverage industry to personal care products is great and could have a signal effect on our entire industry," says Philipp Keil, Head of Packaging Materials Management at Kneipp.

Brett Dickey and Kimani Michalke founded Circleback 2021 with the goal of creating a closed loop for plastic packaging. Customers will be able to drop off their empty cosmetics packaging at Circleback deposit machines in supermarkets and receive 20 cents in return. The collected plastic is then to be returned to the respective partner companies. According to the founders, they are being supported in their pilot phase by cosmetics brands such as Catrice, Essence and Guhl.

"Plastic packaging is a valuable raw material, only a fraction of which has been used to date," says Dickey. The joint pilot project is to be launched in an Edeka store in Berlin before the end of the year.