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 with the start-up Circleback. The aim of the collaboration is to create a deposit system for cosmetics packaging, similar to the one 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 in 2021 with the aim of creating a closed loop for plastic packaging. Customers will be able to hand in their empty cosmetics packaging at Circleback deposit machines in supermarkets and receive 20 cents in return. The collected plastic will then 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 that has only been used to a fraction so far," says Dickey. The joint pilot project is due to be launched in an Edeka store in Berlin this year.