By collaborating with packaging and recycling specialists ALPLA and SEA ME GmbH, Zerooo is setting a new standard for PET packaging in the cosmetics and care products sector.

Starting in September, brands will begin launching products like shampoo, shower gel, body lotion, and detergent in 300ml PET bottles. These reusable and fully recyclable bottles are available in three colors and are compatible with all caps. Each bottle features a laser-engraved 2D data matrix code, providing details about its content and circulation history.

Circular Economy in Cosmetics

Zerooo’s packaging solution promotes the circular economy by offering reusable PET bottles for the cosmetics industry as an alternative to glass. SEA ME GmbH’s system ensures that brands have access to safe, cost-effective, and eco-friendly options.

Collaborating with ten brand partners and ALPLA, Zerooo has developed a fully recyclable, shatterproof PET bottle available in clear, milky white, and brown. The bottles will debut in Germany in September and in Austria in October. Customers can return the bottles at over 1,000 retail partner locations for a €0.50 deposit.

Plastic Recycling with Reusable PET

ALPLA, a global expert in packaging and recycling, is advancing closed-loop "bottle-to-bottle" recycling through its facilities. ALPLA’s expertise in system design was essential in developing Zerooo’s reusable PET bottle at their STUDIOa design center in Hard.

Alexander Tränkle, Industrial Designer at ALPLA, explains: “With 'Design for Recycling,’ we lay the foundation early for optimal recycling and a prolonged service life. Every detail, from shape to color and material, is carefully considered. The reusable system extends the plastic bottle's lifecycle, conserves materials, and reduces its carbon footprint."

Serialization for Transparency and Quality

Each Zerooo PET bottle is engraved with a unique 2D data matrix code, known as Zerooo ID, which tracks its content and circulation history. This digital labeling system can also integrate additional product information from labels, enhancing traceability.

According to Jörg Schwärzler, Senior Technology Manager at ALPLA, the reusable bottles are compatible with all automatic return systems, and at the end of their lifecycle, both bottles and caps are sorted and recycled.