Sustainable options can be limited when it comes to packaging liquid goods like shampoo, body soap, and laundry detergent, making plastic the most practical choice (though you could also do away with the packaging entirely, just saying). Yes, it’s inexpensive, lightweight, and applicable for many liquids, but it remains an environmental nightmare. Unlike paper, plastic is also watertight. Until recently, paper bottles were only feasible by coating the inside and making the new bottle unrecyclable, sentencing the empty packaging to the trash pile.

Unilever and technology consortium partner Pulpex have successfully developed a recyclable paper laundry detergent bottle which the firm announced will debut sometime in early 2022 in Brazil under the OMO brand. Unilever is also piloting similar bottles for hair care products.