Hong Kong – To further raise public awareness of environmental protection, Colgate is launching the ‘Small Act–Big Smiles’ initiative with Watsons Hong Kong, which aims to collect used tubes of any brands from consumers at nearly 180 Watsons stores in Hong Kong and transform them into valuable resources.
This initiative encourages consumers to become more mindful of their recycling habits and take proactive steps.
Starting today, nearly 180 Watsons stores across Hong Kong are now equipped with collection stations where consumers can drop-off their used toothpaste tubes from any brands and they further will be sent for recycling. To incentivise this program, MoneyBack members who purchase Colgate selected range of recyclable toothpaste tubes with the recycling logo at Watsons stores will earn double MoneyBack points, making it easier than ever to support sustainable practices.
Additionally, customers who bring back a used toothpaste tube of any brands to Watsons will receive a HK$10 Colgate voucher, which is redeemable upon purchase of HK$99 or more on Colgate products in any Watsons store. This incentive structure is a token of appreciation for consumers demonstrating mindful recycling behaviour. This small act of returning toothpaste tubes can initiate a chain of significant impacts on society.
The collected tubes will further be segregated into recyclable and non-recyclable tubes. All used recyclable toothpaste tubes will be handed over to Colgate’s green partners, The Loops and Gaau1Up, who specialize in recycling plastic waste into useful products with injection molding technology. The non-recyclable tubes collected will be repurposed into building materials. This way the collected materials will be reused again.
Once recycled, these tubes will be upcycled into stationery items, which will be distributed to the underprivileged children through the Hong Kong Young Dentist Federation. To maximise the reuse of plastic waste and instill the principles of upcycling in the next generation, Colgate will also organise workshops for the underprivileged children as part of their ‘Bright Smile, Bright Futures’ program, which aims to provide oral health education, free dental screenings, and referral services to these children.
These workshops will also raise awareness about the current plastic waste challenges in Hong Kong and inspire students to take small steps toward it. Colgate strongly believes these small steps will lead to a future everyone can smile about.
Meenakshisundaram Chandrasekar, SVP customer development for Asia-Pacific at Colgate, remarked, “Plastic waste mismanagement is a major challenge for our generation, and we are all part of it. Although we have developed a recyclable tube, it is essential that we as a society embrace more mindful recycling habits to make these innovations more impactful. Through the ‘Small Act- Big Smiles’ program, we strive to influence positive behaviors and make meaningful societal change and we are very optimistic that people will fully support and make it a consistent habit.”
Meanwhile, Samuel Lee, managing director of Watsons Hong Kong, said, “Watsons has been driving sustainability consistently. Over the past decade, we have implemented numerous recycling initiatives and actively partnered with business partners and recycling organizations. In the past four years, we have successfully recycled 1.2 million empty bottles for recycling, including beauty & cosmetic, personal care and healthcare products, as well as milk powder tins. This achievement is equivalent to the height of 1,060 buildings of Cheung Kong Center. We are thrilled to collaborate with Colgate to extend our recycling efforts to toothpaste tubes of any brands. With our reward incentives, we aim to encourage greater customer engagement. Together, let’s ‘Look Good, Do Good, Feel Great’.”
