Monotube

Tubex Monotube / Source: Tubex

AfricaAluminiumAsiaBeautyEuropeFlexibleFood & BeverageLightweightMoisture BarrierMonotubeNorth AmericaOceaniaOxygen Barrier PackagingRecyclableRecycledSouth AmericaStrongUV-ResistantWater Repellent

WHAT WE SAY:

While single-use plastic sachets and tubes are likely to end up in landfill, the Monotube from Tubex promises infinite recyclability. A clever snap-off nozzle means no pesky plastic lid, so this mono-material innovation really is 100% recyclable.

There is just one sticking point: even the most widely recycled materials can end up as waste if they are too small, so take-backs and education will be a big part of the puzzle here. There is work to be done behind the scenes, but with the right infrastructure in place this could be a serious game changer.

Monotube

WHAT IS MONOTUBE?

The Tubex Monotube is a 100% Aluminium container, made from 95% post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminium and 5% post-industrial recycled (PIR) material.
It features a protective, non-toxic BPA-NI inner coating, used widely across food and beverage cans, which does not affect recycling.
The tube has a reclosable, break-off aluminium nozzle, negating the need for tamper seals or plastic caps. The tube, including the nozzle, can be recycled in its entirety in household bins when the product is finished.
Monotubes can be used for beauty and personal care products, such as gels, creams and ointments; food goods, such as condiments; and household products, such as glues.
For the Monotube’s first application to market, Tubex partnered with Ren Clean Skincare to package the company’s serum samples.
Manufactured in one production step, including the closure, the making of the tubes is energy efficient.
The malleable nature of aluminium makes it easy for consumers to squeeze out all the product from the tube, minimising product waste.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Flexible
Lightweight
Moisture Barrier
Oxygen Barrier
Recyclable
Recycled
Strong
UV-Resistant
Water Repellent

INDUSTRY:

Beauty
Food & Beverage
Packaging

AVAILABILITY:

Commercially Available

DIVE DEEPER:

It is estimated that around 100 million beauty miniatures are purchased every year in the UK alone, while in the US sales of miniatures totalled USD 1.3 billion in 2019. Due to their size, plastic miniatures are extremely difficult to recycle and almost always end up in landfill, as recycling plants generally cannot process them.
While plastic recycling rates are low, falling from 8.7% to 5% in America in 2021, the global recycling efficiency rate for aluminium is as high as 76%.
By making a recycled, recyclable mono-material aluminium tube, Tubex seeks to leverage high levels of recycling efficiency, cutting the waste associated with small tube containers.
The break-off nozzle allows for two functionalities: mono-dosing and multiple use. The mono-dosing application can replace the need for plastic sample sachets, while the latter is enabled by turning the tapered nozzle over and re-inserting it into the tube as a seal, offering an alternative to plastic tubes or tubs.
The properties of aluminium tubes provide a number of benefits. They have good barrier qualities, protecting products and formulations from UV rays, water and oxygen. They help prevent contamination caused by air suck-back in non-malleable plastic tubes and they reduce the need for preservatives.
Across its line of aluminium tubes, Tubex offers products ranging in size from 11 millimetres (two millilitres) to 50 millimetres (350 millilitres).
Tubex claims its Monotubes are recyclable at the kerbside, however - as with plastics - size can play a role. Recycling organisations often recommend scrunching aluminium foil into larger balls to make it easier to find and sort, for instance, while Finch’s Mark Falinski says even Glass and metal packages are “essentially non-recyclable if they are anything smaller than roughly a credit card in size.”
Tubes can be finished in up to eight colours using water-based external lacquers available in gloss, matt, metallic or transparent finishes.
Upon request, the company also makes the Monotubes entirely from PIR or virgin aluminium. However, the latter would result in a 95% increase in energy consumption compared to using recycled aluminium.
Tubex Aluminium Tubes currently serves 76 territories. It has 36 production lines across seven locations globally and its 2022 acquisition of Hungarian packaging manufacturer Mátrametál will, in future, give it capacity to create 1.6 billion aluminium tubes.
Tubex is aiming for a 42% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 25% reduction of Scope 3 emissions as part of its commitment to setting Science-Based Targets, which will be presented for validation in 2022.
Other environmental commitments include shifting to 100% renewable energy, making 75% of aluminium tubes from PCR materials, reducing energy demand and promoting circularity.
EcoVadis awarded Tubex a Gold rating for its sustainability and CSR performance in 2022.
The Monotube design won the 2022 WorldStar Award from the World Packaging Organisation and the Tube of the Year Award in 2021 from the European Tube Manufacturers Association.

Aluminium sample tubes / Source: Ren Skincare

A Tubex manufacturing facility / Source: Tubex

KEY FACTS:

$1.3bn

It is estimated that around 100 million beauty miniatures are purchased every year in the UK alone, while in the US sales of miniatures totalled USD 1.3 billion in 2019.

1.6bn

Tubex has 36 production lines globally and its acquisition of packaging manufacturer Mátrametál will, in future, give it capacity to create 1.6 billion aluminium tubes.

100%

Tubex environmental commitments include shifting to 100% renewable energy, making 75% of aluminium tubes from PCR materials, reducing energy demand and promoting circularity.

Key Questions to Ask:

Can you apply marketing messaging to recycling?

When recycling drinks cans, consumers are encouraged to put the tab back into the container so it does not get lost in the waste stream but the message does not always get through. Can you apply the easy-to-understand, visual approach for reusing the Monotube nozzle to your recycling communications to ensure every single part of your tube is recycled?

Is it possible to integrate systems for small-part recycling?

Initiatives like PACT encourage consumers to mail in hard-to-recycle elements of beauty packaging so that they can be disposed of correctly. Can you support a network of returns bins or a postal take-back system to ensure even the smallest tubes are recycled?

Do you need virgin aluminium?

Recycled aluminium uses just 5% of the energy that producing virgin aluminium does. Given that it is a material, which can be recycled without losing quality, ask yourself whether you or your audience really gain anything from the more energy-intensive option.

Can you use the nozzle as an opportunity to ditch secondary packaging?

The break-off nature of the lid is inherently tamper-proof, ideal for hygiene-conscious consumers. Can you take advantage of this functionality and do away with secondary packaging and plastic tamper seals altogether?

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