The Mono-Material Revolution: Why Full-PE Tubes Are the Future of Recycling

Introduction

Let’s be honest: for a long time, cosmetic tubes were a disaster for the planet.

They looked innocent enough. But structurally? They were a nightmare. You had plastic glued to aluminum, glued to more plastic. It was a "Frankenstein" mix that no recycling plant could touch. Billions of them ended up in landfills because separating those layers was impossible.

That era is ending.

Enter the Mono-Material Revolution. We’ve figured out how to engineer the entire tube—body, shoulder, and head—from a single polymer family (PE). It turns a waste problem into a resource.

Here is the tech behind the switch.

The "Frankenstein" Problem

To understand why the new tubes are better, you have to understand why the old ABL (Aluminum Barrier Laminate) tubes failed.

It comes down to the sorting machines. MRFs (Material Recovery Facilities) use Near-Infrared (NIR) scanners to figure out what kind of plastic is on the conveyor belt.

• The Glitch: When the scanner lasers hit an old tube, they see the plastic skin but get confused by the hidden aluminum core.

• The Result: The machine kicks it out. Trash.

• The Contamination: Even if it did make it through, you can’t melt metal and plastic together. One aluminum tube can ruin an entire batch of recycled plastic.

The Fix: Go Full PE

"Mono-material" is just fancy industry talk for "made of one thing." In our case, High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

1. A Unified Structure We stopped laminating different junk together. Now, we use:

• Tube Body: PE

• Shoulder: PE

• Head: PE

Why does this matter? Because now, the whole tube can be shredded and melted down into pellets without any separation. It goes straight into the #2 HDPE stream—the exact same recycling bin as your milk jugs and shampoo bottles.

2. But What About the Barrier? (The EVOH Secret) This is the first question every buyer asks me: "If you kill the aluminum layer, won't my Vitamin C oxidize?"

Short answer: No. Long answer: We use EVOH.

Think of EVOH as a microscopic shield. We co-extrude it right in the middle of the PE walls. Here is the cool part regarding regulations (like APR or RecyClass): As long as that EVOH layer stays under 5% of the tube's total weight, the whole thing is still certified as "Mono-material." You get the protection of a barrier tube with the recyclability of a simple plastic bottle.

The Final Boss: The Cap

Right now, most standard caps are PP (Polypropylene). Is that a problem? Not really. PP caps on PE tubes are generally accepted because they float differently during the recycling wash process.

But if you want to be a purist? SampoX is now prototyping HDPE Caps. Pair an HDPE cap with an HDPE tube, and you’ve hit the holy grail: One polymer. Zero waste. 100% circular.

Why Switch Now?

Ignore the "save the planet" marketing for a second. Look at the business case.

• Taxes are coming: The EU and UK are rolling out plastic taxes on non-recyclable packaging. Mono-material PE often gets you an exemption.

• Trust: Consumers are checking the bottom of the pack. When they see that standard #2 Recycle Symbol, they trust your brand.

Ready to future-proof your packaging? [Get a Mono-PE Sample Kit]