P&G to use new sugarcane-based packaging (Cincinnati)

Three Procter & Gamble Co. brands will be packaged with a renewable, sugarcane-based plastic starting in 2011.

The Cincinnati-based consumer goods company said it will use the new plastic in some packaging for its Pantene Pro-V hair products, as well as for Covergirl and Max Factor beauty products.

In a news release, P&G (NYSE: PG) said the plastic is made through an innovative process that turns sugarcane into high-density polyethylene plastic, which is still 100 percent recyclable. The company will buy the plastic from Braskem SA, which uses Brazilian sugarcane.

P&G said it will roll out the pilot sustainability program globally over the next two years, and the first products will hit shelves in 2011.

Watch for updates in the Cincinnati Business Courier