Colgate x Watsons Small Acts Big Smiles Recyclable Take Back Program
120 Additional Collection Bins and Enhanced Rewards To Make Recycling Easier and More Convenient
Repurposed 1,000 Sustainable Pens Donated to Underprivileged Children as a Community Giveback
HONG KONG, Oct. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Colgate, a leading brand in oral care, is steadfast in its commitment to advancing sustainability across both the industry and wider society. Following the successful development and launch of a first-of-its-kind recyclable toothpaste tube in 2019, Colgate furthered its environmental leadership by partnering with Hong Kong's No.1 recycling retailer, Watsons Hong Kong, to introduce the "Small Acts, Big Smiles Recyclable Take Back Program" last year. The initiative encourages consumers to maintain oral hygiene while supporting environmental protection. After the successful launch last year, the Program will enter its second phase with an upgraded rollout. In addition to continuing collections of empty toothpaste tubes of any brand at around 180 Watsons stores, among it, 120 stores will be equipped with collection bins to facilitate self-service drop-off, enabling both adults and children to take part directly in recycling efforts.
Rewards for phase two have also been enhanced: MoneyBack members will earn 50 MoneyBack points for each empty toothpaste tube of any brand successfully returned, incentivizing broader participation in recycling. MoneyBack members who purchase selected Colgate products bearing the recyclable-tube symbol^ will continue to receive double MoneyBack points. The MoneyBack points received can be used as cash directly across Watsons stores, encouraging consumers to integrate sustainable choices into daily life by recycling more and selecting recyclable products.
Collaborating to host volunteer toothpaste – tube upcycling workshops to inspire the next generation.
Encouraging sustainable living begins with education. Colgate and Watsons recently hosted the "Toothpaste Tube Upcycling Workshop," a volunteer event designed to give children hands-on insight into the toothpaste tube recycling process. Under volunteer guidance, participants completed simple, engaging recycling tasks: operating manual plastic shredders to convert tubes into plastic flakes, then heat and remold the plastic flakes into toothbrush stand by injection molding machine. By turning waste-reduction concepts into tangible, visible outcomes, the workshop enabled children to appreciate the positive impact of individual eco-actions and encouraged them to extend recycling practices into daily life. The event was further enriched by the participation of celebrity guest Sharon Chan and her son, enhancing its warmth and deepening public engagement with environmental causes.
Toothpaste tubes collected during the program's first phase were successfully upcycled into recyclable pens with the support of green partners The Loops and Gaau1 Up. Colgate and Watsons further donated these pens to the Hong Kong Young Dentist Federation through Colgate's Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program, giving the tubes a "second life" while providing school supplies to underprivileged children and supporting their development and smiles.
Recycling toothpaste tubes to create new daily possibilities.
Taking a small step in recycling can lead to a major stride in environmental preservation. Colgate pioneered the development of fully recyclable toothpaste tubes, which can be transformed into a variety of functional and stylish everyday items. On the event day, Colgate and its green partner Gaau1 Up showcased a range of products made with recycled toothpaste tubes at the "Reimagining Daily Life with Recyclable" exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, clocks, unique tableware, and stationery—products that not only extend the value of materials but also concretize the principles of a circular economy. Through visual displays and practical applications, the event offered the public a clear and tangible understanding of how recycling can be transformed into sustainable solutions in daily life.
Program Details:
| Colgate x Watsons |
|
| Collection Period: |
From now until 31 December 2026 |
| Collection Points & Time: |
Around 180 Watsons stores in Hong Kong (Collection bins have been installed in 120 stores) (Addresses and operating hours: https://www.watsons.com.hk/en/store-finder) |
| Redemption Methods: |
|
^Selected toothpaste products including Colgate Total range and Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief range.
For more high-resolution images, please visit the link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12RRyabe4fF7hvRNY8hTThDhdz4dI_Kbj?usp=sharing
Tag & Hashtags:
@colgate.hongkong @hkwatsons
#hkwatsons #ColgateHK #LookGoodDoGoodFeelGreat #DoGood #Sustainability #GOGREEN #SustainableChoice
About Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive is a global leader in household and personal care products, offering a wide range of products in oral care, personal care, home care, and pet nutrition. Colgate's well-known brands are sold in over 200 countries and regions worldwide, including Colgate, Palmolive, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, Suavitel, Hill's Science Diet, Hill's Prescription Diet, and Hill's Ideal Balance.
Colgate-Palmolive Hong Kong Website：https://www.colgatepalmolive.com.hk/
Colgate-Palmolive Hong Kong Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColgateHongKong?locale=zh_HK
Colgate-Palmolive Hong Kong Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/colgate.hongkong/
About Watsons
Watsons is the leading O+O (Offline plus Online) health and beauty retailer in Asia, currently operating over 8,000 stores and more than 1,500 pharmacies in 16 Asian, European and Middle-East markets.
Watsons is named as the No.1 Personal Care and Beauty retailer in Asia*, providing personalised advice and counseling in health, beauty and personal care on top of its market-leading product range, making customers LOOK GOOD, DO GOOD, FEEL GREAT every day. Watsons is the flagship health and beauty brand of AS Watson Group.
Launched in 2019, Watsons Asia One Pass offers customers the convenience of enjoying local member benefits and earning points while traveling across 10 Asian markets, including Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Chinese Taiwan Region, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, and the Philippines.
*Campaign Asia-Pacific's Top 50 Brands survey with 10,000 respondents across 6 Asian countries
About AS Watson Group
Established in 1841, AS Watson Group is one of the world's longest-standing and most recognised retail companies with roots in Asia. Today, the company operates over 17,000 stores across 12 retail brands in 31 markets, employing 130,000 people globally. This makes AS Watson Group the largest international health and beauty retailer in the world.
In the fiscal year 2024, AS Watson Group reported revenue of over US$24 billion. The company's technology-enabled O+O (Offline plus Online) platforms serve over 6 billion shoppers annually, seamlessly integrating physical and digital retail experiences.
In Hong Kong, we operate over 500 stores under four retail brands – Watsons, PARKnSHOP, Fortress, and Watson's Wine. In addition, we manufacture and distribute high quality drinking water brand Watsons Water, as well as the famous juice drinks Mr. Juicy and Sunkist.
AS Watson Group supported over 180 charitable and non-profit organisations in 2024, dedicating over 41,000 hours of volunteer work to serve over 370,000 people in need in our operating markets.
AS Watson Group is also a member of the world-renowned multinational conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, which has four core businesses – ports and related services, retail, infrastructure and telecommunications in over 50 countries.
Please visit www.aswatson.com/our-company/o-and-o-strategy/ for more information.
Watsons Hong Kong
For customer enquiries, please contact (852) 2608 8383
SOURCE Colgate Hong Kong
Share this article