On-pack recycling label now on 50,000 products

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) – which represents the UK retail sector – launched the label in March to let customers know whether the material was either widely recycled by their local council, not currently recycled or they should check locally (see letsrecycle.com story) .

And, with companies including Pepsi, London 2012 and Yeo Valley now on board, the association has revealed that it has 50 signatories, who have put the label on 50,000 different product lines. Over 85% of the grocery retail sector by turnover has signed up and a large proportion of non-food retailers have too.

Welcoming the progress, environment minister Dan Norris said: “It is great to see the on-pack recycling label being taken forward so enthusiastically by retailers, and food producers which will help people in recycling their packaging. I hope many more businesses follow their example.”

Stephen Robertson, British Retail Consortium director general, added: “This is a vote of confidence from retailers and brands in this new recycling label.

“Customer confusion is the biggest barrier to improving recycling rates. Replacing a potentially confusing array of symbols and messages with a single logo will help customers recycle more of what can already be recycled.”

Aim 

The scheme is being operated by the BRC under a company called On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) Limited. WRAP – the Waste & Resources Action Programme – provides technical support and monitors the correct use of the label, as well as reviewing changes in local authorities' recycling capabilities which will determine the labelling category each packaging material falls into.

Anyone who produces packaged products, such as retailers and brands, is being encouraged to participate. The aim is to have 60 companies signed up to the label in the first year.

Liz Goodwin, WRAP chief executive, said: “I applaud the leadership that these 50 companies have shown and encourage others to follow. Consumer confusion is a major barrier to the UK increasing its recycling rates and the retail sector needs to collectively adopt this voluntary scheme to enable all of us to recycle more often.”

Signatories

The signatories to the on-pack label so far are:

ABF UK Grocery, Aldi UK, Allmand-Smith Ltd, Arla Foods Ltd, ASDA Stores Ltd, B&Q Plc, Bart Spices, Boots, Britvic Soft Drinks plc, Burtons Foods, Cott Beverages Ltd, Dairy Crest, Dr. Oetker (UK) Ltd, Duchy Originals Ltd, Eazycuizine Fine Foods, Findus Group, Focus (DIY) Limited, Gardman Holdings Ltd, Good Ventures, H J Heinz Company Ltd, Hain Celestial, Humdinger Ltd, InBev, John Lewis Partnership (inc. Waitrose & Greenbee), Kellogg's, Kershaws Quality Foods, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, Macsween of Edinburgh, Marks and Spencer plc, Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Ltd, National Sales and Marketing Ltd (CLS), Pattrick Brothers Communications Ltd, PepsiCo, Pets at Home Ltd, Premier Foods, PZ Cussons UK Ltd, Rachels Dairy Ltd, Robert Dyas Holdings Ltd, Robert McBride Limited, Sainsburys Supermarkets Limited, Stateside Foods, Tate & Lyle, Tesco Stores Ltd, The Co-operative Group, The Home Retail Group, Warburtons Ltd, Weetabix Limited, Wild and Organic Bioactive Essentials, Wm Morrison Supermarket plc, Yeo Valley ( Farms ) Production Ltd.