Its latest survey polled over 5,000 British consumers and found that 89% look for information on the pack to inform their recycling decisions.
At the same time, 81% refer to the OPRL “Recycle” label when making disposal decisions.
Jude Allan, interim managing director at OPRL, said: “Clear messaging and citizen behaviour change will make all the difference to the success of policies such as pEPR; we need to engage members of the public if recyclable packaging is to reach the correct bin.
“OPRL’s latest research shows a strong trajectory since 2018, with improvement in understanding and confidence, as well as greater usage and awareness of OPRL labels.
“However, without the right information, people reported that they ‘go with their gut’ and guess how to dispose of waste. To avoid contamination and leakage from the recycling system, we need to build on successful communication.”
The packaging labelling association said that it has seen a long-term increase in positive sentiment towards recycling, with significantly more consumers feeling confident in 2025, compared to 2018.
It added that consumers are now significantly less likely to cite lack of importance or understanding as barriers to recycling, and 83% believe that recycling is “important”.
The research also showed the effectiveness of explanation and storytelling along with labelling.
OPRL said that while simple guidelines are more likely to be followed, additional information has the potential to encourage actions that require more effort.
For example, survey respondents said they were more likely to follow instructions such as “Scrunch” if they knew that this would affect recycling. Other actions – such as “Empty”, “Remove film – were more readily accepted.
The effectiveness of OPRL
When asked to identify labels, 72% of consumers identified OPRL as the best at indicating that packaging can be recycled.
Additionally, 91% reported having seen the OPRL ‘Recycle’ label before and were confident that they knew what it means.
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