Since its conception seven months ago, companies participating in the scheme have put the logo on over 50,000 products, with the BRC recently announcing that the fiftieth company has signed up to use the logo.
Among the companies to sign up within the cosmetics and personal care sector are British pharmacy chain, Boots; Robert McBride, a supplier of private label personal care products; and Wild and Organic, a provider of natural and organic skincare products.
Laura Rudoe, the founder of Good Ventures, an ethical development company who has signed up to the scheme, explained to CosmeticsDesign that its first brand, Evolve Beauty is ethical and green, so recycling is an important aspect of company values.
Recycle label a logical choice
“Our bottles are made from recycled plastic made from milk cartons. We are delighted to be part of the recycling on-pack labeling scheme as it provides clear consistent information about how to recycle our bottles again and we have included it on all Evolve beauty products” she added.
The voluntary On-Pack Recycling Label scheme aims to provide a simple, UK-wide, recycling message on both retailer private label and brand-owner packaging to encourage more consumers to recycle more material, more frequently, said the BRC.
According to the BRC, despite a steady improvement in household recycling rates in recent years, the UK is still lagging behind other EU members.
The introduction of the on-pack logo marks the first time that customers have been provided with standardised information that aims to replace the potentially confusing range of symbols previously used.
Three different recycling symbols
Consumers can see at a glance which products can be recycled, with three different recycling symbols indicating that the product is widely recycled, not currently recycled, or only recycled in some areas.
Stephen Robertson, British Retail Consortium Director General, said in a statement: "This scheme has the power to make a real difference. All businesses that use packaging should join, as the on-pack label moves to becoming an industry standard."
Any retailer, manufacturer or brand owner who puts packaged consumer products onto the UK market is eligible to participate in the scheme. According to the BRC, the aim is to have 60 companies signed up to the label in the first year.