How2Recycle Label Gains Traction in National Marketplace
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), a project of Charlottesville, Va.-based sustainability nonprofit GreenBlue, has added additional participants in the soft launch of its How2Recycle on-package recycling labeling system.
Major brand names including Best Buy, Clorox, and Minute Maid, will be joining 10 other leading companies already participating in the launch, including Costco Wholesale, General Mills, Seventh Generation, and REI, in implementing the label on select packaging available nationwide in early 2013.
“We look forward to taking this long-term SPC project to the next level,” said Anne Bedarf, GreenBlue’s senior manager. “With the revision of the FTC’s Green Guides now out, attention again has turned to accurate and transparent recyclability messaging, and the SPC’s How2Recycle Label is quickly becoming the industry standard.”
How2Recycle was developed to reduce consumer confusion around recycling in the United States with a clear recycling label and corresponding informational website. The initiative provides companies with an easy way to conform to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) “Green Guides” while using nationwide recyclability data. It also specifies when a package component is not recyclable.
The soft launch of the label will run through the first quarter of 2013. Full implementation will begin thereafter and will incorporate feedback gathered during the soft launch period from consumers, retailers, participating companies, local governments, trade associations, and recyclers. The SPC plans to add up to 20 additional participants after the soft launch phase and aims for the label to appear on the majority of consumer product packaging by 2016.
Gwen Lorio, a representative of Clorox, stated that environmental sustainability is important to the brand, adding that “Consumers understand the concept of recycling but are frequently confused on what packages can or can’t be recycled. They want the process to be easier and we think the recovery label does just that,” Lorio said. “As we enable consumers to recycle correctly, we ensure more quality recycled material is available for us to use, our consumers send less waste to landfill, and we can reduce the energy needed to create new packages.”
The How2Recycle Label can already be found on products available in the marketplace, including Esteé Lauder’s Aveda Outer Peace Acne Pads; a variety of Kirkland products from Costco Wholesale; General Mills’ Yoplait yogurt brand; and Microsoft computer accessories, among others. A photo gallery of the packages carrying the label is available online.
Companies interested in using the label on their products after the soft launch period can contact Anne Bedarf for more information at 434.817.1424 ext. 314, or [email protected].