Marks & Spencer has linked up with beauty recycling specialists HANDLE to launch a ‘Beauty Takeback Scheme’ in over 40 of its stores across the UK.
The scheme will enable hard-to-recycle beauty packaging materials and components that commonly end up in landfill to be recycled and turned into new packaging and products.
The retailer noted that packaging is a major sustainability challenge facing the beauty industry; 120 billion units of packaging are produced globally every year, but recycling rate estimates range from 9-50% in the UK due to certain packaging types specific to beauty not being processed through the infrastructure available in mainstream recycling.
HANDLE works with retailers, brands and manufacturers to plug these gaps and seek better end-of-life options for beauty packaging, such as lids, tubes, pumps, sachets and pipettes that often fall out of mainstream recycling systems.
From this month, shoppers at M&S will be able to drop off any form of used plastic or aluminium beauty packaging from any retailer in dedicated boxes located within the store’s beauty section. The initiative is expected to collect over two tonnes of empty beauty packaging within the first 12 months.
To mark the launch of the scheme, members of M&S’s Sparks loyalty scheme that recycle their beauty packaging will receive 10% off Beauty at M&S products.
Carmel McQuaid, Head of ESG at M&S, commented: “We’re passionate about creating simple solutions that help our customers live lower carbon lives. Plastic is one of the biggest challenges facing the beauty industry and whilst there is still lots more to do, we hope this scheme encourages customers to recycle their beauty empties to give them a second life and reduce the amount of packaging that goes to landfill.
“Alongside our other schemes, including Shwopping and plastic takeback, it’s one of the many ways we’re driving the circular economy on our roadmap to net zero.”
NAM Implications:
- Much depends on shopper priorities rankings changing negatively.
- In the light of still increasing cost-of-living pressures.
- Watch this space…
