'Tipping point' reached as recycling label hits century

29 November 2010

A world-first on-pack label which lets shoppers know which packaging can be recycled has signed up its 100th company. The milestone triggers the start of a public awareness campaign aimed at slashing the amount of recyclable packaging heading to land-fill.

Birdseye, Innocent, Henkel, GlaxoSmithKline and WH Smith have joined a string of major brands and retailers in adopting the On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL), which was launched by retailers’ group the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and continues to be actively supported by WRAP. The label now appears on more than 60,000 product lines. The brands and retailers signed up to the label account for more than 90 per cent of grocery sales in the UK and they include a range of other retail sectors.

The BRC now plans to shift its focus toward raising public awareness of the label and encouraging consumers to recycle as much as possible. The collection gap (the difference between how much can be collected for recycling and how much is actually captured for recycling) is significant for several materials; less than 50 per cent of plastic bottles for instance are captured for recycling. As all bottles are labelled as ‘widely recycled’ under OPRL, the scheme can play a pivotal role in improving this.

Bob Gordon British Retail Consortium Head of Environment and OPRL Director, said: “Signing up our one hundredth company is a tipping point moment. Up to now, we’ve just been trying to get buy-in from retailers and manufacturers, but the label now appears on enough products for us to refocus our energies toward raising public awareness and changing consumer behaviour. We need to make sure that more of what can be recycled actually goes into recycling.”

“In the next few months we’ll be announcing plans to work with Local Authorities and community groups, such as the Womens’ Institute, to raise awareness of the label. Currently too much recyclable packaging makes its way to landfill. This label gives consumers the information they need to make the right choices, we just need to make them aware of it.”

WRAP’s Chief Executive, Liz Goodwin said: “Working with partners such as the British Retail Consortium to support major retailers and brands is one of the most effective ways to improve resource efficiency. For OPRL to appear on 60,000 product lines shows the tremendous progress that can be made through these sorts of partnerships.”

Notes:

1) The scheme is being operated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) under a company called OPRL (On-pack recycling label) Limited. WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) provides technical support and monitors the correct use of the label. It also reviews changes in local authorities’ recycling capabilities which will determine the labelling category each packaging material falls into.

2) The new label indicates three levels of packaging recycling:

Widely recycled: This means 65 per cent or more of local authorities collect that packaging type in their area.

Check local recycling: this means 15 per cent to 65 per cent of local authorities collect that packaging type in their area.

Not currently recycled: this means less than 15 per cent of local authorities collect that packaging type in their area.

3) Retailers signed up to the new on-pack recycling logo are:Aldi, Arcadia, ASDA, Booker, Boots, Focus (DIY), John Lewis Partnership, B&Q, Lakeland, Lloydspharmacy, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Netto, Next, Pets at Home, Robert Dyas, Rupert's Pet Shop, Sainsburys, Superdrug, Tesco, The Co-operative Group, Home Retail Group (Argos and Homebase), WHSmith and Wilkinson

4) Brands signed up to the new on-pack recycling logo are:

A.G. Barr, AB InBev, ABF, Allmand-Smith, Arla Foods, Arthouse, Bart Spices, Belu Water, Benjoy Nutrition, Bernard Matthews, Birds Eye, Britvic, Burtons Foods, Carte Blanche Greetings, Catering and Leisure Supplies, Cott Beverages, Country Park Speciality Foods, County Confectionery, Croydex, Dairy Crest, Dale Farm, Devnaa LLP, Dr. Oetker, Duchy Originals, Eazycuizine, Findus Group, Food Revolution, Gardman Holdings, GlaxoSmithKline Nutritional Healthcare, Good Ventures, Greencore, H J Heinz, Hain Celestial, Hallgarten Druitt, Henkel, Humdinger, I.M.C.A. SPA, innocent drinks, Integra Products, Kellogg's, Kershaws Quality Foods, Kohler Mira, Lake House Table, Leathams, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, Lyvia Electrical, Macsween of Edinburgh, Molson Coors, Monaghan Mushrooms, Morning Foods, National Carpets, National Trust, Nestle, Northern Foods, Organix Brands, Pattrick Brothers Communications, PepsiCo, Piltanys Organics, Premier Foods, PZ Cussons, R&R Icecream, Rachels Dairy, Rapid Action Packaging, Robert McBride, Robert Wiseman Dairies, Shetland Products, St Neots Packaging, Stateside Foods, Tate & Lyle, The Dezac Group, Uni-Com (Global), United Biscuits, Vimto, Warburtons, Weetabix, Westland Horticulture, Whittard of Chelsea, Wild and Organic Bioactive Essentials and Yeo Valley.

A full list is available at www.oprl.org.uk/members

5) In support of the On Pack Recycling Label, WRAP is also running trials with local authorities to improve the wider consumer communications around capturing plastic bottles for recycling. Results from the trials will be available in Spring 2011.

6) Further information, including an image of the label can be found at: www.oprl.org.uk

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