Major brand names yoplait, esteé lauder companies, sealed air, bjs wholesale club and manufacturer ampac are joining several members of the sustainable packaging coalition&mdashincluding conagra foods, costco wholesale, microsoft, rei and seventh generation&mdashin introducing the how2recycle label, a voluntary recycling label, on their products. The label is already available in the marketplace on seventh generations limited edition 180oz detergent bottle and new 22oz prewash spray available at target stores, in addition to more than 50 rei products including novara bike accessories and multitowels.
It soon will appear on such products as conagras orville redenbacher popcorn, microsoft accessories and a variety of kirkland signature brand products from costco wholesale. The goal of the how2recycle label is to reduce consumer confusion in the u.s. With a clear and consistent recycling label and corresponding informational website.
It provides companies with an easy way to conform to the federal trade commission ftc "green guides" while using nationwide recyclability data. "consumers are faced with a confusing landscape of material and recycling messages that are often inconsistent or misleading," says greenblue senior manager anne bedarf, who has led development of the label for the spc. "we believe this label will help consumers and companies more effectively communicate recyclability and contribute to more successful resource recovery." the how2recycle label is based on the successful onpack recycling label oprl system in the united kingdom and was developed through more than three years of research, stakeholder engagement, extensive consumer testing, and a national effort to collect updated recyclability data in conjunction with industry partners.
With this new system, companies can customize package labels by using up to four available options with associated icons including widely recycled, limited recycling"check locally," not yet recycled and a "store dropoff" label for bags, wraps and other films accepted at retail locations. Each unique component of a package will be labeled. Sealed airs fillair inflatable packaging and ampacs no. 2 pouch will be the first to use the "store dropoff" label. General mills yoplait yogurt brand on its fridge pack and esteé lauder companies aveda brand on its outer peace acne pads will use a combination of icons.
The how2recycle label is endorsed by several state and local governments focused on addressing recycling challenges, including the state of north carolina, new york citys department of sanitation, and stopwaste.org which serves alameda county, california. Keep america beautiful, the nations premier nonprofit working to increasing recycling, also recently endorsed the label. "we strongly believe that recycling programs across the country and the general publics commitment to recycling behavior will greatly benefit from a clear and sensible package labeling framework," says scott mouw of the north carolina department of environment and natural resources, noting the support of the state for the effort.
