Procter & Gamble say ‘No’ to BRC recycling logo
The BRC have revealed that about 50,000 product lines have signed up to their on-pack recycling logo, but, Procter and Gamble's will not be amongst them.
Since it was officially launched seven months ago, fifty brand owners and retailers have signed up to carry the UK's first standardised label for packaging recycling, following trials with various companies, including Asda, since late 2007.
The BRC said it is well on course to hit its target of 60 signatories in the first year, although several global brand owners are unlikely to sign up because their products are not packaged specifically for the UK.
Packaging News were told by P&G that it was not planning to join the scheme. Kirstie Hawkes, P&G UK's Sustainability Affairs Manager said, "Almost all of our packaging goes into several countries so a UK-specific label would not be appropriate,"
Recent addition to the scheme, which aims to provide consumers with a clear and consistent means of determining whether or not, and, how packaging can be recycled, include Pepsi, London 2012 and Yeo Valley.
The BRC claim that more than 85% of the UK's grocery retail market by turnover has signed up, in addition a "large proportion of non-food retailers". The scheme includes Burtons Foods, Dairy Crest, HJ Heinz, John Lewis Partnership, Kellogg's, Marks and Spencer, Molson Coors, Tate & Lyle and Tesco. Click here for the full list.
It is hoped that the recycling logo will increase the quality and quantity of packaging that ends up in recycling schemes run by local authorities.
The label shows three categories according to the chances of a local authority being able to recycle the packaging material: 'widely recycled', 'check local recycling' and 'not currently recycled'.
BRC Director General, Stephen Robertson, "Customer confusion is the biggest barrier to improving recycling rates. Replacing a potentially confusing array of symbols and messages with a single logo will help customers recycle more what can already be recycled."
The scheme is operated by the BRC under a company called OPRL (On-Pack Recycling Label). The Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap) provides technical support for the scheme and monitors the correct use of the label.
