Multiples to Roll Out Recycling Logo from December

The BRC said there was "more to be gained than lost" from showing consumers the likelihood that local authorities accept materials for recycling.

28/11/2007 The first products showing a new standardised logo for retail packaging recycling, which is backed by multiples including Tesco and Asda, will start to appear on supermarket shelves in December.
Asda packaging buyer Shane Monkman said the logo, developed by members of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), would first feature on its Christmas gravy lines.

The logo, which is out for consultation with government, local authorities and manufacturers, categorises each of the materials used in a product's packaging – for example, a card sleeve covering a metal tray with a plastic film – into one of three types (see below).

Other retailers, such as Boots and Marks & Spencer, are involved in the project, but it is not yet certain how they will roll out the label. A Boots spokeswoman said, however, that it could potentially become a standard across all its consumer products.

The BRC said there was "more to be gained than lost" from showing consumers the likelihood that local authorities accept materials for recycling.

"It's not feasible to have different labels for different authorities, but saying what can be recycled in most areas should mean that more of these materials are," said a spokesman.

However, Packaging Federation chief executive Dick Searle questioned the benefit of a national scheme, given the localised nature of recycling. "Aren't we also going to antagonise consumers by giving them information overload?" he asked.

The logo will initially appear on retailer own-brands, but Monkman said the multiples hoped to persuade brand owners to adopt it on their products.

He also wants to focus attention on the inconsistencies in local authority recycling.

The logo categories are based on a combination of kerbside collection and bring-bank facilities.

Tetra Pak is being placed in the "not currently recycled" category. Although it has rolled out collection facilities to more than 70% of local authorities, many have fewer than the BRC scheme's requirement of at least five bring-banks.

The BRC will review the situation again at the end of December, and Tetra Pak is confident that its products will be classed as "widely recycled" by the time the label is introduced.

A number of retailers have been involved in the project, including Asda, Marks & Spencer and Tesco, but not Morrisons, which is not a BRC member.

The BRC has launched a consultation to make sure the scheme has "widespread acceptance".