Retailers ready to roll with new recycling label

A new packaging recycling logo is in the process of being rolled out across the UK.
The standardised label is designed to display whether packaging is widely recycled, locally recycled or not recycled by local authorities. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the
Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) came up with the initiative to replace multiple recycling logos with a single one.

A BRC spokesman told MRW: During input to consultation there was widespread agreement between local authorities and retailers that this was the way to go. It shows how likely materials are likely to be recycled in your local area.

We are in the process of rolling it out and it should start to appear over the course of the next few months.

Consumers have not been asked what they think of the new logo but retailers have relied on evidence based on the knowledge of their customers. The BRC also acknowledge the difficulties that may face the scheme. The spokesman said: If we had a nationwide system it would be easier but material that is recyclable in one area differs in another.
With the introduction of the voluntary industry-wide logo it is hoped that people will recycle more of their waste.

There have been various recycling logos around in the past. But there has not been a universally accepted one that all customers understand, added the BRC spokesman.

There usually has been a range of approaches to it which has been confusing. Whereas, this new logo will offer a standardised approach. A lot of packaging materials can be recycled and still consumers are not actually recycling it.

Some critics would argue that consumers are faced with a barrage of logos to digest on their packaged items and another logo would be confusing to them.

The BRC acknowledged that this was the case and said that there are an awful lot of demands for a range of logos on packaging, including nutritional information, emission labelling and country of origin labelling. Manufacturers need to consider how much information customers actually want. Packaging may need to get bigger to accommodate for more labels and it achieves the exact opposite to what is wanted.

Image:New recycling logo