Recycling logo in shops now << Back to Main News Page Added: Tuesday, 1 July 2008 The first products to carry the British Retail Consortium’s common packaging recycling logo can now be found on shop shelves, with 2,000 Asda own-brand products having been re-designed to include it. Some of these items are currently in store, with others currently at different stages of the production process. The common recycling logos identify how widely recycled the packaging of an item is, and represent three categories: widely recycled, where more than 65% of local authorities recycle a material; check locally, for between 20% and 65% of local authorities; and not currently recycled for less than 20%. The scheme was developed after BRC research showed that consumers were frustrated by current information. Initial feedback from the consultation shows that some consumers find the labelling information helpful and that it allows them to recycle more. The logos have received some criticism from within the packaging industry, with the European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (Europen) claiming that the recycling labels were “not the best means” of helping consumers recycle more, would risk disrupting EU internal market supply, and confuse consumers. Recoup were involved in the early stages of the BRC consultation, when our CEO John Simmons commented: “Recoup supports the broad principles of this initiative. However, we believe for it to be practically useful, respected and used, the information on ‘back of pack’ needs to be clear, accurate and avoid providing misleading information or negative/unfounded perceptions. “This is a complex issue to get right and should be based on achieving a quality return of recyclable material NOT a high quantity of material of poor quality which will result in unnecessary additional sorting and reprocessing costs.” The scheme is also backed by BRC members Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer. The BRC are now in talks with the Food and Drink Federation to look at ways of encouraging brand owners to incorporate the logo on their packs to provide a consistent message. For more information about the logo, go to www.brc.org.uk