M&S Lakeside has announced its partnership with beauty recycling experts, HANDLE, to launch a Beauty Takeback Scheme. The scheme will enable hard to recycle beauty packaging materials and components that commonly end up in landfill to be recycled and turned into new packaging and products.
Packaging is one of the biggest sustainability challenges facing the beauty industry; 120 billion units of packaging are produced globally every year[1], however, recycling rate estimates range from 9-50%[2] in the UK due to certain packaging types specific to beauty not being processed through the infrastructure available in mainstream recycling. HANDLE works with retailers, brands and manufacturers to plug these gaps and seek better end of life options for beauty packaging such as lids, tubes, pumps and pipettes that often fall out of main municipal recycling.
From this month, shoppers at M&S Lakeside will be able to return any form of rigid plastic or aluminium beauty packaging – from bottles and tubes to caps, pumps and tubs – from any retailer, by dropping their used beauty packaging into dedicated boxes located within the store’s beauty section. The store is one of over 40 stores across the UK taking part in the scheme, with the initiative estimated to collect over two tonnes of empty beauty packaging from participating, within the first 12 months. The HANDLE programme is designed to build from a take back and recycling toward a circular system for M&S beauty where new products and packaging are created from the materials collected.
To celebrate the launch of the scheme, until 5th July, Sparks customers who recycle their beauty packaging will also receive 10% off Beauty at M&S. Customers simply scan the QR code on the Beauty Takeback box in store, for the offer to be added to their Sparks’ Hub.
Terry Hind, Store Manager at M&S [LOCATION], commented: “At M&S Lakeside we’re passionate about creating simple solutions that help our customers live lower carbon lives. We hope this scheme encourages customers to recycle their beauty empties to give them a second life and reduce the amount of packaging that goes to landfill.”
Tom Murgatroyd, Co-Founder of HANDLE Recycling, commented: “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with M&S, our mission is to reduce the environmental impact of Beauty Packaging and this partnership helps to elevate awareness and action toward this mission to the next level. We seek partners who wish to engage in complex issues and that have talented and committed teams to help and support the goals they set out. We aim to support the Plan A initiative with projects that promote reuse and circularity, as both are challenging yet critical aspirations for us all to attain for the sake of our planet and future generations.”
The Beauty Takeback Scheme will be available in over 40 M&S stores across the UK; Argyle St Glasgow, Bath, Bluewater, Bromley, Brooklands, Camberley, Castlepoint, Cheltenham, Cheshire Oaks, Cheshunt, Cribbs Causeway, Culverhouse Cross, Fosse Park, Gyle, Gemini, Handforth, Harrogate, Hedge End, Kingston, Leeds, Leeds White Rose, Liverpool, London Colney, Longbridge, Manchester, Marble Arch, Meadowhall, Merryhill, Metro Centre, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Pantheon, Pudsey, Shoreham, Stratford City, Thurrock, White City, Wolstanton and Vangarde Monks Cross.
Today, M&S also launched its new own-brand, skincare range Fresh Elements; a collection of simple, effective products which are charged with science-led ingredients at affordable prices.
