THG expands recycle:me scheme to help brand partners offset beauty packaging waste fees

THG PLC, the vertically integrated, digital first consumer brands group, has evolved and expanded recycle:me, its consumer recycling scheme that targets hard to recycle beauty and cosmetic packaging, allowing brand partners to offset new packaging waste fees.

recycle:me offers partners a truly collaborative approach to tackling the beauty industry’s waste problem, which sees an estimated 120 million units of packaging thrown away each year. Through established, trusted partners, recycle:me provides detailed data that offers invaluable insight into consumer recycling behaviour, and crucially supports new modulated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR fees) - a policy whereby retailers must take financial responsibility for the end-of-life management of products and packaging.

The scheme will tackle hard to recycle beauty and cosmetic packaging and is targeting one million units recycled within the first year of launch. In conjunction with THG’s leading Beauty brands LOOKFANTASTIC and Cult Beauty, recycle:me will allow consumers to recycle any brand’s cosmetic packaging at no cost, using a Royal Mail doorstep collection service.

In partnership with MYGroup, a leading waste management company, the packaging will be repurposed and used for new projects such as beauty packaging research and development or creating equipment for schools. 

Steve Carrie, Director at MYGroup, says, “The beauty industry faces a significant issue in tackling its waste problem. Although many consumers are keen to do their part, the UK recycling system often causes confusion and means that only 9% of cosmetic packaging is recycled, according to the British Beauty Council. As the market leader in cosmetics recycling, we’re proud to be partnering with THG and its premium beauty brands to make recycling easy and accessible through recycle:me.” 

Metrisk, the sales promotion, marketing, and digital experts, has partnered with THG’s recycle:me to create the free recycle:me app that consumers can use to scan their packaging, arrange a doorstep collection, and track reward points in exchange for eligible products. 

Alistair Morelli, Co-Founder and Director at Metrisk, says, “We’re thrilled to partner with THG’s recycle:me scheme to divert excess cosmetics packaging from landfill. The technology behind our app offers full traceability, allowing brands to confidently report on the lifecycle of their products.” Mark Jones, Chief Sustainability Officer at THG, says, “For brands, recycling schemes are incredibly complex and costly. With recycle:me, we are offering our brand partners a cohesive industry approach that provides the level of data needed under new EPR regulations.” 

The announcement comes during Recycle Week 2024, the theme of which is ‘Rescue Me’, encouraging consumers to rescue recyclable items from the rubbish bin. For more information, visit: https://www.thg.com/sustainability/recycleme