BRC to press on with new recycling logo

The label, which is out for consultation with government, local authorities and manufacturers, is designed to display whether packaging is widely recycled, locally recycled or not recycled by local authorities.

BRC environment policy executive Edward Cook said the organisation was drafting a response to the consultation, which would include "some revisions", such as the thresholds being amended "slightly" for the three categories.

He suggested that the plastics recycling data provided by Wrap for calculating the thresholds should be carried out more frequently to take into account developments in the recycling infrastructure.

Cook said the response had been mainly positive, and would be sent out "shortly", although some issues were raised by Julian Carroll, chief executive of the European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (Europen), to which BRC had already responded.

Europen felt the use of recycling labels on packaging was "not the best means" of helping consumers recycle more, would risk disrupting the EU internal market supply and confuse consumers.

The organisation suggested a system modelled on that used in several other EU countries, where recycling information is communicated by local authorities and collection schemes. It also pointed out that it was not mandatory in EU law to identify packaging materials on packs.

Cook said the scheme had been developed after research had revealed that consumers felt frustrated by the current information.

"We felt the new scheme would provide them with the information they required in a way they could understand," he said.

"Some of the feedback to the consultation suggests that consumers find the information helpful and it allows them to recycle more."

Cook added that communication was key and local authorities were as crucial in this as retailers.

Asda was the first supermarket to use the logo on some of its own-brand products last December.

"We are talking to the Food & Drink Federation to see how we can encourage brand owners to incorporate the logo on their packs to provide a consistent message to customers," said Cook.

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