Josh Brooks: FMCG giants’ BRC logo claims are rubbished by the host of major brands backing its use

It’s often said the biggest barrier to improving recycling rates is the frustration felt by consumers when they just don’t know whether an item of packaging can be recycled or not.

And this month, the problem is in the headlines again with news that the British Retail Consortium’s on-pack recycling label is now used on more than 50,000 product lines, with more than 50 brands signed up.

For all the criticism that can be levelled at the logo, it is a laudable scheme that demonstrates the willingness of brands to promote recycling of their own packaging. Perhaps more importantly, the more brands sign up, the more pressure will grow on local authorities to standardise their own messy waste collection systems.

Yet as we report in this issue, Unilever and Procter & Gamble, the two giants of FMCG, have ruled out taking part in the scheme. To justify their position, they claim that the international nature of their businesses makes it impractical for them to incorporate the label on to their products.

This is not a convincing argument. For a start, many of these companies’ brands are specific to countries already; Unilever’s Lynx is Axe outside the UK, while Sure is Rexona in other markets. If designs can be changed inside and outside the UK, then the BRC’s logo can be incorporated too.

Moreover, look at the list of brands who are using the recycling logo and you’ll find Kellogg’s, PepsiCo, Heinz, Molson Coors, and AB Inbev among the signatories. These are hardly small-time domestic players. Nor are Tesco, Asda, Aldi or Sainsbury’s insignificant in terms of international packaging. If they can do it, so can Unilever and P&G.

And, indeed, so can the large number of other big brand owners not yet signed up. Every brand should lend their weight to this scheme. A standard approach to recycling will show both the public and politicians that the industry is serious about recycling.

Josh Brooks is editor of Packaging News

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