The British Beauty Council’s Sustainable Beauty Coalition is spearheading a new initiative, ‘The Great British Beauty Clean Up’, which launched this week (March 3).
The campaign aims to combat beauty packaging waste by educating consumers and industry professionals on effective recycling practices and the benefits of refillable products.
Addressing the beauty industry’s waste crisis
The initiative comes in response to alarming findings from British Beauty Council research, which reveal that 86% of plastic beauty packaging is not recycled.
While 79.3% of consumers consider sustainability an important factor in purchasing decisions, only 23.4% currently use refillable skincare products.
To address this issue, the campaign will provide clear guidance on how to dispose of beauty empties responsibly.
It will also raise awareness about what can and cannot be recycled through standard household waste collections.
Industry-wide support
Over 50 retailers, brands and businesses are backing the campaign, including major industry players such as Medik8, Elemis, L’Oréal, Boots, John Lewis, Tesco, Cult Beauty, Lookfantastic and L’Occitane.
As part of the initiative, the British Beauty Council is updating its interactive recycling map to highlight existing beauty packaging recycling programmes across the UK.
Consumers will be encouraged to collect and correctly dispose of packaging that cannot be processed via standard household recycling, including:
- Small items (travel minis, sample sachets, mascaras)
- Composite materials (makeup palettes, compacts, lipstick tubes)
- Non-recyclable materials (toothpaste tubes, lotion pumps)
Recycling programmes and consumer incentives
Several brands and retailers are spotlighting their own recycling initiatives as part of the campaign:
- Elemis will raise awareness of its recycling programme at its London locations and through digital campaigns, introducing a new customer loyalty initiative.
- Boots is promoting its Recycle at Boots scheme, which offers 500 Advantage Card Points (worth £5) for every five beauty empties deposited when spending £10 in-store. The scheme is available in over 800 stores across the UK.
- L’Oréal is highlighting the Maybelline recycling programme, with drop-off points in over 1,500 Sainsbury’s, Superdrug and Tesco stores.
- John Lewis is featuring its Beautycycle scheme, allowing customers to recycle beauty packaging in-store and earn rewards to spend on B-Corp certified beauty products, including Medik8 and Elemis.
- Cult Beauty and Lookfantastic (part of The Hut Group) are showcasing their recycle:me programme, which enables recycling via Royal Mail doorstep collection and a network of 14,000 drop-off locations.
Alexandra Florea, head of sustainability at Medik8, said “We are constantly working to lessen the environmental impact of our products and operations, as well as make a positive social impact.
“As part of this commitment, we’re excited to join the British Beauty Council this March to raise awareness about ways brands and consumers can work together to minimise packaging waste and the overall environmental impact of the beauty industry.”
Aligning with key sustainability dates
The Great British Beauty Clean Up will run throughout March, aligning with major sustainability events such as:
- Waste Week (March 3-9)
- Global Recycling Day (March 18)
- United Nations International Day of Zero Waste (March 30)
Check out the British Beauty Council’s interactive recycling map here: British Beauty Council Recycling Map
