Can a simple label fight climate change?

Recycling Labels- What Do They Mean? from OPRL

In with the old, out with the new

Typically, packaging production using recycled metals and plastics uses 95% less energy than making packaging from new materials. However, recycling rates in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland remain relatively low, in contrast to Wales. With a shortage of recycled materials available, brands and retailers have to use higher proportions of new materials. In fact, the UK waste and resources sector accounts for 4% of national greenhouse gas emissions. With two-thirds of that coming from landfill due to the anaerobic biodegradation of food and organic waste, which produces methane 80 times more damaging than CO₂.

Little label, big impact

It’s on your can of beans, your elderflower cordial, your chocolate bar. In fact, OPRL’s award-winning label is recognised by 3 in 4 consumers and used by more than 570 businesses, including Hotel Chocolat, Nestle and Costa Coffee. Every day there are new innovations in recycled materials, from clothing to pencils and milk containers, but these climate-friendly activities only work if consumers know exactly what can and cannot be recycled.

Inside Action

Alongside their labelling scheme, OPRL is using Veolia’s Procycle Service to enable employees to send back hard to recycle biscuit and sweet wrappers, and is offsetting travel and commuting related emissions. In addition, through carefully chosen Reserves and pensions investments, OPRL has dedicated the equivalent of 25-30% of its annual turnover to climate action, all while maintaining their external mission of demystifying recycling for the benefit of the planet.

This story shows how OPRL supports Goal 13: Climate Action, specifically Target 13.3: “improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.”

About OPRL

OPRL is an independent, not-for-profit company that aims to help people recycle packaging more often and correctly, through a simple labelling scheme for hundreds of brands. Any surplus income is reinvested in the recycling-promotion activities that enable them to support the Sustainable Development Goals.

Find out more about how OPRL is supporting the goals.