Guide: Labeling and consumer education

When a customer is done with a product, they often wonder if it can be recycled. They might not know what the package is made of or the rules at their local facility, but they toss it in the recycling bin, just in case. We call this ‘wishcycling’ and when the package is not recyclable, it can damage MRFs' equipment and cause inefficiencies to the recycling process.

Recycling is confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. Packaging manufacturers and brands can do their part to help by clearly communicating what the package is made of as well as how and where the customer should discard them.

Clear instructions are key to sustainable packaging design and are ideally on the primary package (secondary packages like cartons are likely discarded before customers finish their products and are ready to discard them). Our guide below can help with this process.

Pact’s Education & Labeling Guide

Chasing arrows

The Mobius Loop, or Chasing Arrows, are used to symbolize everything from recycling to environmentalism to climate justice. When it comes to packaging, this symbol is often used on plastic resins and/or types of containers that have no hope of being recycled. This misuse is a huge issue when it comes to consumer education and transparency around how to recycle. California recently became the first state to ban the use of the Chasing Arrows unless the packaging is known to be recyclable in curbside bins.

The chasing arrows should only be used on packages that are widely accepted in curbside recycling programs where the product is sold.

Resin codes

Resin codes identify the packaging material being used and increase the likelihood that packaging can be recycled into post-consumer recycled (PCR) products, so we believe they need to be incorporated on all packaging. Resin codes are much more specific and informative than the Chasing Arrows symbol. Resin codes #1 PET and #2 HDPE are typically recyclable in curbside programs (and sometimes #5 Polypropylene but not always). Resin codes #3 PVC, #4 LDPE, #6 PS and #7 mixed plastics/other are not widely accepted by curbside programs, and if they are they are highly unlikely to actually be recycled.

Communicating to the consumer

The ideal moment to educate the consumer on proper disposal of the packaging is in the moment when the product is in their hands. This means the information should be clearly shared on the packaging itself. Beauty products are sometimes quite small so this can be a challenge. We have seen brands introduce innovative solutions like QR codes on product packaging that leads the consumer to web-based resources for education on disposal. Any improvements are a step in the right direction!

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