UK-based THG has upped its credibility when it comes to sustainability announcing a new recycling scheme – recycle:me by THG (eco) – which will allow customers to send all used beauty products, regardless of the brand or where the product was purchased, back to THG to be recycled.

“The recycle:me scheme is part of our ongoing pledge via THG (eco) to reduce our impact on the environment and create innovative new sustainability practices. We have started with our THG Beauty division as we know that recycling processes are particularly complex for plastic beauty products such as mascara, lipstick and skincare items with inbuilt pumps, which leads to many consumers simply disposing of their used goods in their household waste,” said Matthew Moulding, Founder, Chairman and CEO of THG.

According to the British Plastics Federation, only 32% of plastic is recycled in Europe with the remaining going to landfills, incineration, or into our environment. Research shows while consumers are willing to recycle the current systems can cause confusion especially when it comes to hard-to-recycle beauty items with complex plastic packaging.

THG’s recycle:me initiative has been created to address this problem and help ensure that plastic end-of-life of used beauty products is processed in a way that is environmentally friendly. Consumers shopping on THG Beauty sites in the UK simply need to wash out their used beauty products and return them free of charge. They can also include used plastic beauty products from any brand even if they were not purchased via a THG Beauty website and THG will recycle them.

To reduce the environmental impact even further, the carbon emissions associated with sending the packaging back to THG are offset through its CarbonNeutral delivery certification.

The beauty products that customers send back to THG are melted down and repurposed in partnership with Storm Board LLP, a company whose mission is to turn plastic waste into weather-proof and recyclable materials that can be used for social projects. These projects include the creation of sustainable furniture and the production of playground equipment and refugee shelters.

Nick Stillwell, MD of Storm Board, said: “Storm Board recycles the unrecyclable. Our focus is turning waste plastic into a weatherproof and recyclable alternative to plywood that can be reused many times and recycled into another board at the end of its life. We create a circular economy of waste whilst lowering the impact on our already strained environment.”

Moulding continued, “By spearheading an initiative that is as simple as possible for the consumer, we are hoping to reduce the amount of plastic that goes to landfill, not just on behalf of our own THG Beauty brands but for the industry as a whole. The added benefit is that the used plastic returned to us will be transformed for some fantastic projects, including storm shelters, playground equipment, and refugee shelters.”

ESPA customers already have access to the recycling scheme, while Lookfantastic will launch recycle:me to its customers in Q1 2021, after which all of THG’s Beauty brands will be integrated in 2021.