Major online retailer The Hut Group (THG) has launched a recycling scheme for cosmetic packaging for its customers.
The Manchester-based global platform has revealed its recycling programme called recycle:me by THG (eco).
This will allow customers to send all cosmetics products, regardless of brand, back to the company to be recycled.
Consumers shopping on THG beauty sites in the UK will need to wash out their used beauty products and return them free of charge. They can also return products from any brand, even if they were not purchased from THG.
Cosmetic packaging that is returned to THG is sent to Storm Board, which turns plastic waste into weather-proof and recyclable materials that are used for social projects. These include the creation of sustainable furniture and production of playground equipment and refugee shelters.
THG founder, chairman and chief executive Matthew Moulding said: “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.
“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.”
Storm Board managing director Nick Stillwell added: “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 while lowering the impact on our already strained environment.”
