Thoughts,
CRACKING
THE RECYCLING CODE
The need for a revolution in on-pack recycling communication, by Jenny Greenwood, Sustainability Manager at Butterfly Cannon
It’s abundantly clear we’re facing a crisis of communication when it comes to recycling. Current systems leave consumers in the dark trying to decipher incomprehensible combinations of words, pictures and colours – people simply don’t know what they can recycle or how to dispose of packaging appropriately.
In every county, province, or country the rules change. There are different coloured bins, some recyclers take mixed waste, others can only take specific materials in those areas. You have to trek to specific supermarkets or retailers that will take that specific packaging. If you are one of the lucky ones to have these in your area.
Our instinct is to recycle but confusing labelling on packaging actively confounds that instinct. Combined with the multitude of materials, print techniques and finishes used on packs, it’s no wonder that recycling just isn’t working. As the stats below highlight:
– consumers spend no more than 10 seconds examining on-pack labelling when purchasing (WRAP, 23rd September 2021)
– over half (55%) of UK households routinely put one or more items that could be recycled into the general rubbish (PACKAGING NEWS, 28th September 2021)
– 15 million tonnes of rubbish is going into landfill every year in the UK (FRIENDS OF THE EARTH)
It’s clear we need a revolution in how to communicate the best way to dispose of packaging. One that acknowledges the above complexities, whilst remaining simple and instantly recognisable enough to avoid the need for the consumer to have a specialist degree to understand it.
Welcome the symbol. An icon that holds the potential to be instantly recognisable and communicate an action, after all, everyone understands what the symbol for Wi-Fi or the bathroom is – a picture paints a thousand words after all and surely that’s a positive thing?
Or is it? Looking at the commonly used symbols below, how many do you think mean a piece of packaging is recyclable?
The answer is ONE – no.3. So if the symbol is not widely recognised or consumers are not educated on common meanings then it will simply be misinterpreted – as is sadly the current situation.
Due to lack of understanding, these are no longer trusted symbols when used by themselves: A symbol that you think means your packaging can be easily recycled may be a material code, a manufacturing symbol, a government scheme or a material certification.
To borrow a quote from Friends of the Earth campaigner Emma Priestland:
“The endless list of symbols that the packaging industry produces can look more like hieroglyphics than instructions. Most of us aren’t Egyptologists and we just want to do the right thing.”
So, in the interest of being as accurate as possible, we should surely just use words? However, words are of course not globally consistent and there’s that issue of that 10-second consumer attention span. Especially when there is also the additional word clutter of promotional activity, brand storytelling and legal wording on pack.
As an Agency specialising in aspirational brands, we are only too aware of the complexities of creating packaging that ‘ticks all the boxes.’ It’s one of the reasons that ‘Clear Communication’ is one of the fundamental sustainable elements of the Climatic TableTM that sits at the heart of our Conscious Design process. Ironically, the answer is currently far from clear and there’s no one silver bullet solution at present…
Some NGOs seem to have cracked an on-pack labelling system that uses easily identifiable symbols in conjunction with simple wording to help identify what packaging components can be recycled. For example, OPRL in the UK & How to Recycle in the USA are common systems that work in their specific country or region. They are growing in popularity with businesses and gaining traction across more categories in their markets, making them increasingly commonplace and recognisable to consumers.
Whilst a step in the right direction they are not without issues:
1. You normally have to pay to be a member to use these forms of identification
2. They are not global, they are country-specific
3. They are only for on-pack labelling and do not tie into general waste disposal systems
A system that goes many steps further than both of these is The Harmonised Waste Symbols System, used in the Nordics, which is:
1. Open source
2. Available for anyone
3. Colour co-ordinated
4. Used for on and off pack labelling
The beauty of this system is the consistent waste symbols, which are used wherever the consumer is: on pack, on the recycling bins at home or on the go. Initially introduced by Denmark in 2017, it is now also used by Sweden and Norway. Iceland and Finland will be next, with more EU member states planning to join.
The scheme needs State-supported infrastructure to work though. Currently we advise our clients to use a body like OPRL(UK) or How to Recycle (USA). And if these are not available in their own markets – use the following checklist and include:
1. A symbol
2. A 1-5 word explanation of pack material(s)
3. Colour coordination for navigation across multiple SKUs.
However, it’s our view a system based upon the Harmonised Waste Symbols System needs to become the global standard. In order to ensure that on-pack recycling messaging is clear, easy to action and recognisable within 10 seconds of viewing the pack. Giving consumers the tools to crack the recycling code and fix the crisis in communication at the heart of recycling, once and for all.
Article orginally published in Design Week Magazine
Butterfly Cannon, 137-144 High Holborn, London WC1V 6PL
T: +44 (0) 203 384 4572
@2024 Butterfly Cannon | Cookies | Privacy
Butterfly Cannon, 137-144 High Holborn, London WC1V 6PL
T: +44 (0) 203 384 4572
@2024 Butterfly Cannon | Cookies | Privacy