Pure Beauty

John Lewis backs sustainability efforts with TerraCycle

By Becky Bargh | Published: 18-Jun-2019

The new BeautyCycle initiative will allow customers to recycle their beauty products in John Lewis stores

John Lewis & Partners has become the latest retailer to partner with recycling company TerraCycle on a new sustainability initiative.

BeautyCycle will allow John Lewis loyalty members to recycle empty beauty products, including shampoo bottles, caps, lotions and mascara tubes, from any brand and receive £5 off members’ next beauty purchase.

The only products not accepted by the scheme are aerosol cans, nail varnish and fragrance bottles.

Set to begin as a month-long trial from 14 June, 36 John Lewis stores will take part - those with full beauty services - using TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box solution.

TerraCycle will then take the products to be recycled and composted, or in the case of plastics, made into pellets which can be moulded into new products, such as storage containers, plastic lumber and outdoor furniture.

“Very few beauty products or beauty product packaging, outside of [...] plastic bottles, are accepted by most council kerbside recycling systems due to the complexity of the material,” said TerraCycle’s General Manager for Europe Laure Cucuron.

“So, we are delighted to be working with John Lewis & Partners to offer their customers the chance to recycle empty beauty products and packaging in John Lewis stores across the UK.”

John Lewis backs sustainability efforts with TerraCycle

This sustainability push follows the company’s pledge to cut out its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

By 2028, it hopes to have removed a third of carbon from its operations through investment into eco-friendly practices.

Martyn White, Senior Sustainability Manager at John Lewis & Partners, added: “Our customers are becoming more mindful about what they buy and what happens to products once they’ve reached the end of their first life.

“One of our key aims is to make ‘being sustainable’ as easy as possible for customers, so it doesn't have to be a difficult choice.

“The BeautyCycle trial will help us do just that, enabling customers to shop and enjoy beauty products in a more sustainable way.”

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