How2Recycle Labels an Educational CSR Business Program

Labels and the information they contain has been in the public eye in recent months and it’s also a topic I have written previously about here on the Miratel blog. I featured Sobeys when they introduced its traceable fish CSR business program which essentially is a labeling system for fish they sell. The system helped connect consumers with their food and was a bi-product of both the farm to table and sustainable food movements. I have also written about Whole Foods 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating Standards program which outlines where the meat comes from and the process which led to it getting to the store.

I wrote about being impressed with both these programs because I prefer to make informed decisions about the food and other products I purchase and that applies throughout the lifecycle of the product. The actual food products I know I can compost but what about the packaging? What about when other products I purchase near end of use? I also find myself looking at packaging and labels to find out if products are recyclable.

Recycling is something most people do automatically and they just assume they are doing it correctly unaware of the intricacies of the process. The markings on containers are sometimes vague and the average consumer cannot discern their meaning. This is why the How2Recyclelabel was created, to assist consumers along with the process as well help to make recycling a transparent process.

Image courtesy of how2recycle.info

According to their website, there are three goals of the How2Recycle label:

1. Reduce confusion by creating a clear, well-understood, and nationally harmonized label that enables industry to convey to consumers how to recycle a package after its use.
2. Improve the reliability, completeness, and transparency of recyclability claims through a nationally relevant data set on access to recycling for all packaging materials and forms.
3. Provide incentive for industry to participate in a pre-competitive labeling initiative that follows Federal Trade Commission Green Guides.

The Sustainable Packing Coalition (SPC), a project of GreenBlue, was the founder of this new labeling system. GreenBlue is a nonprofit that gives businesses the resources and science to make their products more sustainable. The SPC’s focus is on sustainable and environmental packaging. They hope to achieve this “through strong member support, an informed and science-based approach, supply chain collaborations and continuous outreach, [they] endeavor to build packaging systems that encourage economic prosperity and a sustainable flow of materials.”

Those who are members of the SPC include: ConAgra Foods, Design and Source Productions, Environmental Packing International, The Estée Lauder Companies, MWV, Marks and Spenser Group Plc, Mattel, Inc., Product Ventures, REI, Shikatani Lacroix, StopWaste, Target, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

For these large corporations taking part in this new labeling system will increase its visibility and, in turn, its impact. Participation also reflects well on the company itself in the eyes of its employees and customers. This is an example of how CSR business initiatives can take on many forms including educational. When a company participates in How2Recycle label they are empowering their consumers with knowledge that will help them make more informed choices. By not turning a blind eye to the issues with current recycling labels companies are demonstrating their desire to be responsible corporate citizens and do their part to help the environment.
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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.