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Nordstrom's Cosmetic Customers Can Now Recycle Product Packaging
October 6, 2020
3 Min Read
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SEATTLE -- BEAUTYCYCLE, the first beauty take-back and recycling program accepting all brands of beauty packaging at a major retailer, launches today at Nordstrom. Each year, more than 120 billion units of plastic packaging are produced by the beauty industry, but less than nine percent gets recycled.
Customers can now bring in their empty beauty product packaging to be recycled at any of Nordstrom's full-line stores or Nordstrom Local service hubs in the continental United States. Through this program, Nordstrom aims to take back 100 tons of hard-to-recycle beauty packaging by 2025 to ensure it's recycled. Many municipal recycling centers do not accept beauty materials and packaging, as they often contain a mix of materials that are not locally recyclable.
"We understand our customers care about sustainability, and we want to help them move toward a zero-waste beauty routine so they can look great and do good at the same time," said Gemma Lionello, executive vice president, general merchandise manager, accessories and beauty, at Nordstrom. "We're proud to partner with TerraCycle on a solution to help our customers reduce their beauty packaging waste."
How does it work?
Starting October 1, customers can bring their empty beauty products to any Nordstrom or Nordstrom Local to be recycled. BEAUTYCYCLE boxes will be available in the beauty department.
Nordstrom will send the content of these boxes to TerraCycle where they are cleaned and separated into metals, glass and plastics.
Those materials are then recycled based on the material composition. For example, plastics are recycled into a wide range of new products including park benches and picnic tables, while metals are reused as base materials for stamped product applications like nuts, bolts, washers and rings.
What items can be recycled?
Customers can bring empty cosmetic, haircare or skincare packaging regardless of brand or purchase location. This includes:
Shampoo and conditioner bottles and caps
Hair gel tubes and caps
Hair spray bottles and triggers
Hair paste plastic jars and caps
Lip balm tubes
Face soap dispensers and tubes
Lotion bottles, tubes, dispensers, and jars
Shaving foam tubes (no cans)
Lip gloss tubes
Mascara tubes
Eye liner pencils and cases
Eye shadow and tubes
Concealer tubes and sticks
For a complete list of items that can and cannot be accepted, please visit our BEAUTYCYCLE media kit.
Nordstrom leads with the fundamental belief that it has a responsibility to leave the world better than the company found it. Customers increasingly feel the same and look to the fashion retailer to be a responsible company that plays an active role in protecting the environment.
In addition to Nordstrom's goal to take back 100 tons of beauty packaging, the company has committed to the following environmental goals by 2025:
Set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Reduce single-use plastic by 50%
Use sustainably sourced raw materials in 50% of Nordstrom Made products made of polyester, cotton and cellulosic fibers
Extend the life of 250 tons of clothing
Ensure 15% of all product is considered sustainable
Donate $1M to support textile recycling innovation
ABOUT NORDSTROM
Nordstrom, Inc. is a leading fashion retailer based in the U.S. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 355 stores in 40 states, including 100 full-line stores in the United States and Canada; 248 Nordstrom Rack stores; two clearance stores; and five Nordstrom Local service hubs. Additionally, customers are served online through Nordstrom.com, Nordstrom.ca, Nordstromrack.com, HauteLook.com and TrunkClub.com. Nordstrom, Inc.'s common stock is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.
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