Wrap is recommending prominent front-of-pack recycling labelling after finding it could dramatically reduce plastic unnecessarily going to landfill.
In a trial involving Boots and Radox, Wrap found a simple prompt on the front of shower bottles drove the recycling rate from 86% to 91%.
Half the people who said they usually didn’t recycle the bottles cited the new message as their reason for doing so.
The simple message – ‘most people recycle me’ – was developed by Wrap’s behaviour change unit and tested on the front of Boots’ Soft White and Radox shower gel bottles. The bottles also featured the standard on-pack recycling label on the reverse.
Wrap has developed and tested range of further messages designed to “resonate with the public”. It is recommending such messaging be prominent on front-of-pack to “nudge people towards the recycling information”.
The research, which involved 4,000 consumers, is set out in a new Wrap report, On-pack Labelling and Citizen Recycling Behaviour, published to coincide with Recycle Week.
It highlights how consumers typically spend no more than 10 seconds examining on-pack labelling when purchasing or reviewing recycling information. The evidence also shows recycling labels influence consumer disposal behaviour at the point they no longer want the packaging, and “these subtle nudges help direct action”, Wrap said.
“With Recycle Week in full flow, this is the perfect time to unveil this important pilot, which could help increase recycling in the UK,” said Wrap head of behaviour change Sarah Clayton.
“The messaging is a simple prompt to recycle the item, but we’ve shown it’s an effective nudge on a key product that’s often overlooked and ends up in the bathroom bin.
“We believe this type of intervention has the potential to be applied to a huge range of products and can suit any brand and corporate identity.”
Monique Rossi, Unilever UK & Ireland marketing director for beauty & personal care, said: “As part of our efforts to make all our plastic packaging recyclable, we were pleased to work with Wrap and Recycle Now on the trials.
“It is extremely encouraging to see the impact these messages can have and the potential for them to encourage people to recycle more.”
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