Nordstrom has launched BEAUTYCYCLE, a recycling program that allows customers to bring their empty beauty product packaging to any of the retailer’s full-line stores or Nordstrom Local service hubs in the continental U.S.
Through the initiative, Nordstrom aims to take back 100 tons of hard-to-recycle beauty packaging by 2025. Each year, more than 120 billion units of plastic packaging are produced by the beauty industry, according to Zero Waste Week, but according to the Environmental Protection Agency, less than 9% gets recycled.
Customers can deposit their product packaging in BEAUTYCYCLE boxes located in the retailer’s beauty department. Nordstrom will send the contents of these boxes to TerraCycle, where they will be cleaned and separated into metals, glass and plastics. Those materials will then be recycled based on the materials’ composition.
“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, EVP, General Merchandise Manager, Accessories and Beauty at Nordstrom in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with TerraCycle on a solution to help our customers reduce their beauty packaging waste.”
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In addition to Nordstrom’s beauty packaging recycling goal, 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; and
- Donate $1 million to support textile recycling innovation.
