Benzinga | Apr 6, 2021 09:05AM EDT

Nordstrom Expands BEAUTYCYCLE To Canada

BEAUTYCYCLE, the first beauty take-back and recycling program accepting all brands of beauty packaging at a major retailer in Canada, launches today at Nordstrom. Each year, more than 120 billion units of plastic packaging are produced by the global beauty industry, but less than nine percent gets recycled.

To help solve for this, Nordstrom is offering its customers the option to bring in any brand of their empty beauty product packaging to Nordstrom's Canada stores, where the company is using TerraCycle® Zero Waste Boxes™ to recycle beauty waste and packaging in all retail locations. Through this program, Nordstrom aims to take back 100 tons of hard-to-recycle beauty packaging by 2025. Nordstrom first launched BEAUTYCYCLE in the US in 2020. Many local recycling centres 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 expand access to a recycling program that will help our Canadian customers easily and conveniently recycle their beauty packaging."

How does it work?

Starting April 6, customers can bring their empty beauty products to any Nordstrom Canada store to be recycled. BEAUTYCYCLE boxes will be available in the beauty department. Just drop your old beauty items into the box. 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 sticksFor 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 they 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 USD to support textile recycling innovation