Paperboard packaging to benefit from recyclable logo

According to recent guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), something can only be advertised as recyclable if it can be done so easily by the majority of consumers.

PPC has said that paperboard packaging is now being collected for recycling in over 60 percent of communities in the US, which the FTC has said represents a substantial majority.

The logo will be available to carton board manufacturers, both members and non-members of the PPC, free of charge although a licensing agreement has to be signed.

Featuring the words ‘Paperboard Packaging Recyclable’ and the recognisable recycling loop graphic, the logo is designed to indicate the sustainability of paperboard as a packaging material, PPC said.

“The paperboard packaging recyclable logo reflects a critical move forward for the paperboard converting industry in educating the public that the paperboard package is one of the most widely accessible packaging mediums that can be recycled,” chair of PPC’s board of directors, Steven Levkoff said.

Updates from the FTC

The FTC suggested updates to its Green Guides, which were originally published in 1998, in an attempt to help fight against greenwashing and inform marketers of how to avoid misleading statements.

Many of the updates that were suggested in the fall of last year related to claims about packaging, including recyclability and biodegradability.

In addition to tightening up the rules regarding recyclability, the updates to the Green Guides also said labeling a package as ‘biodegradable’ was misleading if it was ultimately destined for the landfill.

As the majority of solid waste is disposed in landfills in the US, and almost no degradation occurs in this environment, the FTC suggested such claims should be qualified.