Rodan + Fields ups commitment to refillable, reusable, and recyclable beauty packaging
In October 2020, Rodan + Fields published a first Environmental, Social, and Governance Report (ESG Report), in which the multi-level marketing company outlined its sustainability initiatives and goals, such as 100% of the company’s paper carton packaging is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, 90% of the company’s waste in the US is diverted from landfill, and the fact that there are plans to reduce water, waste, and carbon emissions, as well as a goal to have 75% of Rodan + Fields packaging be recyclable, refillable, or reusable by 2025.
“There's an unquestionable need to reduce waste and ensure our products are designed for a sustainable future,” says Kari Hayden Pendoley, Rodan + Fields Senior Director of ESG, in her recent remarks to the press.
Rodan + Fields takes partnership with TerraCycle international
That 75% target (set in last year’s ESG Report) remains fixed. And thanks to an expanded partnership with the multinational waste management company TerraCycle, Rodan + Fields consultants and customers across 3 countries can now send (at no cost) the brand’s beauty packaging to TerraCycle for recycling.
Rodan + Fields had been working with TerraCycle here in the States; and just last month the company announced an enlargement of that partnership to include both Canada and Australia. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with TerraCycle to empower our Consultants, customers and employees globally to be a part of the solution and take the guesswork out of recycling,” says Hayden Pendoley.
TerraCycle is, of course, focused on recycling, but the company also sees partnerships like this one as a smart way that beauty brands can stand apart in the marketplace and help consumers choose more sustainable options.
“TerraCycle's mission has always been to 'Eliminate the Idea of Waste' and, in turn, be kind to the planet,” says Founder and CEO Tom Szaky, in the recent press release circulated by Rodan + Fields.
And he goes on to point out that, “by joining in the Rodan + Fields Recycling Program, participants have a unique opportunity to demonstrate their respect for the environment by diverting packaging waste from landfills, as well as through the products that they choose to include in their personal care routines.”
Together TerraCycle and Rodan + Fields are making beauty more recyclable
As the inaugural Rodan + Fields ESG Report explains, in 2020 only 5% of the company’s plastic primary packaging was recyclable. This year the company plans to boost that number to 25%. And the TerraCycle partnership my be able to help; the mission-driven waste management company finds ways to recycle materials that can’t always be recycled using typically available recycling infrastructure.
The TerraCycle recycling initiative is fairly straightforward: “To participate, Rodan + Fields Independent Consultants and customers can sign up on the TerraCycle program page and mail in the empty product packaging using a prepaid shipping label,” explains the press release. “Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.” Learn more about how TerraCycle operates in this 2020 video, where Cosmetics Design Editor Deanna Utroske interviews TerraCycle Founder and CEO Tom Szaky.
