No ‘real evidence’ for labelling burden on Scottish businesses

Scotland does not support ‘Not for EU’ food labelling proposals

Concerns about “arbitrarily adding costs to businesses” at a time when consumers are already facing a cost of living crisis have been raised by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon.

The UK Government has proposed a roll out of ‘not for EU’ labelling on food and drink products across the whole of the UK from October, despite the fact that food labelling is a devolved matter.

The Food and Drink Federation Scotland has called for a proportionate alternative and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon has sought further clarification from the UK Government given “the information that has been provided to us so far is limited and does not currently represent a convincing argument or provide any real evidence… why this blanket measure is considered a proportionate approach.”

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Barclay, Ms Gougeon said: “As labelling is a wholly devolved matter, the policy decision on whether to place this additional burden on Scottish businesses should rest with the Scottish Ministers.

“On the face of it, your proposals would impact a large number of businesses in Scotland who do not sell goods to Northern Ireland but would be required to change their labelling, or who sell into Europe and would be required to set up separate labelling streams. 

“I do not support this GB-wide labelling proposal as it stands, and I am not persuaded on the information provided so far that there is a case to introduce it in Scotland. I look forward to meeting with you and discussing this issue in due course.”

GB-wide labelling proposal: letter to UK Government

Toiletries: make it clear!

The battle against plastic waste is being held back by a mountain of poorly-labelled bathroom products that could go unrecycled, Which? is warning.

Which? analysed the recycling information on the labels of 20 common toiletries, as well as the type and volume of packaging, to determine how clearly the products are labelled and how difficult they would be to recycle.

The consumer champion found that 12 out of 20 (60%) products had no recycling information on the label, despite most of them being partially or wholly recyclable.

Only six of the products (30%) that Which? looked at seemed to be getting the labelling right – advising consumers that the products should be recycled and with specific instructions on how to do so.

The consumer group is concerned that this lack of coherent labelling could cause confusion among consumers and lead to significant numbers of recyclable products being sent to landfill.

Which? found that while two-thirds (67%) of people think recyclability of packaging is important when supermarket shopping, a majority (65%) of Which? members said they were not cutting back on plastics in the bathroom.

A third (33%) explained that this was because it would be too difficult to replace bathroom products they regularly use, while a quarter (23%) hadn’t thought about it before. One in six (16%) explained that they don’t know how to cut back on bathroom plastic.

Experts at Which? found that Head and Shoulders classic clean shampoo (500ml), L’Oreal Elvive Colour Protect conditioner (400ml) and Listerine Total Care mouthwash (500ml) had no clear labelling regarding recycling, despite being made of recyclable materials.

While many brands fell short of the standards Which? expected, Carex’s Complete Original handwash (250ml) displays clear labelling about how to recycle the bottle, and encourages people to do so. Radox Feel Refreshed shower gel (250ml) gives similarly clear instructions.

For most people, the recycling habit has taken hold more effectively with groceries and other kitchen products. Previous Which? research found that on average 58 per cent of packaging for grocery products was clearly labelled.

Which? is concerned that many toiletry brands are not doing enough to offer consumers clear information about whether or not their bathroom products are recyclable.

The onus is now on these brands to make significant changes to the way they approach the production of plastic packaging and how they communicate with their customers.

Which? is also calling on the government to make recycling labelling simple, clear and mandatory and ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place to make it easy for everyone to recycle, regardless of where they live.

Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said: “Recycling and sustainability are a high priority for many consumers – so the lack of clear information on the products we looked at is inexcusable in this day and age.

“With the packaging of many recyclable bathroom toiletries going into landfill in the UK, brands must take action to ensure bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel are clearly labelled and can be disposed of in an efficient way.”

Which? advice for consumers:

  • Items such as shampoo, conditioner and shower gel bottles can usually be recycled by emptying, rinsing and replacing the lids.

  • When recyclable products have pump dispensers, you usually need to remove the pump and throw it away separately.

  • Some retailers offer refills for certain branded toiletries so you don’t have to buy another container.

  • A lot of plastic-free options can actually save money, such as using a soap bar and buying refills in bulk. Other plastic-free options include:

    • Reusable face wipes

    • Solid shampoo / conditioner bars

    • Bamboo toothbrushes

    • Toothpaste and mouthwash tablets

    • Menstrual cups

    • Plastic-free deodorant

    • Recyclable / plastic-free toilet paper

Full table of products

Product

Packaging

Recycling information provided on label

Recyclability

Andrex: Classic Clean Toilet Paper (4 rolls)

Cardboard, plastic film

Tube – widely recycled

Cardboard collected at kerbside, plastic film not widely recycled

Sure Men: Invisible Ice aerosol anti-perspirant deodorant (150ml)

Aluminium

Widely recycled

Collected at kerbside

Sure Women: MotionSense Invisible Aqua deodorant (50ml)

Plastic (unspecified)

Widely recycled

Collected at kerbside

Simple: Kind to skin vital vitamin day cream facial moisturiser (50ml)

PP and cardboard

Please recycle me. Jar and lid are PP; carton is cardboard

Collected at kerbside

Simple: Kind to skin vital vitamin face wash (150ml)

PE and PP

Please check if packaging is recyclable in your country. Tube is PE. Cap is PP.

Collected at kerbside

Radox: Feel Refreshed shower gel (250ml)

PP

Widely recycled, please recycle but remove cap first

Collected at kerbside

Complete: Original handwash (250ml)

PET

Widely recycled, reuse our pump, recycle our bottle

Collected at kerbside when pump removed

Nivea Men: Rehydrating moisturiser (75ml)

Cardboard and LDPE

Mobius loop image

Cardboard collected at kerbside; LDPE not widely recycled – check local recycling

Gilette: Fusion5+ 10-blade men’s razor

Cardboard and plastic packaging

No recycling labelling

Packaging collected at kerbside, razors non-recyclable (except through specialist collection schemes like TerraCycle)

Gilette Venus: Swirl women’s razor

Cardboard and plastic packaging

No recycling labelling

Packaging collected at kerbside, razors non-recyclable

(except through specialist collection schemes like TerraCycle)

Gillette: Fusion 5 shaving gel (200ml)

Steel

No recycling labelling

Collected at kerbside

Head and Shoulders: Classic clean shampoo  (500ml)

HDPE

No recycling labelling

Collected at kerbside

L’Oreal: Elvive Colour Protect conditioner (400ml)

HDPE

No recycling labelling

Collected at kerbside

VO5: Matte clay hair styling product (65ml)

Aluminium

No recycling labelling

Collected at kerbside

Oral B: Indicator 35 medium toothbrush

Cardboard and plastic packaging

No recycling labelling

Packaging collected at kerbside, toothbrush non-recyclable (except through specialist collection schemes like TerraCycle)

Colgate: Total Original toothpaste (125ml)

Cardboard packaging and mixed plastic tube

No recycling labelling

Cardboard collected at kerbside; tube non-recyclable

(except through specialist collection schemes like TerraCycle)

Listerine: Total Care mouthwash (500ml)

PET

No recycling labelling

Collected at kerbside

Tampax: Pearl Compak regular tampons (18 pack)

Cardboard packaging and plastic applicators

No recycling labelling

Cardboard collected at kerbside; mixed plastic applicators not widely recycled

Neutrogena: Hand cream (50ml)

LDPE

No recycling labelling

Not widely recycled – check local recycling

Radox Scent Touch Feel Fresh shower gel (200ml)

Mixed plastic

No recycling labelling

Not widely recycled