What consumers think about recycling labels

The opinions expressed by Trellis expert contributors are their own, not those of Trellis.

For the first time in close to 15 years, the regulatory bar for recyclability labeling is set to rise. 

On Oct. 4, California’s “Truth in Labeling” legislation, formally known as SB 343, will come into effect. The law raises the bar for what can be called recyclable in the state, requiring products with the label to be collected in 60 percent of communities and sorted in 60 percent of facilities.

The rules have not advanced without debate. Legislators and advocacy groups say that the new regulations will improve recycling. On the other side, some packaging trade groups sued to pause the law, saying it restricts free speech. 

This creates uncertainty for companies, with the law due to come into effect even as enforcement remains unresolved. As businesses consider how to proceed, it’s worth remembering that the debate was between industry and advocacy groups — not consumers. Indeed, after surveying 1,000 U.S. consumers about North America’s most recognizable recyclability labels, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), the organization I work for, found that compliance and consumer-friendly recyclability instructions can go hand in hand. 

Brands looking to navigate the new legislative landscape don’t need to shy away from compliant on-pack instructions. Instead, they can take three steps to advance labeling strategies that clear California’s regulatory hurdles and give consumers the instructions they want. 

Food Address the persistent barriers  

SPC’s research found that consumers largely participate in recycling, even if they don’t always trust that recycling works.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans claim to recycle often or always. For the third who may not always recycle, the largest barriers won’t surprise sustainability professionals. First, people don’t recycle when they don’t have access to recycling programs. Second, and perhaps the easier problem to solve, they don’t recycle when they don’t know what to recycle. This is where labels can help. 

Food Design for compliance and consumers  

More than half of consumers say they rely on their best judgment when disposing of their packaging. In other words, they’re not habitually looking to nearly ubiquitous on-pack instructions for guidance. 

Despite this, our survey found that consumers want more guidance from companies. Companies can help with labeling that captures their attention and breaks their habits. 

To recycle correctly, consumers say that clearer, more visible instructions would make them pay more attention. Specifically, they want communications that go beyond symbols and include simple text.

The good news for sustainability professionals is that How2Recycle labels, a program managed by GreenBlue, the SPC’s parent nonprofit, do three things. One, they address all the points raised above by consumers. Two, they align with emerging compliance, including SB 343, because they reserve “Widely Recyclable” text and the chasing arrows design for packaging that hits the 60 percent access threshold, among other criteria. And three, they give companies a strong foundation for capturing consumers’ attention: 84 percent of consumers already recognize at least one label in the program’s suite, our survey found.

Food Help consumers recycle other materials

How2Recycle has other labels designed with California’s regulations in mind:

• “Check Locally” labels are used for packaging that’s accepted in at least 20 percent of communities.
• “Store Drop-off” labels are used for films and flexibles.

Both of these labels saw high consumer comprehension in our survey, but low understanding of how to check locally or which stores to bring packaging to. Put simply, consumers can get lost when label instructions get more nuanced than “Widely Recyclable.” Brands can help close this gap by investing in educational resources or campaigns that support consumers looking to find film collection sites, for example.

Food A path forward  

Regulations — and regulatory uncertainty — aren’t stopping anytime soon. Yet whatever happens in California, consumers’ needs are clear: they want disposal instructions they can recognize, understand and act on. Thankfully, consumer-friendly labels and compliance aren’t mutually exclusive. The brands that get labeling right will work to substantiate their claims and make those claims useful to the people standing at the bin.

Sheila Anzures is the stakeholder engagement manager at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), where she leads the Inclusion and Representation in Packaging Collaborative. In this role, she drives initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion within the packaging industry.