Eight global brands, representing over $72 billion in revenue, announce support of How2Recycle at Walmart’s Sustainability Milestone Summit on April 19.  

At the event, Campbell Soup Company, Church & Dwight, Henkel, Nestlé Waters North America, RB and Unilever announced they will be joining the How2Recycle® label program to educate consumers how to recycle packaging correctly. 

“Accurate on-package recycling labels such as the How2Recycle label are critical in helping consumers know how to recycle more, and better,” says Kelly Cramer, who leads the How2Recycle program at Sustainable Packaging Coalition. “Thanks to their leadership in sustainability, more packaging will get recycled to help make the future of the recycling system resilient.” 

How2Recycle is the only U.S.-based standardized labeling system that communicates recyclability information on package to consumers. How2Recycle is featured on an array of product and packaging types, such as beverages, toys, baby products, pet care products, baking supplies, condiments and more. 

The How2Recycle program boasts over 60 brandowner members that represent over $295 billion in sales revenue in North America. The label can be found on thousands of products on shelves today, and tells consumers how to recycle each component of a package, and how they may need to prepare the material for recycling, such as replacing caps on plastic bottles. 

Walmart has demonstrated measurable influence in the sustainable packaging space in recent months by encouraging brands that sell at its stores to join How2Recycle. In 2016, the retailer announced that it would focus on applying the How2Recycle label to Walmart private label packaging, since the label helps consumers recycle and is a great B2B conversation piece about packaging recyclability. 

Walmart’s enthusiasm about the importance of communicating packaging recyclability has catalyzed significant industry interest in How2Recycle. Cramer adds, “We look forward to welcoming more brands to the program as the passion for making recycling easy for consumers continues to grow, thanks to members like Walmart.” 

Nestlé Waters North America, a producer of bottled waters and beverages including Poland Spring, Deer Park, Nestlé Pure Life, Perrier, San Pellegrino, and NESTEA, will be using the How2Recycle label on products in stores across North America. 

“Recovering plastic bottles that deliver beverages to consumers is one of our highest priorities because failing to do so means plastic ends up in landfills, natural areas and our oceans. This is not acceptable and we are committed to doing our part to solve the problem,” says Nelson Switzer, chief sustainability officer at Nestlé Waters North America. “We have identified one of the most important levers that can be pulled to increase recovery – teaching people how to recycle. That’s why we are so inspired by and proud of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition for developing How2Recycle and why we joined this movement. How2Recycle empowers us to empower others to recycle plastic bottles. We at Nestlé Waters North America challenge all those who produce packaged products to leverage the tools How2Recyle has developed to help keep our lands, waters and oceans clean, clear and healthy.” 

Henkel, the name behind a wide range of well-known brands such as Dial, Persil, Schwarzkopf, Kenra Professional and Right Guard will be displaying the How2Recycle label on products in stores across North America. 

“Sustainability is deeply imbedded in Henkel’s DNA and is a key element of our corporate strategy, Henkel 2020+. Henkel is excited to partner with How2Recycle in support of our corporate sustainability objectives and those of our key customers like Walmart,” says Robert Anson, Director of Business Development at Henkel. “Further, the How2Recycle label on our products will increase awareness and facilitate ease of recycling for millions of consumers.” 

Church & Dwight, the producer of brands such as Arm & Hammer, Nair, Orajel, Trojan and First Response, will be using the label on products in stores across North America. 

“We are planning to adopt How2Recycle labeling as a key component of our efforts to increase the level of packaging recycling through improved consumer communication,” says Rich McNabb, Global Packaging Director at Church & Dwight. 

Unilever, the producer of brands such as Degree, Hellmann’s, Dove, Ben & Jerry’s and Vaseline, will be using the label on products in stores across North America. 

“We are excited to join the How2Recycle program. This is an important education initiative to help make package recycling easier for consumers,” says Jonathan Atwood, Vice President Sustainable Business and Communications, Unilever North America. 

RB, a global leader in consumer health and hygiene and the producer of brands such as Lysol, Durex, Air Wick, Woolite and Mucinex, will be using the label on products in stores across North America. 

 “Protecting our environment is important to RB as it plays a vital role in helping our consumers enjoy healthier lives and happier homes.  Increasing transparency on packaging materials is one of important ways we can affect positive change with our customers and help empower our consumers to properly recycle our products.” said Frank Hofs, president of RB North America. 

Campbell Soup Company makes a range of high-quality soups and simple meals, beverages, snacks and packaged fresh foods. Led by its iconic Campbell’s brand, its portfolio includes Pepperidge Farm, Bolthouse Farms, Arnott’s, V8, Swanson, Pace, Prego, Plum, Royal Dansk, Kjeldsens and Garden Fresh Gourmet. 

“Campbell is committed to doing our part to help increase packaging recycling and the How2Recycle label provides a simplified solution to help close the packaging loop. Campbell’s Plum brand has been using the label for several years, and now Campbell has joined as an enterprise to support the efforts of How2Recycle as another step along our sustainability and transparency journey,” says Dave Stangis, Vice President Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Campbell. 

Ocean Spray Cranberries produces cranberry and grapefruit juices, drinks, fresh fruit, sauce and Craisins® Dried Cranberries. 

“At Ocean Spray, caring for the land runs deep. As a farmer-owned cooperative, we have a long history of providing products straight from the land that our 700+ family farmers care for. Joining How2Recycle is an extension of our commitment to the environment for our cranberry and grapefruit products by improving the communication of recyclability for our consumers.” says Cathy Resler, Head of Global Sustainability at Ocean Spray Cranberries. 

PepsiCo one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies with a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana, expressed its continued support for the program, which is already in use on a range of its products. 

Roberta Barbieri, PepsiCo’s Vice President for Global Water and Environmental Solutions, comments: “PepsiCo is committed to working with partners to increase packaging recovery and recycling rates. By making it easier for consumers to recycle, labeling programs like How2Recycle play a vital role in achieving this goal. We have already adopted the How2Recycle label on numerous products and are working towards a broader roll-out within the PepsiCo portfolio of brands. This approach is part of PepsiCo's Performance with Purpose vision to deliver top-tier financial performance over the long-term by integrating sustainability into our business strategy.”