Canada’s drugstore chain Shoppers Drug Mart (known as Pharmaprix in Quebec) has announced the launch of a recycling program dedicated to its Quo Beauty cosmetics line. Based on a partnership with TerraCycle, the new program offers customers the possibility to recycle empty Quo Beauty cosmetics components and keep plastic packaging from going to landfills and incinerators. This partnership with TerraCycle comes less than a year after the launch of “More Planet Love” by Quo Beauty which includes over 500 products with more sustainable packaging, using recycled plastics, mono-materials, and reduced plastic packaging.
In addition, for each pound of cosmetics waste shipped in through the recycling program, $1 will be donated to Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health.
“As we work to ensure all control brand packaging is recyclable or reusable by 2025, we continue to look for new and innovative ways to eliminate the use of single-us plastics for all product packaging,” says Pat Dean, SVP, Category Management, Shoppers Drug Mart.
Plastic and glass tubes, pots, pumps, sprays, and jars, lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss tubes, and wands, mascara tubes and wands, eyeliner pencils and components, eyeshadow and bronzer components, foundation packaging, powder components, concealer tubes and sticks, are all eligible for recycling. However, nail polish bottles, nail polish remover bottles, makeup wipes and sponges, makeup brushes, and pressurized canisters (including aerosol cans) will not be accepted through this program.
“The majority of cosmetic products are not accepted by curbside recycling services due to their complex, multilayer packaging, which often includes small components such as wands, pumps, and caps that slip through the sorting machinery at recycling facilities,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle founder and CEO. “As the first major retailer in Canada to create a free recycling program for their own private-label beauty brand, Shoppers Drug Mart is setting a great example for the beauty industry.”
At the end of January, Shoppers Drug Mart also announced that it would stop using single-use plastic shopping bags in all its stores across Canada.
