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Watsons and L’Oreal launch Hong Kong-wide recycling program

By Aiko TanakaHong Kong
1 min read
Watson store
Watson store
In this article (5)

L’Oreal Hong Kong has partnered with Watsons and recycling social enterprise V Cycle to launch the recycling program ‘Beauty for the Future’.

The campaign aims to encourage customers to recycle their empty cosmetics and skincare containers – from any brand – at Watsons stores.

Customers can hand over their washed beauty containers including foundation bottles, mascara wands, skincare tubs, and lipstick tubes, at any Watsons store in Hong Kong in exchange for rewards on the platform MoneyBack.

People can also return the empties to any of L’Oreal Hong Kong’s more than 100 free-standing outlets or department store counters. V Cycle will break down the wastes, sort them by material, and work with local partners to turn them into new raw materials once they’ve been gathered.

The scaled-up campaign’s target is to collect 250,000 containers in the year following the formal launch – equal to the height of two Mount Everests when piled.

“Our goal is to meet it head-on with the first cross-brand recycling programme involving 18 of our beauty brands in 2021,” said Eva Yu, president & MD of L’Oreal Hong Kong.

“With the scaled-up recycling campaign as part of our ‘L’Oreal for the Future’ sustainability program, we want to further inspire and influence how our consumers think and what they do about packaging wastes – not as something to toss out, but as a resource that can be recycled and used again, and sustainably, reducing the impact on our environment. Our partnership with Watsons and V Cycle will help make this a reality.”

L’Oreal Hong Kong and Watsons have collected over 6300 beauty containers and diverted them from landfills during the trial program launched between April to May.

Questions & Answers

Q.

What items can customers recycle through the Beauty for the Future programme?

A.

Customers can recycle empty foundation bottles, mascara wands, skincare tubs, and lipstick tubes. These items must be washed before being handed in at Watsons stores or L’Oreal counters and outlets.

Q.

What is the target for container collection in the first year of the scaled-up campaign?

A.

The scaled-up campaign aims to collect 250,000 containers in the year following its formal launch. This quantity is estimated to be equal to the height of two Mount Everests when piled up.

Q.

What incentive do customers receive for recycling their containers?

A.

Customers receive rewards on the MoneyBack platform when they return their washed beauty containers. This encourages participation in the programme across Hong Kong.

Q.

How will the collected beauty containers be processed and reused?

A.

V Cycle will break down the collected wastes and sort them by material. They will then work with local partners to convert these materials into new raw materials, ensuring they are recycled and used again.

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