The Body Shop Buys 250 Tons of Community Trade Recycled Plastic

(Photo: The Body Shop formed a global partnership with Plastics for Change to purchase recycled plastic. Credit: The Body Shop, Plastics for Change)

The Body Shop formed a global partnership with Plastics For Change to purchase several hundred metric tons of recycled plastic gathered by waste pickers in India. Both companies say this is a world first for Fair Trade-certified recycled plastic.

Verified by the World Fair Trade Organization, Plastics For Change works to help global brands and manufacturers source high-quality recycled plastic from responsible supply chains. The company compares its platform to fair trade agriculture for supply chain transparency and accountability.

During the first year of the partnership, the Body Shop plans to purchase 250 metric tons of Fair Trade-certified recycled plastic during the first year of the Community Trade Recycled Plastic program. As the program scales up, the beauty brand anticipates purchasing 900 metric tons over the next three years.

The company has already begun using this plastic in their 250 ml hair care bottles, including for the bestselling ginger shampoo line. These bottles are currently made with 100% recycled plastic, excluding the cap. Now, 15% of that recycled plastic will be Fair Trade-certified with the rest coming from European sources, the companies say.

Community Trade Recycled plastic will be used in nearly 3 million 250-ml hair care bottles by the end of this year, according to the Body Shop. Plastics For Change noted that the Community Trade Recycled Plastic program could empower as many as 2,500 waste pickers in Bengaluru, India.

Long-Term Plastic Goals

The new partnership is one part of the Body Shop’s long-term goal to make products that can be repurposed, and don’t harm people or the environment. For plastic, the brand anticipates:

• Nearly two thirds of their PET plastic will be made from recycled plastic by the end of 2019.
• By the end of 2021, Community Trade recycled plastic will be used across all their PET plastic.
• A minimum of 75% recycled plastic will be incorporated across all product lines by 2022.
• They will phase out all single use plastic by 2025.
• A completely closed loop system for all packaging by 2030.

“Our new partnership with Plastics For Change and our other partners will not only support waste pickers but also champion plastic as a valuable renewable resource when used responsibly,” said Lee Mann, global community trade manager for the Body Shop.

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