The J.M. Smucker Company, Orrville, OH, announced it has joined the How2Recycle initiative to educate consumers on how to responsibly recycle packaging. The J.M. Smucker Company will launch its effort in early 2019 with Folgers coffee packaging that will feature the How2Recycle label.
How2Recycle aims to promote recycling by reducing confusion through the implementation of a clear, well-understood label that enables companies to convey to consumers how to recycle a package appropriately. The How2Recycle label, which is featured on thousands of products in retail locations across the country, is the only U.S.-based recycling label that is standardized across all packaging types.
“Our commitment to the environment is part of our heritage, and we are working to become an even more sustainable company through clearly defined objectives designed to drive a positive environmental impact,” Julia Sabin, vice president of government relations and corporate sustainability for The J. M. Smucker Company, says. “Packaging is one of our sustainability focus areas and we are excited about the clarity the collaboration with How2Recycle will provide our consumers.”
Studies and insights show many recyclable products and packages end up in landfills, as many consumers are confused about which items can be recycled and how to sort them.
The How2Recycle label is a project of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Charlottesville, Virginia, and is the first standardized U.S. recycling labeling system designed for consumers.
Today, more than 100 brands and brand owners have added the How2Recycle label to their packaging and many leading retailers, including Walmart, Target and Amazon, are supporters of the program.
Respect for the environment has been a focus of The J.M. Smucker company since its founding in 1897. The company has maintained constant vigilance around its sustainability efforts with continuous monitoring to determine opportunities for improvement, the company says. It has also established specific environmental goals to reduce its impacts related to waste, water and greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, including diverting 95 percent of waste from landfills, reducing water use intensity by 15 percent and reducing greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 10 percent.