According to The Courage to Change Report, the beauty industry produces over 120bn units of packaging globally, much of which goes to landfill.

In fact, the beauty industry accounts for a whopping 1/3 of all landfill waste and 70% of our industry’s plastic waste is not recycled. What’s more, research also shows that 56% of people do not recycle their bathroom products, contributing to the mounting waste crisis.

Launching in March 2025 ‘The Great British Beauty Clean Up’ is a first of its kind collaboration between retailers and brands designed to significantly reduce the amount of waste created by the beauty industry.

The initiative will focus on increasing industry and consumer awareness and adoption of reuse and refill systems. It is also set to increase recycling rates of beauty empties through spotlighting take-back schemes and household recycling where available. To date, 21 leading retailers and brands have expressed interest in joining.

As part of the initiative, the British Beauty Council will be directing consumers to existing recycling schemes across the UK an interactive recycling map.

All brands and businesses involved will activate under  ‘The Great British Beauty Clean Up’ campaign imagery and call to action, making this a key touchpoint for consumers throughout March and beyond.

On the campaign, Millie Kendall OBE, CEO of the British Beauty Council said: ‘The beauty industry provides so much joy, self confidence and is a source of expression for so many people but this should not come at the cost of the planet. The Sustainable Beauty Coalition has long spearheaded moves by the industry to reduce our industry’s impact on the planet and its new campaign is specifically designed to reduce the amount of beauty empties that end up in landfill.

‘So far, the campaign has had a great reception from leading retailers and brands who are interested in weighing in on the campaign and we are excited to see the first cross-industry clean up campaign come to fruition this year. Any business can get involved, whether that’s highlighting their take back scheme on our map, educating shoppers or supporting the movement on social media. Join the campaign today – together, we can make a difference.’

‘The Great British Beauty Clean Up’ will officially launch during Waste Week (3rd–9th March), aligning with Global Recycling Day (18th March) and the United Nations International Day of Zero Waste (30th March) later in the month.

The Sustainable Beauty Coalition is urging all beauty brands and businesses operating in the UK to get involved.