Our Goals
- Reduce confusion by creating a clear, well-understood, and nationally harmonized label that enables companies to convey to consumers how to recycle a package.
- Improve the reliability, completeness, and transparency of recyclability claims.
- Provide a labeling system that is designed to follow the US Federal Trade Commission and Competition Bureau Canada’s guidance.
- Increase the availability and quality of recycled material.
Our Method
Visit our Guide to Recyclability to learn more about how How2Recycle defines and interprets recyclability for hundreds of products every day.
How2Recycle is a part of GreenBlue, an independent 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit.
Our Insights
How2Recycle is more than just a label — the program also tells its member companies how to make their packaging more recyclable. Visit our Insights report to learn more about the impact of How2Recycle on packaging recyclability in the US and Canada.
History
How2Recycle began in 2008 as a project of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. The How2Recycle Label program finished its soft launch in early 2012 with 12 pilot companies.
In 2016, How2Recycle released its first consumer education video on Mother Nature Network.
In 2017, How2Recycle was awarded a DuPont Packaging Silver Award for packaging innovation.
In 2018, How2Recycle was awarded Finalist in MIT Climate CoLab's contest about Shifting Attitudes and Behaviors to Address Climate Change.
In 2018, How2Recycle launched the consumer education campaign Look for The Label on a billboard in Times Square.
In 2020, How2Recycle had grown to over 225 brand and retailer members and had issued more than 100,000 design recommendations to members to make their packaging more recyclable.
How2Recycle surpassed 400 members in 2021, and continues rapid growth and expanded influence.
Consumers: Take Our Survey
Your insight and feedback is deeply important to us. Take our survey and let us know if we're doing a good job, and if not, how we can do better.
Companies: Contact Us
If you are a consumer-facing brand interested in using How2Recycle on your packaging, you can visit our Membership page for more information. Material manufacturers and converters that do not produce consumer-facing packaging should reach out to [email protected] to learn how you can get involved.
Media: Contact Us
Members of the media interested in running a story about How2Recycle can reach us at: