Nestlé Waters North America adds How2Recycle Label to its packaging

Nestlé Waters North America, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, says it has begun adding How2Recyle instructions to the labels on half-liter bottles of all its major U.S. brands, including Nestlé Pure Life, Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Zephyrhills, Ozarka and Arrowhead. 

The move makes Nestle Waters North America the first beverage manufacturer in North America to add the How2Recycle label to all its major U.S. bottled water brands. The company says it anticipates completing the How2Recycle transition and roll-out by September 2017.

The How2Recycle label was first created in 2012 by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), a membership-based collaborative made up of businesses, educational institutions and government agencies with the goal of making recycling easier for consumers. The How2Recycle label has been adopted by more than 65 brands and retailers and can be found on thousands of products on shelves as of early August 2017.

“We cannot overstate the environmental importance of the ‘Empty & Replace Cap’ instruction on these bottles; it means fewer loose caps will have the potential to get into our waterways and oceans,” says Kelly Cramer, who leads the SPC’s How2Recycle Label program. “Importantly, it also helps ensure that the caps will be recycled. That’s because when caps are replaced on bottles that go through the recycling stream, it’s less likely that they will fall through recyclers’ equipment and be discarded.”

Cramer adds, “Nestlé Waters’ confident move to put the How2Recycle label so prominently on so many bottles is a statement that they are serious about helping people recycle more and better.”

Nestle Pure Life began the initiative in August 2017 with the addition of the How2Recycle Label to certain Nestlé Pure Life half-liter bottles produced in the U.S. After the Nestlé Pure Life roll-out, the new label will begin to appear on certain Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ozarka, Ice Mountain and Zephyrhills half-liter bottles in August. The How2Recycle Label will begin appearing on certain Arrowhead half-liter bottles during the month of September, Nestle Waters North America says.

“Our goal has been to find a compelling and simple way to educate and encourage all Americans to recycle the bottle,” says Nelson Switzer, chief sustainability officer at Nestlé Waters North America. “By adopting the How2Recycle Label, millions of consumers will now have a clear and consistent recycling guide on the side of the bottle—driving recovery of the bottle and a reduction in environmental impact.”

He adds, “We hope our peers and other manufacturers of packaged goods will adopt the How2Recycle labeling standard to help stimulate a revolution in U.S. recycling.”