Marks and Spencer (M&S) has expanded its Beauty Takeback Scheme to an additional 60 stores, bringing the total to 100.

Boxes where customers can recycle beauty product packaging are now available in locations including Birmingham, Cardiff and Inverness, which the retailer said will make the scheme more accessible to more customers across the UK.

The scheme, which was launched in June 2023 in partnership with beauty recycling firm HANDLE, enables customers to recycle any form of plastic or aluminium beauty packaging from any retailer, by dropping their used beauty packaging into dedicated boxes located within the store’s beauty section.

Since launching, M&S said the scheme has processed over 1.6 tonnes of beauty packaging, which is the equivalent of a small car.

The scheme is part of the retailer’s Plan A strategy which aims to achieve net zero emissions across all its operations by 2040. In April this year, M&S launched the £1 million Plan A accelerator fund to invest in a series of project to enable it to meet this goal.

Additionally, M&S announced that it has produced a wide-toothed hair comb made from at least 98 per cent of the recycled packaging it has collected through the scheme. The comb will be available to purchase online and in selected stores.

“Since launching last year, our Beauty Takeback Scheme has proven hugely popular, providing a convenient option for customers to recycle their beauty products,” said Katharine Beacham, head of sustainability, clothing and home at M&S. “We’re delighted to be able to introduce the scheme to even more of our stores across the UK this month, to enable them to give their empty beauty packaging another life.”

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