Danone’s rollout of the QR code-enhanced How2Recycle Plus label is happening as soon as this month, starting with cartons.
The forthcoming launch of the How2Recycle Plus offering was jointly announced last week by GreenBlue, which operates the label program used by hundreds of brands, and The Recycling Partnership, which developed the Recycle Check QR code with localized recycling information. The organizations partnered to combine elements of both platforms into the Plus label. This will be a premium option compared with the baseline How2Recycle Pro option, which will not include a Recycle Check QR code.
Danone was announced as the first formal adopter of How2Recycle Plus last week.
Brands pay to participate with How2Recycle, and the Plus label will come at a higher cost. A spokesperson for Danone said it opted for the dynamic label because the platform “provides the most real-time information on what materials are accepted at thousands of facilities across the country and will be hugely helpful to our consumers who want to participate in recycling.”
It will use the Plus label on select Silk milk products, including Silk Kids cartons. The company expects “a larger nationwide rollout early next year,” according to a spokesperson.
Danone is considering the new label for other products, too. “We plan on using the new label on other cartons, polypropylene cups and additional packaging formats that aren’t yet considered widely recyclable,” the spokesperson said.
Multiple brands previously piloted the Recycle Check QR code on their packages.
General Mills will continue to use How2Recycle and Recycle Check on Pillsbury pie crusts. A company spokesperson said it continues to “receive positive feedback from consumers using the QR code” on the pie crusts and the company “supports this technological advancement that simplifies recycling for consumers.”
During the same period, Horizon Organic put the QR codes on certain milk cartons. The company could not be reached for comment about whether it would continue, or expand, the use of QR code-guided recycling labels via How2Recycle Plus.
The Recycling Partnership said it is unable to provide product-level data, as far as how many consumers actually utilized QR codes on the Pillsbury and Horizon Organic products.
However, it shared other findings from consumer testing in 2023 and 2024, which involved 1,839 respondents from the U.S. who had smartphones and reported that they recycle. Survey results showed that about 62% of respondents found Recycle Check made recycling less confusing; about half said the Recycle Check QR code and its current, local recycling information would make them more likely to recycle; and 65% felt better about the brand’s commitment to recycling when the Recycle Check QR code was present.
Consumer education is also important, findings suggest: the number of participants willing to scan the Recycle Check QR code increased by 69% when they have a clear understanding of the platform, The Recycling Partnership said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from General Mills that clarify that Pillsbury pie crusts will continue to feature Recycle Check QR codes.
