For years, The Recycling Partnership (The Partnership) and GreenBlue have worked together to make recycling clearer and more effective — for companies, communities, and consumers alike.
Last fall, GreenBlue and The Partnership collaborated on two pioneering industry initiatives to advance this ongoing collaboration: utilizing The Partnership’s National Recycling Database in How2Recycle label assessments and the launch of the dynamic How2Recycle Plus QR-code labels.
A year later, this collaboration has entered a new phase. To streamline use, How2Recycle Plus labels will now be fully integrated into the How2Recycle label ecosystem and managed by GreenBlue’s How2Recycle. Available exclusively through the How2Recycle Member Platform, these integrated dynamic labels will continue drawing acceptance data from the Partnership and follow a streamlined request and pricing process reflective of traditional How2Recycle labels, with tiers based on a participating member company’s size. Brands can now request, receive, approve, and download eligible label artwork directly through the How2Recycle Member Platform, eliminating manual steps and accelerating time to shelf.
When scanned, How2Recycle Plus labels deliver localized information based on the user’s ZIP code about whether that package is accepted in their community and how to prepare it correctly for recycling or disposal, aligned with the familiar instructions in How2Recycle tiles on packages. The dynamic How2Recycle Plus labels will continue to draw from the Partnership’s Community Recycling Program Acceptance Data. This acceptance data provides the most up-to-date view of which materials are accepted in residential recycling programs across the country. It gives brands and packaging designers a reliable foundation to make recycling-compatible decisions backed by real-world data.
The evolution of this collaboration builds on a joint methodology alignment and reflects a shared commitment by The Recycling Partnership and GreenBlue to supporting brands with scalable, data-informed, and consumer-friendly recycling tools. Together, these tools help reduce confusion, lower contamination, and increase informed participation in community recycling programs.
Companies interested in exploring dynamic labeling options for their portfolios can reach out to GreenBlue at How2Recycle@Greenblue.org.