Starting 15th January 2022, Space NK will introduce a new beauty packaging recycling scheme in partnership with Handle Recycling.

This partnership will see Space NK join the mission to intercept used and empty beauty packaging from going to landfill by providing collection points (dubbed “Better Spaces”) in all 74 stores across the UK. Once collected, the packaging is sorted by Handle into the correct waste stream, where the material is repurposed for the manufacturing of more beauty packaging or turned into Handle’s collection of sustainable beauty accessories, handmade from 100% recycled plastic.

Space NK will accept all recyclable beauty packaging, including items from brands that are not sold by the retailer.

Speaking about this new partnership, Emma Simpson-Scott, Chief Marketing Officer at Space NK, explained: "Our pledge to the planet is a simple one. We will do everything within our power to be better and do better. Working closely with our partners, our suppliers, our employees and our customers, we’ll strive to make our environmental footprint as minimal as we possibly can. From the brands we work with, to the materials we use, to the products we develop; together we will create a Better Space by reducing, reusing and recycling. Our partnership with Handle is the first of several initiatives we are implementing across our business in 2022."

Handle is a circular economy company aiming to make beauty sustainable by keeping post-consumer plastics circulating through recycling. Doing so, they aim to help reducing the amount of waste entering the natural environment. Space NK said the organisation was chosen as one of their Better Space partners because of their commitment to transparency, their innovative approach to helping the beauty industry reduce waste, and “our shared desire to promote sustainable value chains and business models that are kind to the planet and future generations.”

"We estimate that as many as five billion units of beauty packaging are consumed each year in the UK alone. We are truly in a global crisis and have a collective responsibility to make positive change. Handle’s mission is to help make the beauty industry sustainable. We are delighted to partner with Space NK to make our transparent and responsible recycling program accessible to all, across the UK and help create a better space," added Handle co-founder, Steve Banks.