The On-Pack Recycling Label Ltd, the not-for-profit enterprise that manages the on-pack recycling label scheme, has appointed Stuart Lendrum as its first Executive Director who will be tasked with driving forward the growth of the scheme and its related services.
Founded in 2009 by leading retailers and brands to engage consumers more actively in recycling, OPRL now has a rapidly growing membership with a new member joining every three days in the first few months of 2018, while it has also attracted the financial support of the likes of RECOUP, LARAC (Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee) and the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK in recent years, who are now guarantors of the scheme.
Last autumn, membership was opened to packaging designers and manufacturers, as well as to packers, fillers and others in the supply chain. Over the last 18 months OPRL has launched new online and member support services including a label artwork library, a labelling tool to identify the correct labels and matrix tool to select recyclable options.
Lendrum assumes the role of Executive Director having been a Director of OPRL Ltd since its inception while Head of Packaging at supermarket giant Sainsbury’s. He boasts 20 years of experience in sustainable sourcing and packaging strategies in the retail and manufacturing sectors.
Commenting on the appointment, Jane Bevis, Chair of OPRL, said: “This is the moment when OPRL comes of age, requiring greater resourcing and executive leadership. We’ve seen a surge in our traditional membership among brands and retailers wishing to engage their customers in recycling more effectively. Now members are coming on board from our newer categories in the packaging and product supply chains. We’ve expanded the services and support we offer, as a result responding to many more member enquiries and requests for advice.
“Our commitment to continuously improving member service is demonstrated further in this new appointment, with Stuart bringing his extensive experience in packaging design and recyclability at both practitioner and political levels. We live in unprecedented times with the plastics and PRN debates and the need for more sustainable packaging design. Stuart’s networks across the industry and the leadership and commercial focus he brings will benefit OPRL and our members enormously. I’m delighted he’s taking on this role.”
Stuart Lendrum himself added: “We are at the outset of necessary paradigm shift in recycling and our relationship with packaging. From a strong foundation OPRL has a critical role to play in how successful we ultimately are in achieving zero avoidable waste with an efficient thriving, recyclable packaging sector within a circular economy. I’m proud and really pleased to have the opportunity to be working with OPRL in what are truly exciting times.”
You can find more information on OPRL on the scheme’s website.
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