OPRL Recognised for its Support of UN Sustainable Development Goals

OPRL Limited, the recycling labelling and recyclable packaging design not-for-profit, has worked for a more sustainable future since its founding in 2009. Now the company is proud to announce its support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals has been recognised by Support the Goals. 

The UN Sustainable Development Goals – or SDGs – are a plan to end poverty and extreme inequality, address protection of resources and biodiversity, and tackle climate change by 2030.

Agreed in 2015 by world leaders, these global goals can only be achieved with the active support and engagement of businesses of all sizes.

OPRL has been awarded the top Five Star rating by Support the Goals, awarded when businesses publicly demonstrate plans, commitments, actions and progress towards the SDGs.

OPRL is working to make an impact across nine goals and since publishing its Baseline Report in August 2020 it has formally declared a Climate Emergency and publicly set out the actions it is taking to support its business customers and their consumers in reducing the impacts of the production and consumption of their goods and packaging, and by enhancing positive action through recycling (SDGs 12 Responsible Consumption and Production and 13 Climate Action). 

The organisation has also made publicly available key findings from its insight work, What Consumers Want, on how to engage consumers effectively in recycling, including via the UN's One Planet network (SDGs 12 and 13).

In addition OPRL has launched its Certified As Recyclable scheme, providing evidence-based assessment of the recyclability of packaging designs within UK resources infrastructure (SDGs 12 and 13) and started the process of engaging with suppliers to help deliver the SDGs.

Jane Bevis, Chair of OPRL said: "Being in the business of sustainability we want to be able to demonstrate clearly to our members how we support their sustainability programmes across both social and environmental issues. The SDGs give a coherent and comprehensive framework that enables companies to align activities across supply chains – after all, typically 80 percent of GHG emissions and 90 percent of impacts on air, land and water happen within a company’s supply chain. 

“We were delighted to be awarded a Four Star rating initially by Support the Goals and subsequently to have their support in involving our own supply chain, taking us up to a top-rated Five Stars – only achieved by four other companies to date.”

Margaret Bates, Executive Director, added: “Our biggest contributions are through our growing array of services we supply to our 570 members working for sustainable packaging, so we’re investing in expanding those services to deliver greater impact. Sharing our expertise in consumer engagement and accelerating the move to easily recyclable packaging through our Certified As Recyclable scheme are the latest examples.   We’re currently working on other projects including further labels addressing resource efficiency issues, such as a Reuse and Recycle at end of life label which we hope to launch early next year.”