SUSTAINABILITY IS ONE OF OUR CORE VALUES AND WE’RE WORKING TOWARDS CREATING A CIRCULAR PRODUCT. 

As part of this commitment, we have launched a recycling programme with First Mile.

WHO ARE FIRST MILE?

First Mile is a leading sustainability service, who has revolutionised business sustainability, through waste reduction and recycling. Over 25,000 UK businesses use First Mile to help with zero-to-landfill waste collection, recycling collection services, secure shredding and green energy solutions. Through innovative technology, they have created a reliable service that contributes to improving how we reuse and recycle.

I’m excited to be live with our first refillable products; soon all our 30ML and 50ML products will be refillable. We’ve been working on this for some time, and believe it’s an important next step in our sustainability journey. I noticed that a number of brands have refillable packaging without a recycling scheme for the refill. This didn’t feel quite right to me, so we’ve partnered with First Mile to recycle our refills. When you finish a refillable product, you keep the pump and/or lid and glass bottle or jar and recycle the refill component. You can then repurchase a new refill separately at a lower cost.

IRENE FORTE, FOUNDER

REFILLABLES 

We have just launched a number of refillable products, and all of our 30ML and 50ML products will soon be refillable. 

These refillables allow you to purchase the original bottles once and continuously replenish them with recyclable refill components when the product is finished, which come in reduced packaging.
  
Our recycling partner, First Mile, shreds the refill components into flakes or granules, and then converts them into plastic pellets to produce car parts and pipes, giving them a second life.
 
This system allows us to design out waste and keep products and materials in use. Plus, it costs you nothing. 

NON-REFILLABLES

Our programme doesn’t stop there. For our few remaining non-refillable products, the glass bottles and jars can be recycled at home as you would usually recycle glass, while the lids and pumps can also be recycled via our First Mile recycling programme.

STEP 1

First Mile receives your components, lids or pumps 

STEP 2

They sort and wash the components, lids or pumps 

STEP 3

They shred them into flakes or granules

STEP 4

They convert them into plastic pellets 

STEP 5

They are used to produce car parts and pipes 

FAQS

What items can I recycle with the First Mile programme? 

You can recycle your refill components or refill lids, as well as all non-refillable product lids and pumps. 
What shouldn’t I send you? 

Keep your glass bottle/ jar, pump and overcap/ lid for your refillable products; you will need these for when you purchase a new refill component. Recycle your non-refillable glass bottles and jars yourself however you would usually recycle glass. We don’t recycle the glass because it’s already recyclable. 
Do I need to clean the items before sending them? 

Although not strictly necessary, we recommend cleaning and drying your components before posting them to prevent any leakage in transit. 
How many items can I send at once? 

As many as you want. 
Can I send you items from other brands? 

Sadly not. Our items have been carefully analysed and, as a result, are being recycled in a specific way. We wouldn’t know the composition of other brands’ materials and hence would be unable to recycle them. 
Can you advise on what to send the items back in? 

We advise using a pre-used envelope that is exactly the right size. We don’t advise wasting space or paper with a bigger envelope. We also think it’s best to avoid a box; this takes up more space so it’s definitely less efficient. 
My envelope doesn’t fit through the post box, what should I do? 

If it doesn’t fit, take your envelope to a post office for drop off. 
Where can I buy a new refill? 

All of our refills can be purchased 
How do I remove or insert the refill component? 

We have two types of refill components: bottles and jars.

For the bottles:

The refill is screwed to the pump. To remove, simply unscrew the pump from the outer glass bottle. Pull the pump and the refill component out of the glass bottle. Then, unscrew the pump from the refill component. 

If you have bought a new refill component. Remove the lid from this component (keep it for recycling later). Screw the refill component to the pump that you had previously, and then place this inside the glass bottle and screw the pump into the glass bottle.

For the jars:

The refill cup sits inside the glass jar. To remove, simply unscrew the lid from the outer glass jar. Pull the refill cup out of the glass jar.

If you have bought a new refill component. Remove the lid from this component (keep it for recycling later). Place the component into your glass jar that you had previously, and then screw the lid to the glass jar. 
Why should I recycle the components with you? 

Approximately 142 billion units of packaging are produced by the beauty industry each year, and the majority ends up in landfills or in the ocean because they’re not properly recycled or recyclable. Our recycling scheme prevents this from happening; components are repurposed into new products, giving them a second life
Can you tell me more about Irene Forte Skincare’s sustainability philosophy? 

Yes, of course. More information can be found here