M&S isn’t only busy expanding its business and bank balance, it’s also expanding its eco stance.

The high street retail giant is taking its Beauty Takeback Scheme to a new level, adding 60 more stores across the UK to bring the total to 100. 

The scheme, in partnership with Handle, will see further dedicated beauty takeback scheme boxes available in new locations including Birmingham Bullring, Cardiff, and Inverness, “making the scheme more accessible to more customers across the UK”. 

Launched in June 2023 as part of the retailer’s ‘Plan A roadmap to Net Zero’, the scheme enables customers to recycle any form of plastic or aluminium beauty packaging – from bottles and tubes to caps, pumps, and tubs – from any retailer, by dropping their used beauty packaging into dedicated boxes located within the store’s beauty section.  

M&S says so far the scheme’s processed over 1.6 tonnes of beauty packaging which otherwise might have ended up in landfill. 

As part of its ongoing partnership with Handle, the retailer has also produced a wide-toothed hair comb, made from at least 98% of the recycled packaging collected by M&S, which is available in selected stores for £8.  

Katharine Beacham, head of Sustainability, Clothing & Home at M&S, said: “Since launching last year, our Beauty Takeback Scheme has proven hugely popular, providing a convenient option for customers to recycle their beauty products. We’re delighted to be able to introduce the scheme to even more of our stores across the UK this month.”