Many of our shampoo, conditioner and lotion bottles are now made using Prevented Ocean Plastic™ (POP). This recycled plastic is collected from coastal areas at risk of ocean pollution and given a second life instead of entering the sea.

We’ve always tried to make thoughtful choices about packaging.

For our shampoo, conditioner and lotion bottles, that has long meant choosing recycled plastic. These bottles are made from 50–100% recycled material, and they’re also manufactured locally to us in Suffolk, which keeps transport distances relatively low.

You may now start to see a new label appearing on some of these bottles: Prevented Ocean Plastic™ (POP).

The recycled plastic we use is now officially recognised as part of this scheme. Prevented Ocean Plastic is an initiative that collects plastic waste from coastal areas where it is at high risk of entering the ocean, and recycles it so it can be used again.

Instead of being discarded or drifting into rivers and seas, plastic bottles are collected, sorted and recycled into new raw material that can be used for packaging — including our bottles.

Why “prevented ocean plastic” matters

The key idea behind Prevented Ocean Plastic is simple: the most effective way to tackle ocean plastic pollution is often to stop plastic reaching the ocean in the first place.

Once plastic has spent time in the sea it quickly degrades due to sunlight and saltwater, making it far harder to recycle. Collecting plastic waste before it reaches the water keeps it usable as a resource while preventing further environmental damage.

The programme works with coastal communities around the world where waste management infrastructure can be limited. Plastic that might otherwise leak into waterways is instead collected and recycled through certified supply chains.

This also helps create stable income for people working in these collection systems while cleaning up local environments.

The Prevented Ocean Plastic programme also tracks and certifies the recycled plastic supply chain. Collected plastic is sorted and processed through audited recycling partners, and the material can be traced back to coastal collection areas where waste was at risk of entering the ocean. This kind of traceability helps ensure the plastic genuinely comes from the sources the scheme describes.

A realistic view of plastic recycling

You may also have seen reports questioning whether plastic recycling works at all. Stories about waste being exported overseas, incinerated, or even dumped into the sea have understandably made many people sceptical.

The reality is that recycling systems vary widely. Some perform poorly, while others are designed to create genuine circular use of materials.

Programmes like Prevented Ocean Plastic aim to improve transparency by using traceable recycled plastic collected from known coastal sources and processed through audited recycling systems (see preventedoceanplastic.com for more detail).

For us, using recycled plastic has never been about claiming perfection. Plastic still has environmental drawbacks, and we continue to look for better packaging solutions wherever possible.

But where plastic is currently the most practical option — for durability, hygiene and safety — using recycled material and keeping existing plastic in circulation is a meaningful step.

So while it may be a small change, we’re pleased that the bottles we’ve been using are now formally recognised as Prevented Ocean Plastic.

Small steps, but they matter.