MAC Cosmetics Is Updating Its Recycling Initiative — Retail Bum

MAC Cosmetics is revamping its Back to MAC sustainability initiative to reduce the amount of waste in landfills.

Initially launched in 1990, the program encourages customers to return empty product containers via mail or participating MAC counters in exchange for a complimentary item of their preference.

Over 340,000 pounds of empty MAC containers were handled in the United States via Back to MAC in 2022, which is approximately equivalent to 9.3 million lipsticks. MAC has now partnered with Close the Loop and Plastics for Change to extend the reach of their program in 2023 and beyond, aiming to create an even more significant impact.

According to Aïda Moudachirou-Rébois, MAC’s senior vice president and global chief marketing officer, the Back to MAC program was created at a time when recycling was not a top priority and the brand lacked the partnerships that exist today. The company aims to improve both the amount and the method of recycling.

Close the Loop, a comprehensive recycling solutions provider, will handle the returned empties and use a precise process to recycle as much material as possible, including some that municipal streams would not typically classify as recyclable. MAC anticipates the program will result in the collection of over 660,000 pounds…