MYGroup scales beauty circularity with nationwide selfridges take-back scheme

UK – Selfridges, a British department store chain and MYGroup have joined forces to introduce a nationwide recycling initiative targeting beauty and cosmetics packaging, with a special emphasis on hard-to-recycle fragrance bottles.

The Reselfridges Recycle scheme rolled out across all Selfridges Beauty Halls in Birmingham, Manchester, and London’s Oxford Street, drawing more than 20 million annual visitors to these spots. 

This program simplifies the process for fragrance bottles, such as perfumes and aftershaves, that are often skipped in curbside or standard store collections due to residual hazardous materials and composite materials.

Steve Carrie, MYGroup’s Group Director, emphasized the scheme’s role in scaling practical recycling within retail settings.

Steve stated, “Through Reselfridges, we’re applying our established take-back solution in a department store environment, where even the hardest-to-recycle items can be captured at scale in meaningful volumes and recovered safely.”

Under the agreement, customers can drop off any brand’s used fragrance bottles, even those with remaining product, along with other beauty and cosmetic empties, into dedicated collection boxes at the four stores; they just need to ask a staff member for their reward Key. 

A comprehensive list of accepted items and any restrictions is provided on the program’s site. 

MYGroup oversees the entire collection and treatment of hazardous waste at its Hull facility in East Yorkshire, where it manages hazardous waste under proper permits.

At MYGroup’s ReFactory™ site, packaging and leftover cosmetics, including fragrances, are separated for reuse in supply chains or remanufacturing, avoiding landfills or incineration. 

The full rollout builds on a 2025 pilot at Selfridges Trafford Centre, where Unlocked Key redemptions surged 271% from September to November. 

These retailer partnerships help snag materials beyond household recycling capabilities, aligning with rising extended producer responsibility mandates for brands.

MYGroup’s collaborations have already handled over 40,000 tonnes of beauty packaging returns, building expertise for large-scale efforts like this one. 

Fragrance items, despite widespread use, typically end up in trash, but this department store approach captures them effectively in high volumes for safe recovery. 

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