The British Beauty Council and the Sustainable Beauty Coalition have revealed the return of the Great British Beauty Clean Up, urging the industry to unite and champion sustainable practices, packaging and products.  

Following the 2025 campaign, which reached more than 160 million people, this year’s initiative will have a renewed focus on recycling, take back schemes and a shift towards reuse and refill.  

The British Beauty Council has partnered with MYGroup, a leading waste management innovator, to launch a take back scheme.  

The scheme will allow items to be repurposed, including hard-to-recycle items such as compacts, mascara tubes, pumps and hazardous items like used hair foils. They will then be transformed into new materials, including school furniture and building supplies.  

Additionally, the initiative is encouraging brands to prevent waste of usable products by working with organisations that reuse surplus products including This is Beauty, Beauty Banks, The Hygiene Bank and In Kind Direct, allowing brands to sell or donate leftover stock, discontinued lines and products with packaging imperfections.  

Over 50 brands and retailers are set to take part in this year’s campaign, including Boots, Holland & Barrett, Selfridges, Sephora, The Perfume Shop, L’Occitane, Dr.PAWPAW, Neom Wellbeing and more.  

Victoria Brownlie MBE, Chief of Policy and Sustainability at the British Beauty Council, says: “Whilst there is some great work going on in the industry, we can and must do better.  

“With the industry accounting for one-third of all landfill waste, simply recycling is no longer enough. 

“The 2026 Great British Beauty Clean Up is about reimagining waste completely. 

“Whether it is donating surplus stock to companies like In Kind Direct to help those in need, or using MYGroup to turn compacts into construction materials, we are asking the industry to think more purposefully about closing the loop when it comes to packaging,” comments Brownlie. 

The campaign is set to run throughout March, aligning with Global Recycling Day (18th March) and the UN International Day of Zero Waste (30th March).  

The return of the initiative comes as a recent British Beauty Council survey of Gen Z consumers revealed that 26% are unaware that most beauty empties can be recycled.