TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

THE CANADIAN LIVING GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING

TerraCycle Include Canada (English) Burt’s Bees EOS Weleda
It’s time to kick those eco-efforts up a notch. We’ve got a cheat sheet of smart shortcuts, clever swaps and easy ways to green your home— and your days.   So you shop with a cloth bag, buy the occasional item in bulk, turn off the lights when you’re out and triumphantly organize your trash on garbage day. Still, it can be tough to know if you’re really doing enough.   Unfortunately, if you consider being a Recycling Queen the crowning achievement of your eco-efforts, you might need to rethink your sustainability strategy. “The problem—and this is a bit of a wake- up call—is that recycling really doesn’t work in a consistent and systemic way,” says Vito Buonsante, plastics program manager at Environmental Defence.   Canada. In fact, only about nine percent of all plastic waste actually gets recycled. The reason why so little gets repurposed is complicated, but it comes down to the high cost of recycling coupled with the types of plastics being produced.   Ultimately, it’s time to think beyond the blue bin when it comes to shrinking our environmental footprint at home. After all, there’s also the reduce and reuse mantras—as well as reclaim, renew, rethink and refurbish—to consider.   Here are some smart ways to make life in every area of your home a little more sustainable.     IN YOUR CLOSET   If you’re planning to add a few new items to your spring wardrobe, you’ll be happy to hear that sustainable styles are more readily available than ever. Nike recently announced a capsule collection of sustainable apparel, with pieces that meet a 90 percent or better marker of efficiency. (Basically, they’re made entirely from recycled materials.) Last fall, Canadian company Call It Spring launched a new line of shoes and accessories made with post-consumer recycled water bottles, diverting a load (295,629 bottles, to be exact) from landfills and waterways. Gap is using 33 recycled plastic bottles in each of its new Upcycled Raincoats. The brand is also launching its most sustainable denim yet, with 100-percent organic cotton and production techniques that use at least 20 percent less water.   On top of using sustainable materials, outdoor brand Patagonia goes a step further, helping you repair garments and gear to make them last longer. Just take a worn item into a participating 1 retailer and they’ll fix it up or help you recycle it if necessary. After all, it’s estimated that on average, each Canadian throws away more than 80 pounds of clothing a year. Thankfully, there’s a rental revolution underway and it’s designed to whittle away wardrobe waste while saving you money and adding variety to your closet. For example, online service Rent Frock Repeat promises to refresh your everyday wardrobe with a steady rotation of four items, selected by you or a stylist, for just $129 a month (including return shipping and dry cleaning, too).

IN THE WASHROOM

  Since some plastic tubes, lids, bottles and caps can’t go in the blue bin, alternative recycling is essential. A few of the brands you already know and love, like Burt’s Bees, Eos and Weleda's Skin Food, can be returned through TerraCycle, an international recycling program. Even still, the waste from personal-care products can really add up. More than two billion plastic razors and cartridges are tossed in the trash annually in the United States alone. Vancouver-based Well Kept has a solution for that, selling stylish solid brass razors that are made to last a lifetime.   You can also eliminate a large amount of packaging simply by swapping bottled hand soaps, shampoos and body washes for cleansing bars, says Buonsante, who has banned most bottles from his own bathroom. “That’s an incredibly easy way to avoid creating a lot of waste,” he says. Try buying refillable glass bottles and purchasing your family’s basic hair- and body-care products at the zero-waste markets popping up across the country.  

IN THE KITCHEN

  “When we think about the circular economy, which is keeping materials in use for as long as possible at their highest form of value, it comes down to using better materials, designing items to be repairable and upgradable so you get that maximum life,” says Frances Edmonds, head of Sustainable Impact at HP Canada. In the not-so-distant future, 3D printing could give us the capability to have inventories of spare parts more readily available, extending the life of all sorts of technology in our homes, from printers to refrigerators. For now, our best bet is to shop thoughtfully, and that goes for big appliance purchases as well as small food-prep and storage options, like swapping disposable plastic wrap for reusable beeswax wraps.   When you’re grocery shopping, skip big-box stores in favour of bulk shops where you can bring your own reusable containers to fill up on everything from flour to dry cereals. Using your own glass jars eliminates excess packaging, plus it helps you buy only what you need, and curb food waste, which is good for the earth and your wallet. According to a 2019 report by Second Harvest, a Canadian food rescue organization that distributes food to shelters and breakfast programs, the annual cost of avoidable food waste is as much as $1,766 per household.   Sometimes our sustainability efforts, whether it’s remembering those cloth grocery bags or toting your aluminum travel cup, feel thankless and difficult and, frankly, like a pain. But some conveniences don’t actually come at a steep cost. Take time-saving Nespresso coffee pods, which are actually made from 100 percent aluminum, a material that is 100 percent and infinitely recyclable. Here’s some more good news: When it comes to cleaning up after dinner, the more efficient way to wash dishes is also the lazy way. Thanks to stricter-than-ever efficiency certification standards (like Energy Star), newer dishwashers use less water and energy than handwashing a sink full of pots and pans. Use an environmentally safe detergent (“loose powder formulas work very well, tend to come in a recyclable cardboard box, as opposed to a landfill-bound plastic pouch, and are often the cheaper option,” says Buonsante). Then, for best results, run a full load and skip the pre-rinse. This just messes with the machine’s soil sensors, wasting water and making more work for you. Because, let’s face it, you’ve got enough to do.

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IN THE OFFICE

  Opting for responsibly-sourced office supplies is the easiest way to green your home workspace. Refillable pens (some even made from renewable bamboo) are a great option. When you’re shopping for notebooks and printer paper, look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification logo, so you know the product isn’t contributing to deforestation.   There are a number of ways we can be more eco-smart with our tech, from phones to laptops. HP recently released the world’s first digital notebook containing ocean-bound plastics and the company has committed to a goal of using 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastic across its portfolio of printers and personal computers by 2025. What our devices are made of is about to become an even bigger selling point for the eco-minded consumer. And so is a product’s potential staying power. "Extend- ing the product life as long as you can is an important consideration,” says Edmonds. “It’s very tempting to buy a cheaper product, but if it doesn’t last you as long, then you’re really defeating your sustainability goals,” she says.  

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A New Zealand Startup Is Using Microbes to Suck Solid Gold Out of E-Waste

TerraCycle Include USA

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The world produces 50 million tons of e-waste each year — equivalent to 4,500 Eiffel Towers or 125,000 jumbo jets — from old computers, discarded screens, broken smartphones, and damaged tablets. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, but it also holds metals crucial to tech that could soon become short in supply.

As our reliance on tech increases, there’s a growing need to reduce e-waste while conserving metals vital to building tech products. The solution may lie in the tiniest of organisms: microbes. These microscopic life forms can extract metals such as cobalt, gold, and platinum from the devices we toss into landfills.

“Microbes can facilitate some processes that would otherwise require high temperatures and other extreme conditions,” says Anna Kaksonen, who leads the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Group of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia’s national science research agency. “In some cases, they provide a more sustainable alternative than traditional pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical processes.”

The world produces 50 million tons of e-waste each year — equivalent to 4,500 Eiffel Towers or 125,000 jumbo jets — from old computers, discarded screens, broken smartphones, and damaged tablets. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, but it also holds metals crucial to tech that could soon become short in supply.

As our reliance on tech increases, there’s a growing need to reduce e-waste while conserving metals vital to building tech products. The solution may lie in the tiniest of organisms: microbes. These microscopic life forms can extract metals such as cobalt, gold, and platinum from the devices we toss into landfills.

“Microbes can facilitate some processes that would otherwise require high temperatures and other extreme conditions,” says Anna Kaksonen, who leads the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Group of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia’s national science research agency. “In some cases, they provide a more sustainable alternative than traditional pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical processes.”

The world produces 50 million tons of e-waste each year — equivalent to 4,500 Eiffel Towers or 125,000 jumbo jets — from old computers, discarded screens, broken smartphones, and damaged tablets. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, but it also holds metals crucial to tech that could soon become short in supply.

As our reliance on tech increases, there’s a growing need to reduce e-waste while conserving metals vital to building tech products. The solution may lie in the tiniest of organisms: microbes. These microscopic life forms can extract metals such as cobalt, gold, and platinum from the devices we toss into landfills.

“Microbes can facilitate some processes that would otherwise require high temperatures and other extreme conditions,” says Anna Kaksonen, who leads the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Group of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia’s national science research agency. “In some cases, they provide a more sustainable alternative than traditional pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical processes.”

The world produces 50 million tons of e-waste each year — equivalent to 4,500 Eiffel Towers or 125,000 jumbo jets — from old computers, discarded screens, broken smartphones, and damaged tablets. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, but it also holds metals crucial to tech that could soon become short in supply.

As our reliance on tech increases, there’s a growing need to reduce e-waste while conserving metals vital to building tech products. The solution may lie in the tiniest of organisms: microbes. These microscopic life forms can extract metals such as cobalt, gold, and platinum from the devices we toss into landfills.

“Microbes can facilitate some processes that would otherwise require high temperatures and other extreme conditions,” says Anna Kaksonen, who leads the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Group of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia’s national science research agency. “In some cases, they provide a more sustainable alternative than traditional pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical processes."

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Inside Mint’s pilot plant in Auckland. Photos: Mint Innovation

Pyrometallurgy applies heat to recover metals, while hydrometallurgy uses chemicals. Bioleaching, meanwhile, employs microbes to do the job. It isn’t a novel technique — mining operators use it to extract metals from ores — but it isn’t widely used in e-waste recycling yet because it’s typically slower than conventional extraction and can’t recover as much metal as other methods. However, it holds promise as a greener process for rescuing e-waste, since heat-based methods use a lot of energy and release dangerous gases, and chemical methods produce toxic waste streams.

New Zealand-based startup Mint Innovation is one company attempting to bring microbes to the mainstream. “It came out of the idea that microbes can take a waste product and turn it into something valuable,” says Thomas Hansen, the company’s commercial manager. “Electronics have a lot of waste, so what if we could get precious metals out of them? What if we could get gold out of electronic waste?” Co-founder and CEO Will Barker previously worked at LanzaTech, a company that uses bacteria to turn factory carbon emissions into fuel that is also based in New Zealand, where waste minimization is a priority.

The company starts its gold-retrieving process by grinding printed circuit boards, RAM sticks, processors, and other metal-bearing parts of electronic devices into a sand-like powder, which goes through a leaching process that produces a liquid with all the metals dissolved in it.

“We first dissolve all the reactive base metals — such as iron, copper, and aluminum — and recover them through various processes. We use electrolysis to get copper out, for example,” Hansen says, referring to the process of using electric current to extract metals.

After that, they use microbes to extract more precious metals. “Once the base metals are out, it’s easier to get gold,” explains Hansen. “Gold is challenging to deal with chemically because it’s unreactive — it’s the last metal that gets dissolved and the first to fall out of solutions.”

The team adds aqua regia (Latin for “royal water”), a mixture of acids strong enough to dissolve gold — to the solution, then it adds the key ingredient: Cupriavidus metallidurans microbes. These tiny organisms act as a sponge, sucking up and absorbing the dissolved gold.

Next, the solution is passed through a centrifuge, which spins out the gold-heavy microbes to produce a purplish goo. “Because gold becomes purple on a nanoparticle level, you get this stuff that looks a bit like Silly Putty, with a few impurities but mainly the organic structures of the microbes and the gold,” says Hansen. This organic matter is burned off, leaving a metallic ash that undergoes traditional metallurgical processes to turn it into solid gold.

Gold is just the tip of the precious-metals iceberg. “The microbes have an affinity for other metals such as palladium, platinum, and rhodium,” Hansen says. “We want to look at not just e-waste, but any waste stream with valuable metals in it like incinerator ash from municipal waste. That might mean using different microbes or slightly changing our chemistry.”

Researchers elsewhere are already experimenting with different organisms and approaches. A team at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) use Gluconobacter oxydans bacteria, which produce organic acids that dissolve rare earth elements, for bioleaching. Meanwhile, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) use Chromobacterium violaceum bacteria, which are capable of producing hydrogen cyanide. When placed in a solution containing gold, these bacteria bind to gold atoms and grab them.

A key difference in these approaches is that, while the INL and NUS researchers only use microbes for bioleaching, Mint Innovation uses chemicals too.

“Our understanding is that Mint Innovation is not actually using bioleaching, but rather conventional chemical leaching to extract metals from e-waste into solution, and then using microorganisms to selectively recover target metals from the aqueous metal mixture,” says Yoshiko Fujita, a senior scientist at INL. “Our research has focused on using organic acids produced by microbes from agricultural waste.” These organic acids act as a liquid medium to selectively extract metals, removing the need for additional chemicals.

The INL team has applied their approach to lithium-ion batteries, recovering cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Their ultimate goal is to support private companies who want to adopt their technology on a commercial scale, so they’re looking into ways to make it profitable.

Mint Innovation is looking to build “biorefinery” plants in cities, working with local recyclers to collect e-waste, recover metals, and make them available for reuse. The company has a pilot plant in Auckland, testing its processes on recycled IT equipment. Scaling up and going global may prove difficult, however: Alex Payne, a publicist for New Jersey-based recycling company TerraCycle, cautions that, “it may be difficult for companies to adapt to new regulations and navigate the intricacies of local environmental policies when attempting to build a physical recycling plant.”

And because it’s still partially reliant on chemical leaching, Mint Innovation must still figure out how to recycle its chemicals in addition to reducing waste and driving down its energy use.

There are kinks to work out, but the company’s closed-loop system — “the ideal recycling process in terms of supply chain sustainability,” says Payne — could be very valuable if it’s as efficient as advertised. The hope is that it’ll encourage others to prioritize recycling e-waste, too.

“With our solution, we can pay recyclers more money for the waste, then they generate more revenue from their recycling activities,” says Hansen from Mint. They’re incentivized to recycle more, and if we can incentivize better behaviors, then we can do a lot of good.”

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Brands Doing Good Series: TerraCycle

TerraCycle Include USA Loop
It began with worm poop. In 2001, while enrolled as a freshman at Princeton University, Tom Szaky learned that friends were feeding kitchen scraps to worms and using the resulting fertilizer to feed their plants. That discovery led him to found a company called TerraCycle, to sell worm poop-based fertilizer packaged in used soda bottles.   Since then, TerraCycle has developed into a recycling juggernaut. It has done so by teaming with brands, retailers, and municipalities to run programs aimed at gathering post-consumer, difficult-to-recycle waste, such as juice pouches and deodorant containers. Tapping a small army of consumer volunteer collectors, the company turns that garbage into completely new products, either by reusing the items' raw material components or repurposing the waste in its current form. In 2019, the company launched Loop, a circular shopping system through which brands deliver products to consumers in reusable packaging.   "Our purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste," says Michael Waas, global VP of brand partnerships at the Trenton, N.J.-based company.   To date, more than 202 million people in 21 countries have helped to collect and recycle waste through TerraCycle's 75-plus recycling programs in the U.S. and 250 globally. Moreover, the company has raised more than $44 million for charity, thanks to a system by which consumers earn points for every shipment of waste they send and then redeem those points in the form of a donation to the cause of their choice.   Szaky spent the first few years in business struggling to stay afloat; he also dropped out of college. Eventually, he got his product on the shelves of Walmart and The Home Depot.   Then, in 2007, Szaky had an epiphany: If he could make fertilizer out of waste, then maybe he could make anything out of waste. Further, if he could collect the stuff efficiently and find a new purpose and value for it, he could eliminate the very concept of waste. To do that, Waas says, the company needed a collection program that was "easy for consumers to access and use wherever they happen to be located."   Building on the so-called "Bottle Brigade," a volunteer system created to gather used soda bottles for the company's fertilizer products, Szaky developed a unique collection method that involves enlisting schools, individual consumers, and other organizations to collect vast amounts of specific items — from used chewing gum and cigarette butts to shampoo bottles and flip flops. The programs are funded by brands looking for ways to reduce their waste and win consumer loyalty.   All waste is delivered to TerraCycle, which works with processors to turn it into a raw material that manufacturers can use in new products. The company also upcycles some garbage, like plastic bags, and transforms it into tote bags and other items.   Today, TerraCycle provides recycling solutions for more than 300 waste streams. Its brand partners include a roster of consumer packaged goods heavyweights and retailers, recycling product packaging for items like Colgate toothpaste and Capri Sun beverages. In 2017, for example, Procter & Gamble's Head & Shoulders shampoo brand and TerraCycle launched a program to collect plastic garbage on beaches globally and turn the garbage into shampoo and dish soap bottles. Since then, Head & Shoulders has produced more than one million bottles made with recycled beach plastic in more than 10 countries.   Now, Szaky is moving the company in a new direction with the introduction of Loop. Consumers pay a refundable deposit when purchasing reusable packaged goods; the containers are then picked up by a delivery service, cleaned, refilled, and shipped out again. Brands pick up part of the tab by designing and making the new packaging themselves. More than 300 items are available, from Tide detergent to Häagen-Dazs ice cream.   TerraCycle has experienced considerable growth, with annual revenues of around $32 million and a workforce of 350 employees. In 2018, the company acquired Air Cycle, a recycler of fluorescent light bulbs, among other items.   Waas shares additional insights on the company with the ANA Center for Brand Purpose.  
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Brands Doing Good Series: TerraCycle

TerraCycle Include USA Loop

Recycling company works with brands to turn garbage into new products

It began with worm poop. In 2001, while enrolled as a freshman at Princeton University, Tom Szaky learned that friends were feeding kitchen scraps to worms and using the resulting fertilizer to feed their plants. That discovery led him to found a company called TerraCycle, to sell worm poop-based fertilizer packaged in used soda bottles.   Since then, TerraCycle has developed into a recycling juggernaut. It has done so by teaming with brands, retailers, and municipalities to run programs aimed at gathering post-consumer, difficult-to-recycle waste, such as juice pouches and deodorant containers. Tapping a small army of consumer volunteer collectors, the company turns that garbage into completely new products, either by reusing the items' raw material components or repurposing the waste in its current form. In 2019, the company launched Loop, a circular shopping system through which brands deliver products to consumers in reusable packaging.   "Our purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste," says Michael Waas, global VP of brand partnerships at the Trenton, N.J.-based company.   To date, more than 202 million people in 21 countries have helped to collect and recycle waste through TerraCycle's 75-plus recycling programs in the U.S. and 250 globally. Moreover, the company has raised more than $44 million for charity, thanks to a system by which consumers earn points for every shipment of waste they send and then redeem those points in the form of a donation to the cause of their choice.   Szaky spent the first few years in business struggling to stay afloat; he also dropped out of college. Eventually, he got his product on the shelves of Walmart and The Home Depot.   Then, in 2007, Szaky had an epiphany: If he could make fertilizer out of waste, then maybe he could make anything out of waste. Further, if he could collect the stuff efficiently and find a new purpose and value for it, he could eliminate the very concept of waste. To do that, Waas says, the company needed a collection program that was "easy for consumers to access and use wherever they happen to be located."   Building on the so-called "Bottle Brigade," a volunteer system created to gather used soda bottles for the company's fertilizer products, Szaky developed a unique collection method that involves enlisting schools, individual consumers, and other organizations to collect vast amounts of specific items — from used chewing gum and cigarette butts to shampoo bottles and flip flops. The programs are funded by brands looking for ways to reduce their waste and win consumer loyalty.   All waste is delivered to TerraCycle, which works with processors to turn it into a raw material that manufacturers can use in new products. The company also upcycles some garbage, like plastic bags, and transforms it into tote bags and other items.   Today, TerraCycle provides recycling solutions for more than 300 waste streams. Its brand partners include a roster of consumer packaged goods heavyweights and retailers, recycling product packaging for items like Colgate toothpaste and Capri Sun beverages. In 2017, for example, Procter & Gamble's Head & Shoulders shampoo brand and TerraCycle launched a program to collect plastic garbage on beaches globally and turn the garbage into shampoo and dish soap bottles. Since then, Head & Shoulders has produced more than one million bottles made with recycled beach plastic in more than 10 countries.   Now, Szaky is moving the company in a new direction with the introduction of Loop. Consumers pay a refundable deposit when purchasing reusable packaged goods; the containers are then picked up by a delivery service, cleaned, refilled, and shipped out again. Brands pick up part of the tab by designing and making the new packaging themselves. More than 300 items are available, from Tide detergent to Häagen-Dazs ice cream.   TerraCycle has experienced considerable growth, with annual revenues of around $32 million and a workforce of 350 employees. In 2018, the company acquired Air Cycle, a recycler of fluorescent light bulbs, among other items.   Waas shares additional insights on the company with the ANA Center for Brand Purpose.        
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GU Energy Labs Launches Boon: A Line of Healthy Snacks for Daily Life

TerraCycle Include USA GU
image.png Berkeley, Calif. — Aug. 03, 2020 — The creators of GU Energy Labs are launching Boon, a line of nutritious Stroopwafels and Almond Butters made for daily life. These wholesome, delicious, healthful snacks nourish the body during The Time Between— for lives in motion who still want to eat purposefully around workouts and races. With USDA Certified Organic, non-GMO, vegan-friendly and gluten-free options, Boon is crafted with unique, functional ingredients that offer busy and active people a thoughtful alternative for fueling their time-in-between training and racing. Whether after spin class, between work meetings, traveling or off exploring the outdoors, Boon’s Stroopwafels and Almond Butters are organic anytime-snacks for anyone wanting to eat intentionally and nourish their body with wholesome and purposeful food. “Being athletes ourselves, we believe good food brings good fortune, not just in sport but in life. We believe the foods you eat should nourish you and not just fill you up. There should be purpose behind what you eat. Each meal we eat, every snack we enjoy is – in some way – preparing us for our next adventure,” said Brian Vaughan, Co-Founder & CEO of GU Energy Labs. “We’ve been eating this way for a long time, and Boon has been years in the making. Now we’re ready to share it with the world.” Boon’s five tasty flavors: Sweet Ginger, Cinnamon Spice, Vanilla Cardamom (Stroopwafels only), Chai Spice (Almond Butters only) and Boon’s caffeinated option, Espresso Bean (Almond Butters only). Boon Stroopwafels (MSRP: $17.50 10ct. box) are crafted with a gluten-free flour blend of five ancient grains that are key elements to a sustaining & delicious everyday diet— quinoa, chia, buckwheat, millet & amaranth. The Boon Almond Butters provide wholesome nutrition through ingredients like California almonds, cashews and are the only nut butter using special sources of fat like MCT Oil, a uniquely fast-acting fat that converts into usable energy instead of stored as body fat. Currently offered in 12oz. glass jars, the Almond Butters will soon become available in single-serve packets for easier on-the-go consumption. Boon has eco-friendliness and community built-in with its TerraCycle partnership for packaging and thoughtfully selected ingredient partners. Boon uses carefully sourced ingredients from local partners who are socially responsible and environmentally conscious, such as Equator Coffee Roasters, The Coffee Cherry Company and The Ginger People. “Boon started in our kitchens, around campfires, en route to trailheads, simply sharing good food with friends and family. What we call ‘the time between,’” said Magda Boulet, SVP of Research, Innovation, & Development for GU Energy Labs. “We believe that each meal we cook and each snack we eat is an opportunity to nourish our bodies and fuel us for the next adventure. And Boon is a way for us to share our philosophy behind meaningful eating and purposeful ingredients.” For more info, please visit: eatboon.com To follow us on Instagram, please click here: @Eat_Boon For any media inquiries, please contact: Kelsey Anderson, kelsey@sasquatchagency.com ABOUT BOON Boon Stroopwafels and Almond Butters are organic, wholesome, delicious snacks that nourish the body in daily life. The creators of GU Energy Labs designed Boon with The Time Between in mind— for lives in motion that want to eat purposefully throughout their lives, not just while exercising. As athletes themselves, GU has always understood the importance of good food in daily life and knew that good food brings good fortune. They created Boon to share what they believe eating with intention and what using functional ingredients can do for people’s lives. Boon’s unique, wholesome ingredients offer busy and active people a thoughtful alternative for fueling their time-in-between, whether you’re looking for nutrition for down-time from workouts or a healthful snack to eat on the fly. ABOUT GU ENERGY LABS GU Energy Labs strives to help athletes to reach their highest potential with products that deliver the right nutrients, in the right amounts, at the right time. Developed in collaboration with Olympians and age groupers alike, the GU nutrition matrix of Hydration, Energy and Recovery products has helped countless athletes achieve their dreams since its inception in 1993. Headquartered in Berkeley, GU Energy Labs produces all of its Energy Gels onsite with just the right blend of heart and science. Recommit to becoming your best athletic self, learn more about GU products, and discover how nutrition planning can help you get there at www.guenergy.com.
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Is The Body Shop Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

TerraCycle Include Canada (English) The Body Shop

Vegan Body Care – The Body Shop

   

Vegan Skin Care – The Body Shop

   

Vegan Hair Care – The Body Shop

   

Vegan Makeup – The Body Shop

   
  This vegan product list is updated as frequently as possible, please be aware that formulations may have changed since the publication of this post. If you have new information to suggest one of the above products isn’t vegan, please email me at info@ethicalelephant.com to let me know.  

Is The Body Shop Ethical?

Based in: UK   The Body Shop is a Certified B Corporation, meeting the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.   Sustainability & Environmental Initiatives: The Body Shop claims they:  
  • Favor ingredients classified as readily biodegradable
  • Strive to ensure they have a low water footprint value and low eco-toxicity
  • Measure and aim to increase the levels of ingredients from natural origin, which is any ingredient that comes from plant matter formed from physical, fermentation and other low-impact processing methods
  • Use of ingredients from ‘Green Chemistry’ in which those that come from environmentally friendly processes and techniques, reducing the generation of chemicals which are hazardous to the environment
  • Working fairly with their farmers and suppliers and helping communities thrive through their Community Trade Program of sourcing quality ingredients and accessories from expert producers across the world and enriching economically vulnerable communities.
  Eco-Friendly Packaging Initiatives: “We’ve started using our Community Trade recycled plastic in our 250ml Shampoo and Conditioner bottles (100% recycled plastic with 15% Community Trade recycled plastic, excluding our bottle caps.) In the future, we want to buy even more Community Trade recycled plastic from our partners so we can use it in more of our product packaging and strive to be even more sustainable.” Learn more on The Body Shop’s goals on using more post-consumer recycled plastic in the future.   The Body Shop also has a recycling program with TerraCycle where you can bring your empty bottles to be recycled in exchange loyalty members will get a credit.   Giving Back Initiatives: The Body Shop continuously supports and donates to countless charities, causes, and organizations. Learn more about The Body Shop’s giving back initiatives.
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Eco-Friendly Makeup Brands to Use For All of Your Wedding Events

TerraCycle Include USA Josie Maran Ilia
Planning an eco-friendly wedding can feel daunting at times. There are so many moving parts involved, which makes it difficult to ensure you’re being sustainable at every turn. One of the more attainable steps you can take is to use eco-friendly makeup with sustainably-sourced ingredients and recyclable or reusable packaging at your pre-wedding events. You'll likely hire a professional makeup artist for your actual wedding day (beauty pros tend to use their own products), but using eco-friendly makeup for the events leading up to your nuptials is an effective way to cut down on your wedding's overall waste and carbon emissions.   The beauty industry accounts for a great amount of waste in landfills, which is why these brands are making a change. If you’re looking for even more tips on how to throw a green wedding, we’ve broken down other approachable ways to host a sustainable wedding (or even a zero-waste wedding if you’d like). Check out 19 eco-friendly makeup brands you can use for all of your pre-wedding events (think: engagement party, bach bash and rehearsal dinner).  

1. LUSH

LUSH may be best known for their bath bombs, but they’re also known for their eco-friendly and ethical practices. On a mission to reduce their impact on the earth, LUSH is taking several measures with their packaging. Nearly 35 percent of their products are sold “naked,” meaning package-free. The brand also uses 100 percent post-consumer plastic which can be recycled. In 2012, LUSH also made their plastic bottles 10 percent thinner. (In four years, the company saved nearly 13,500 pounds of plastic through this initiative). The brand has also phased out gift wrapping and excess packaging, offering reusable scarves made from recycled plastic and plant-based, compostable packing peanuts. Their partnership with the Ocean Legacy Foundation allows them to use recovered plastic from the ocean for their packaging as well. In addition to their sustainable packaging, the company also sources their ingredients ethically and responsibly so ecosystems are not harmed. Whether you pick up a face mask, a shampoo bar or a mascara, you’ll know that your pre-wedding purchase is ecologically responsible.  

2. Ethique

Ethique (French for “ethical”) is on a mission to rid the world of plastic waste. This brand makes solid bars—everything from shampoo to face wash to body wash—that are packaged in 100 percent naturally-derived and biodegradable paper packaging. The company also goes the extra mile to ensure that their paper is chlorine- and acid-free to mitigate pollution of waterways. Ethique also ships their products in biodegradable packaging so that you can compost the waste and sleep well knowing it will disappear in a matter of months (just in time for your wedding).  

3. NakedPoppy

NakedPoppy is a beauty company founded to provide customers with the cleanest clean beauty products possible. But in addition to their commitment to human health and animal health, NakedPoppy is passionate about the planet’s wellbeing. Minimizing their environmental impact is a top priority for the company. They make sure that their ingredients are sourced ethically and sustainably—and that they’re supporting the ecosystems they tap. Give your makeup bag a makeover by working with this company’s algorithm, which suggests products that are perfect for you.  

4. True Botanicals

The founder of True Botanicals started the company after her thyroid cancer diagnosis. She channeled her fear and frustration with the beauty industry into research—and a passion for creating pure, potent and proven products that are good for people and the planet. The ingredients are clean and sustainably-sourced, while the glass packaging can be easily recycled or upcycled. Get a glowing, refreshed complexion before you exchange vows with their popular skincare products.  

5. Cocokind

Cocokind, a natural skincare company, is also focused on sustainability as well. Most of the brand’s packages are domestically-sourced flint glass jars—meaning their carbon footprint is low, as they require less additives and they can be reused or recycled. The company also created their tubes out of sugarcane instead of plastic, use shipping materials approved by the Forestry Stewardship Council and print soy-derived ink on their products. Cocokind also strives to use less water in their product formulations to help conserve the previous natural resource. Whether you try out their new resurfacing mask (it contains a plant-based retinol alternative), their popular watermelon hemp oil or their tinted face stick, this sustainable beauty brand has everything you need to prep for your pre-wedding parties.  

6. Herbivore

Herbivore creates clean beauty products made with ethically-sourced ingredients. The brand also prioritizes sustainability, as they use recyclable and reusable packaging. Shop through their extensive collection of facial oils, serums, moisturizers and toners. The founders of the company believe that skincare is a perfect opportunity for self love and relaxation—making their products perfect for to-be-weds who need extra TLC.  

7. Ilia

Ilia, a clean cosmetics company, is dedicated to reducing the makeup industry’s impact on the planet. They use sustainable packaging options such as recycled aluminum, glass components and responsibly-sourced paper. But Ilia is also focused on what happens after a product is finished, so they’re using TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box platform. To-be-weds who live in the U.S. can mail in five empty beauty products per month to Ilia (psst: they can be any brand) and TerraCycle will break them down responsibly so they don’t end up in a landfill. If planning your wedding is making you stressed out, this eco-friendly decluttering method might be perfect for you.  

8. Tata Harper

Tata Harper is an especially sustainable beauty brand, as their products come straight from their own farm to your face. But the company also strives to be as eco-conscious as possible with their packaging. Almost all of their packaging is recyclable and reusable glass, while the small amount of plastic they use is made from sugar cane. They also use soy-based ink to print on their products, use shipping materials approved by the Sustainable Forestry initiative and use 100 percent post-consumer materials whenever possible. Their luxe skincare products will turn your own bathroom into a full-blown spa.  

9. RMS Beauty

RMS Beauty uses natural products that are intended to heal the skin and improve its health over time. The brand is also committed to bettering the planet’s health as well with their eco-friendly practices. The brand makes a conscious effort to keep packaging as minimal as possible and uses recyclable and reusable materials for their products. Unleash your inner glow with their creamy luminizers, concealers and blushes.  

10. Vapour

Focused on using plant-based ingredients, Vapour offers to-be-weds clean, natural makeup. The brand has everything from foundation to eyeshadow to deodorant (yes, really). The team is also deeply committed to being as sustainable as possible, so they are actively searching for the best packaging ingredients and methods. In the meantime, they’ve created their Empties Recycling Program, where customers can mail back four or more empty containers. Why four or more? So that customers can cut down on carbon emissions from shipping and handling.  

11. Coola

Whether you’re having a spring, summer, fall or winter wedding, sunscreen is an absolute must. Coola, best known for their SPF, also offers clean, plant-based skincare and bodycare. They use naturally effective and sustainably-sourced ingredients that are responsibly farmed. Beyond the product formulation, the product packaging is eco-friendly too. Coola believes in composting and recycling whenever possible and is on a mission to lower their impact on the environment. This year, their tubes used 30 percent less plastic than before. Stock up on their assortment of warm weather essentials before you exchange vows.  

12. Hourglass

Hourglass is a beauty brand loved by celebrities like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jasmine Tookes and Janelle Monae. The company produces high-end luxury products (which are mostly all vegan), but they’re also focused on sustainability. They’re helping to cut down on makeup packaging waste with products like their refillable lipstick. Once the actual lipstick is used up, customers can keep the wand and use it again.  

13. Beautycounter

Beautycounter is not only producing clean beauty products, they’re also fighting for political change in the beauty industry—calling for more regulation and higher standards. They’re also making an effort to be as eco-friendly as possible with their packaging. As glass is easier to recycle than plastic, they aim to use as much glass as possible and reduce any additional plastic add-ons (think: spatulas, overcaps and lid inserts). They also include directions on how to recycle all of the packaging on the container, so you don’t have to do any guess work. Pick up their best-selling foundations or highly-coveted velvet eyeshadow palettes.  

14. Tarte

This brand is popular among beauty editors and influencers alike. Tatre is known for their powerhouse ingredients, like Amazonian clay and their Rainforest of the Sea complex. The brand ensures that their products are sustainable—but they also make an effort to give back to the communities they tap. Tatre works with cooperatives in the rainforest to ensure that the ingredients are sustainably harvested and supports the ocean ecosystem through their partnership with the Sea Turtle Conservancy. If you’re a fan of glitter, you’ll love their selection of eyeshadows, lip glosses and highlighters.  

15. Sol de Janerio

Known best for their Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and signature scent, Sol de Janerio is also on a mission to be more sustainable. The brand uses eco-friendly and recyclable materials whenever possible and they select manufacturing partners who efficiently utilize resources through renewable energy, recycling and hazmat waste programs, and water filtration. They also have promising goals for 2020 (like reducing their overall plastic consumption by 25 percent, for example). Pick up any of their luxurious products and be immediately transported to your honeymoon.  

16. Josie Maran

Josie Maran, famous for their argan oil products, is also known as an eco-friendly makeup brand. The company is currently converting to carton packaging made of 100 percent post-consumer waste material. They’re also focused on water conversation and have saved nearly 143,000 gallons of water with their sustainable practices. Load up on skincare, body care and makeup for all of your pre-wedding events.  

17. Lilah b.

Lilah b. was founded with the goal of decluttering makeup routines. Their minimalist line—with its all-white packaging—is perfect for nearlyweds. But they’re also committed to decluttering in a sustainable way, which is why they started their Recycle Program. Send any unwanted beauty products (lilah b. or otherwise) and they’ll work to process and recycle the goods to make room for only what you need.  

18. Authentic Beauty Concept

Authentic Beauty Concept is a high-performance hair care brand. It’s registered with the Vegan Society and is free of microplastics, mineral oil, parabens, silicones and artificial colorants. The company sources their ingredients sustainably thanks to a transparent value chain. One of their main ingredients, guar (known for its conditioning properties), is cultivated by the farmers of the Sustainable Guar Initiative in India (SGI), which enhances the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder guar bean farmers.  

19. Each & Every

Each & Every is a vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand that makes personal care products with natural and clean ingredients. In honor of Earth Day, the company has announced it is making the switch from plastic and launching new sugarcane packaging to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. As a part of its commitment to sustainability, the brand also plans to roll out 100 percent compostable plant-based envelopes for all orders this spring as well.
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DAILY DISPOSABLES: BOOST COMPLIANCE, NOT WASTE

TerraCycle Include USA B+L
By MELISSA BARNETT, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA May 1, 2020   In our modern society, plastic is everywhere—from water bottles, cars, toys, packaging, clothing, food utensils, and straws to contact lenses, lens solution bottles, and contact lens cases. According to a 2016 study, 32% of plastic packaging is either not collected or is collected and then dumped illegally or mishandled (World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and McKinsey & Company). Most manufactured plastics can be recycled; however, there is confusion about how to recycle, with a myriad of different rules and guidelines. According to National Geographic, 91% of plastic has never been recycled. Additionally, every city and town has its own recycling program. It is important to check a location’s rules to confirm what can be recycled.  

Plastic in Contact Lenses

  Daily disposable lenses boast the highest rate of replacement compliance among the different soft lens replacement schedules (Dumbleton et al, 2009). As daily replacement lenses gain in popularity, both patients and practitioners may have concerns that more waste is generated by using new lenses every day. However, as far as the lenses themselves are concerned, an annual supply of daily disposable lenses (365 pairs) produced 11.36g of dehydrated plastic waste, slightly more than it would take to produce two credit cards. A commonly used 20oz water bottle has the equivalent weight of 1,586 dehydrated contact lenses (a 2.17 year supply) (Routhier et al, 2012).   In addition, the amount of plastic that goes into manufacturing multipurpose solution bottles and lens cases is often overlooked. A single multipurpose solution bottle has an average weight equivalent to 2.5 years of daily replacement contact lenses (Routhier et al, 2012). Of interest, a single multipurpose solution storage case is equivalent to more than a four-year supply of daily disposables, and a peroxide case is equal to more than eight years’ worth.  

Recycling Rules

  Contact lens cases and solution bottles may be recycled in the plastic number 5 container. Number 5 recycling is increasingly becoming more accepted by recyclers and can be recycled by some curbside programs. Materials are recycled into signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, and trays (Howard and Abdelrahman, 2020).   One contact lens company in the United States offers a recycling program for contact lens waste that can’t be recycled curbside. Patients can bring their lenses, blister packs, and foils to a participating eyecare practitioner’s office, where the materials are shipped to TerraCycle, or they can ship them from home. The contact lenses and blister packs are separated and cleaned after they are received. All brands of lenses may be recycled with this program.   Hard plastic number-5-stamped contact lens containers (blister packs) can also be recycled through Preserve’s Gimme 5 Program (www.preserve.eco ). The packs must be cleaned, and the foil tops must be removed and disposed of elsewhere.   The Contact Lens & Cornea Section (CLCS) of the American Optometric Association (AOA) has published guidelines for the safe disposal of used contact lenses and their packaging (AOA, 2018):  
  • Remind patients to never flush lenses down the sink or toilet.
  • Inform patients about recycling programs that are available, especially for contact lenses.
  • Don’t forget that boxes, contact lens cases, and lens solution bottles are usually recyclable through standard recycling bins.
 

A Practice Builder

  I frequently discuss contact lens recycling with my patients. In addition to the benefits of a clean lens each day, they are pleased to learn about these recycling resources, which in turn grows our daily replacement lens business.
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