國際消費品集團P&G近日宣布將開始量產添加25%消費後再生 (post-consumer recycled，PCR)海灘塑膠所製造的洗髮精瓶，P&G宣稱此乃全球洗髮精產業的創舉。這項選環經濟專案乃與歐盟知名回收處理機構 TerraCycle合作，第一批海廢瓶將在今年夏天，優先使用於法國家樂福超市通路販售的海倫仙度絲品牌產品，接下來才會使用在歐盟販售所有的P&G洗髮精品牌商品。

Food storage brand GLAD has teamed up with recycling experts TerraCycle to launch the GLAD To Recycle Contest, offering New Zealanders the chance to win cash prizes for the school or not-for-profit of their choice simply by recycling their used Glad food storage products.

汤姆·萨基，出生于匈牙利，8岁时移民到加拿大。2001年被普林斯顿大学录取，在此之前，他有过几次创业经历。在大一期间，他成立了 TerraCycle，生产出用旧饮料瓶装的蚯蚓堆肥，把它作为有机植物肥料进行销售。从2002年起，他领导的TerraCycle发展迅猛，生产的产 品达到100多种，在1.5万家大型超市销售，有100多万美国人加入其创新的垃圾回收活动。

Scientist at Cornell University and the University of Minnesota have discovered a way to combine polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plastics together without compromising durability. Usually incapable of creating a homogeneous mix, PE and PP plastics are limited in terms of what they can be recycled into together. However, using multi-block polymers, the team created a structurally strong plastic alloy that could potentially make it easier for manufacturers to recycle these two types of plastic waste. "It would essentially reduce the overall cost of modifying polyolefins and significantly increase the amount of polypropylene and polyethylene that gets recycled because the formulations can be made at a lower cost," says Ernie Simpson, global vice-president of research and development at TerraCycle.

Getting rid of plastic waste remains a Sisyphean task despite our efforts to tackle it by employing PET-eating bacteria and turning it into footwear, liquid fuel, and even the foundations for an entire village. The material that ends up being recovered and reused is just a drop in a non-stop growing mountain of garbage. But what if there was a way to create a super-durable alloy out of two of the biggest sources of packaging waste while using less oil at the same time?   Bringing this potential win-win scenario a step closer to reality is a team of scientists from Cornell University and the University of Minnesota, who recently announced the creation of a polymer additive that can create such an alloy out of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The idea, according to researcher Geoffrey Coates, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell University, is two-fold: to make a better material from the world's most used polymers and also help recycle them more efficiently. Though PE and PP are individually tough as standalone plastics and have a similar hydrocarbon makeup, they are immiscible with one another. Common grades of the polymers become brittle and unusable when blended together, thus limiting what companies can do to recycle these materials. To get around this problem, the research team developed a multiblock copolymer that can weld common grades of commercial PE and isotactic polypropylene (iPP) together, depending on the molecular weights and architecture of the block copolymers, by creating molecular stitches between the two materials. This makes the resulting blend as tough as iPP and PE themselves. In their tests, the researchers welded together two strips of iPP and PE plastic using different multi-block polymers as adhesives, and then pulled them apart. In most cases, the polymers are easily separated due to their incompatibility, as was demonstrated when the researchers carried out the tests with di-block polymers. However, in the case of the tetrablock additive, the plastic strips held together so well that it ripped the polymer apart, a sign that it is "a very good material" to glue polyethylene and polypropylene together, says Coates. According to the researchers, what makes the results all the more encouraging is that they were able to create the alloy with just one percent of the additive, giving rise to the possibility that it could improve recycling and also lead to the creation of a whole new class of mechanically tough polymer blends. For Ernie Simpson, global vice-president of research and development at TerraCycle, the New Jersey-based company that specializes in upcycling consumer waste, what makes this a potential game changer is the cost savings it could bring to a company's bottom line compared to the current compatibilizers on the market. "If the claims are true that a one percent addition is as efficient at 10 percent of other compatibilizers, on a cost-basis, this would be a serious game changer," Simpson tells New Atlas. "It would essentially reduce the overall cost of modifying polyolefins and significantly increase the amount of polypropylene and polyethylene that gets recycled because the formulations can be made at a lower cost." Of course, this depends on factors such as the amount of compatibilizers being used and their original cost. Assuming this new material comes in at roughly the same cost and requires just one percent instead of 10, the savings would encourage people to make new formulations based on the tetrablock and use them in various applications, he points out.

Scientist at Cornell University and the University of Minnesota have discovered a way to combine polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plastics together without compromising durability. Usually incapable of creating a homogeneous mix, PE and PP plastics are limited in terms of what they can be recycled into together. However, using multi-block polymers, the team created a structurally strong plastic alloy that could potentially make it easier for manufacturers to recycle these two types of plastic waste. "It would essentially reduce the overall cost of modifying polyolefins and significantly increase the amount of polypropylene and polyethylene that gets recycled because the formulations can be made at a lower cost," says Ernie Simpson, global vice-president of research and development at TerraCycle. Read the full story on New Atlas.

Environmentalism and sustainability are now essential aspects of brand building, and in an increasingly competitive marketplace, effectively engaging consumers poses many challenges. The expanded retail landscape has altered the way consumers interact with products and services, and standing out from direct competitors and defining oneself as a leader in the category requires an extra level of value strategy. Getting back to basics may help businesses and major brands better communicate their dedication to the circular economy, engaging the consumer through an invitation to participate. Through our partnerships at TerraCycle, we’ve seen several consumer product brands and businesses experience success with in-store recycling collections. Drives Foot Traffic One of the invaluable positives to an in-store recycling promotion is the foot traffic it generates. Though marketing experts like to attribute the burgeoning trend of e-commerce to millennial shopping behavior, the reality is that all generations of consumers find themselves taken with the convenience of shopping online. But brick-and-mortar retailers offer customers what online shopping can’t: the opportunity to physically touch, feel and experience products for themselves. The advantage created by making recycling the reason a customer enters a brick-and-mortar retail store is a two-fold: number one, you get them in the store and, number two, they have something to feel good about before they even buy anything. For example, TerraCycle and GU Energy Labs have recently expanded their successful Performance Nutrition Recycling Program to include all brands of performance nutrition packaging, and have given all GU retailers the opportunity to designate their locations as a public drop-off points for recycling performance nutrition packaging such as energy gel, drink mix and energy chew packets. Creating in-store foot traffic around an empowering behavior like recycling inspires goodwill and positive feelings in the same environment where purchases occur, maximizing profit potential for each retail transaction. Builds Brand Loyalty We know that consumers are now more willing to pay more for sustainable products and services than ever before. But while cost, performance and credibility remain prohibitive factors standing between consumers and “doing the right thing,” creating and strengthening brand loyalty for these eco-conscious companies is essential for driving sales against well-established competitors. This is especially true for specialty brands like Wellness Natural Pet Food, a premium pet food brand available in pet specialty stores. Presented for purchase alongside well-known dog food brands like Purina or Iams, Wellness Natural Pet Food is faced with the tall order of offering the consumer a promise of value exceeding that of other labels. Through TerraCycle, Wellness provides a recycling solution for its difficult-to-recycle product packaging, and retailers designated as public-drop off locations per the program can promote themselves as a collection point, communicating their sustainability commitment to customers. This type of sustainable marketing rewards the consumer by giving them the opportunity to invest in a cause. Emotional and social value benefits are prevalent here, as the activation plays to emotional sensibilities and allows the consumer to make a social statement. In-store recycling collections are a visual, tactile way to engage customers with the product you are trying to sell. Consumers are driven to purchase by a variety of factors, and it’s up to manufacturers and brands to figure out what those are, and market accordingly.

Garbage sorting, collection of goods, these are a good way to protect the environment. In Australia, this particular emphasis on environmental protection of the country, classification and recycling is more commonplace. But a wide variety of items, do you know how to correctly distinguish recyclable items? If you take the wrong things to recover, there will be bad things happen Oh!