Experts at the Sustainable Brands Event 2016 in Sydney discussed how businesses need to rethink their marketing message to consumers and why the language some businesses adopt might not be working. CEO of eco-capitalist and upcycling company TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, said there is a big difference in what businesses think consumers value and what consumers actually understand.

Full credit to L’Oreal for joining forces with TerraCycle a global recycling expert to find new ways to recycle packaging that currently goes to landfill. Initiatives like the launch of the Beauty Products Recycling Program across L’Oreal brands Garnier, L’Oreal Paris and Maybelline encourage consumers to change their habits, to collect their empty beauty products at home and send them to TerraCycle to be recycled, with L’Oreal Australian covering the costs of the program – brilliant!

On Thursday L'Oréal Australia launched a program in partnership with TerraCycle which gives Australian consumers the option of recycling their beauty and personal care packaging by offering a free collection and recycling service.

CEO of eco-capitalist and upcycling company TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, said there is a big difference in what businesses think consumers value and what consumers actually understand. “Things like how a product is made usually gets undervalued by consumers," he explained. "You need to find out what your consumers value – and it may not be the first thing you initially have on your list."

Tom Szaky, founder and chief executive of TerraCycle, shared insights into how his brand has grown by engaging consumers in recycling post-consumer products and packaging. “Recycling something that isn’t recyclable, like many other key sustainability functions, requires an investment of money, so what we really have to unlock is that we can learn to create value from sustainability investments."

What happens to all the packaging from our beauty products? Mostly it heads to landfill. L’Oreal  Australia has partnered with the international company TerraCycle to launch a recycling program so that all that rubbish - won’t add to the world’s waste. The campaign involves people saving their packaging and sending it off for recycling, for free.  And you guessed it, the waste is turned into innovative eco products. Check out www.terracyle.com.au

The Waterfront Partnership used TerraCycle, an international recycling company, to transform the cigarette waste into useful products, such as compost and shipping pallets. TerraCycle's Cigarette Waste Bridge is a free national recycling program aimed to reduce cigarette waste.

Tom Szaky, founder and chief executive of TerraCycle – a leader in eco-capitalism and upcycling, shared insights into how his brand has grown by engaging consumers in recycling post-consumer products and packaging.

Thanks to our infrastructure partner, Zoom Computers, we will not refuse any laptop. They have the resources to help us do the checks, formatting, software updates and hardware upgrades needed to get them to the minimum requirement for our workshops. Also, whatever is donated to our cause that is not usable will be disposed of at the Terracycle bins at our local Wollongong Officeworks, to make sure that we are playing our part in E-waste.

The first day of the Sustainable Brands Sydney conference has brought together over 200 of Australia’s sustainability industry professionals to analyse the environmental and social impact of brands. Local and international thought leaders discussed how Australia can be part of a sustainable world, creating business models that deliver both purpose and profit, at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 27 June 2016.