3p Weekend: 7 Companies Making the Circular Economy a Reality
TerraCycle Clif Colgate Include USA
The future is uncertain. As the global population is projected to hit 9 billion by 2050, tensions over resources like food, water and energy are likely to swell along with it. Meanwhile, earth has reached what scientists deem the climate tipping point — and evidence suggests the carbon concentrations in our atmosphere may be permanent.
As these chilling realities set in, thought leaders the world over begin to examine new economic models that can offer solutions. One such model, known as the circular economy, is particularly promising. For business, the circular economy is a system in which there is no waste — only promise. Waste generated during manufacturing and at end of useful life is recaptured and made into new products. Those products can then be recycled again, keeping the circle in motion and eliminating the need for virgin feedstocks.
A true circular economy is still a long way off. But forward-thinking companies are inching closer to making it a reality. Read on for seven case studies that are sure to inspire.
7. TerraCycle
Almost everyone knows they should recycle that plastic bottle or aluminum can rather than toss it in the trash. But some materials are tougher to recycle, meaning their recovery rates remain abysmally low. One company, TerraCycle, is out to change that by making it easier for people and businesses to recapture hard-to-recycle material and put it to good use.
Through its brigade programs, TerraCycle collects hard-to-recycle waste ranging from office staples like energy bar wrappers and snack food bags to niche items like juice pouches and instrument strings. It even has a brigade for cigarette butts, which remain America’s most littered item and have few recycling options.
The company partners with other conscious firms, such as Clif Bar and Colgate, to make the programs free for the user. Folks who recycle through TerraCycle can even earn rewards, which translate into money for their school or a favorite nonprofit. The company also offers paid bulk recycling solutions for businesses that recapture “almost every form of waste.”