Roncesvalles Dental Centre has taken a major step in going green — and they’re not compromising the quality of their dental products to do so.   The dental office is the latest business in Toronto to join TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box program, an initiative that gives patients and community members the opportunity to recycle toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, caps, packaging, and floss containers — items that cannot be recycled at home.   Office manager Leah Lavergne said the decision to join the initiative and put an oral care waste box in their office came from the influx of requests they were getting to supply bamboo toothbrushes to patients.   “That’s the big craze, and we know that there’s a problem with plastic toothbrushes and where they end up, and we didn’t want to contribute more and more and more, and so we wanted to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint, help the environment, give patients an option,” she said.   Lavergne added that the dental office couldn’t initially find a bamboo toothbrush that met their professional standards (though they just recently found one) and they also knew that some patients were loyal to the plastic toothbrushes they already used.   As a result, they decided joining the TerraCycle program was their best option.   “The community is pretty excited about it ... we’ve had a pretty positive response. We have a lot of businesses that are on board as well,” she said.   Shaye DiPasquale, of TerraCycle, said it's exciting to see more dental practices across Canada embracing their program.   “Collecting and recycling hard-to-recycle oral care waste doesn't have to be a difficult practice. It can be as straightforward as collecting your family's toothbrushes, empty floss containers and toothpaste tubes and dropping them off at your dentist's office during your next visit, thanks to the efforts of dental practices like Roncesvalles Dental Centre,” she said.   Lavergne said Roncesvalles Dental Centre also plans to work with local waste reduction group Roncy Reduces on further initiatives in the future.   Tina Soldovieri, founder of Roncy Reduces, said the TerraCycle program is a great start for the dental centre.   She added that not only does it provide the opportunity for people to recycle these difficult items, but it creates the opportunity for conversation and gets people thinking about how they can be more conscious about reducing their own footprint.   “I think (the initiative) is really cool, because we know all these items go to a landfill,” Soldovieri said. “And apart from that, most plastic, even if it is supposedly recyclable, goes in the landfill. But to send something to TerraCycle means you really don’t want it to go there — you’re not even taking the chance. I think that’s really cool because all of our toothbrushes will be (in the landfills) longer than we live.”  

When legalization came into fruition, Canadians soon realized that the cannabis industry was far from green. The cause—excessive packaging. Canada has some of the strictest packaging regulations in the world. The Federal Cannabis Act mandates packaging to be opaque, child-resistant, tamper-evident, waterproof, and contaminate proof. Add Health Canada’s requirements for health warnings, a standardized cannabis symbol, and specific product information and you now have a lot of packaging accompanying even small amounts of cannabis. The Price of Packaging Public outcry for more sustainable solutions followed, and retailers were just as concerned. However, there were hurdles to overcome. Efforts by licensed producers (LPs) to meet regulations have led to the use of several diverse materials, which made recycling through conventional means difficult. Refilling containers was also not an option due to packaging requirements.  

  Cameron Brown, communications officer for The Hunny Pot Cannabis, in Toronto, shares retailers’ frustration. “When we entered the industry, sustainability was top of mind for our team. We opened on April 1, 2019, and from the beginning, we wanted to recycle our packaging properly as well as work on other initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint.” The store receives on average 250 to 500 shipping boxes per week. Brown says their first step was to ensure staff members were separating products properly. Then they needed a program to dispose of the actual containers. Thankfully, Canopy Growth had recognized the problem early on and partnered with TerraCycle, a global leader specializing in hard-to-recycle materials. Their stores Tweed and Tokyo Smoke accept any packaging purchased from licensed retailers, including outer and inner packaging, tins, joint tubes, plastic bottles, caps, and flexible plastic bags. This recycling solution is also available to other retailers. “The program is Canada’s first and largest cannabis packaging recycling program,” states Alex Payne, public relations for TerraCycle North America. “Since its launch in October 2018, the program has signed up 412 cannabis retailers across the country and collected 2,372,634 units of packaging or 47,000 lbs. as of November 2019. These numbers continue to grow as new retailers get involved every month.” “The Hunny Pot reached out to Canopy Growth and TerraCycle to become a part of their program. As of November 2019, we have shipped 25,000 containers to TerraCycle. Our customers are making a real effort to bring the packaging back.” Brown adds that is thanks in part to their one-on-one service that provides education for the consumer. Jason Richeson, store manager for Garden Variety in Manitoba, shares how their popular recycling program, done in partnership with LP, Zenabis, is a little different. “We wanted to stand apart and increase customer incentive. Therefore, we offer clients a 50-cent credit per returned container. Customers can bring in up to 10 items ($5.00 credit) to be redeemed off their purchase daily.” LPs Standing Out with Sustainable Products Co-founder and Executive Director of Freedom Cannabis, Troy Dezwart, states that they are one of the few federally licensed growers committed to not using plastic containers for the recreational market. The privately-owned producer located in Acheson, Alberta, will be the first in Canada to use Nitrotins, which are fully recyclable. As part of the packaging process, a drop of liquid nitrogen is used to purge air from the Nitrotin. This process has the added benefit of increasing the product’s shelf life and maintaining quality. Freedom Cannabis products began distribution in late 2019, early 2020 and retailers are excited about the new packaging. Industry Tight-lipped Regarding Vape Products As the marketplace prepares for the introduction of cannabis vape pens and cartridges, a whole new set of recycling woes await. Vape products are more complex to recycle as they contain several different materials, batteries, and electronics in small quantities that need to be separated. A viable recycling program will require scale and time to develop. Most producers and retailers are without a solid recycling plan. Dezwart says Freedom Cannabis is still working on finding high-quality vape products with recyclable parts.  

  The Hunny Pot shares that they are in open discussions with LPs regarding their plans for new products and how to recycle them. “We will continue to keep on our producers to ensure we have a solution,” adds Brown. “We are not even sure if there will be an opportunity to recycle them yet,” says Richeson. “Garden Variety’s management company, Native Roots in Colorado, is experiencing this now. It’s a real concern because the sector blew up for them, overtaking flower sales.” This is predicted to happen in Canada as well. “Unfortunately, cannabis vape cartridges are not currently accepted through the Cannabis Packaging Recycling Program,” says TerraCycle’s Payne. It seems the consensus remains to wait and see. Social Responsibility Beyond Recycling Throughout all the highs and lows that the industry has faced, it is reassuring to see retailers and producers showing their commitment to social responsibility. Beyond its recycling efforts, The Hunny Pot now offers 100% biodegradable plastic bags. Bags can be kept to use them again; however, once exposed to the elements, they will break down completely within 18 months. This spring, the company is also looking forward to having beehives installed on its roof, furthering their environmental commitment. On the production end, as LPs begin to increase their scale and expand their product focus, cost savings have allowed them to start exploring more advanced sustainable packaging. And, eco-friendly packaging could be just the marketing tool they need to make their green products stand out.

The more I learn about recycling, the more I lose my illusions.   In the 7Rs of PH Effect for a zero waste lifestyle, there is Recycling. However, during my conferences and workshops, I tell people that it is a last resort, which is in the hierarchy just before the trash. I tell them that there are other alternatives, most of the time.   But sometimes it is faster and easier to get a product packaged in a recyclable container.   Then there was this idea of launching the project to recover the Halloween candy packaging and send it to TerraCycle, which recycles it. An idea which had a huge success and which still makes small ones today. Schools and businesses across Quebec have decided to follow suit and get the boxes. Some municipalities are even taking steps to join. A success you say? But with this project, I also saw the other side of the coin. Despite the clear indications, we find everything in these boxes and bags that we collected. Jars with a yogurt base, apple hearts, half-eaten candies, candies still wrapped, candy wrappings completely stuck in unidentified substances…  

It gave me a good idea of what could end up in sorting centers in Quebec.

I continued to read about sorting centers, about recycling. I had discussions on the subject with people around me. Each time, I realized that recycling is not so effective and that it is a very small dressing on a very big boo.   Recycling helps to reduce awareness.   But recycling requires so much energy and resources! And when I learned that we often send our materials to be recycled in China and elsewhere in the world, the surprise was as immense as the ships that transport them. Is our recycling solution to send our stuff to the other side of the world? Yes, I was naive.   So there you go, I made the decision to put my recycling bin on a diet. Worse, I'm going to make him do a long fast. Knowing that too much of what goes to recycling will end up in the wild, I prefer to reduce it at the source more than ever.   I know, it's drastic. Am I going to throw my recyclable stuff in the trash? Of course not ! But I will pay triple attention to what I consume, what I use. I will stop eating certain foods that are not sold in bulk. And I'm not going to eat candies other than loose ones anymore. Anyway, the mere sight of another package of candy makes me want to eat it!

Contact lenses can be a lifesaver, but once they end up in the trash, they tend to do more harm than good.   That’s why the international recycling company TerraCycle launched Canada’s first ever contact lens recycling program this week, with two locations in the Tri-Cities: Port Moody Eye Care on Ioco Road and XO OPTICS on Johnson Street in Coquitlam.     Every location participating in the program will accept any brand of disposable contact lens, blister pack packaging and the cardboard boxes in which they are sold. “Contact lenses and blister packs are considered non-recyclable through municipal facilities because they are too small to be captured by standard sorting machinery,” said a spokesperson for the company in a press release.   The TerraCycle urges recyclers to ensure all excess liquids are removed and the packaging and used products dried before they are turned in.

Issues such as plastic containers inside boxes remain a talking point when customers go to purchase a product, and some managers say it sometimes turns customers away.   Cannabis suppliers across the country are required by law to present the correct labels and warnings on their products, which takes up space and creates excess packaging.   However, an initiative by a cannabis supplier in Canada has allowed shops across Canada to go green.   Since before shops started to open in the Okanagan, Terracycle, a private U.S. recycling business, partnered with Tweed, a cannabis supplier based out of Ontario, to recycle any and all cannabis packaging purchased from a licensed retailer. Aside from some vape-related products, the program accepts many forms of packaging including outer plastic packaging, inner plastic packaging, tins, joint tubes, plastic bottles, plastic caps, and flexible plastic bags.   The program accepts products from both individuals and retail partners in every province except the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut.   Locally, cardboard Terracycle bins can be seen near the front counter of licensed retail shops. Once a bin is full, retailers package the waste into a box and send it to Terracycle via UPS, where the packaging and plastic is broken down and refurbished into new products.   The four licensed stores in Penticton are among approximately 450 other cannabis stores in partnership with Terracycle.   Spiritleaf owner Matt Bolton said so far, they have shipped approximately 18-20 bins worth of recycled products since they opened in August.   “Packaging has been… one of the biggest complaints that we hear here in the legal market,” he said. “The fact that we do offer that program, we’ve offered it pretty much since the first week of opening; that has been great.”   The Terracycle program accepts most things except for some vaping products such as the batteries and cartridges, however Spiritleaf has taken it upon themselves to offer recycling of this product.   “We’ve basically taken it on ourselves where we said, we’ll hold onto it all, until it’s figured out where they are going to go, and then we will dispose of it properly,” said Bolton.   Cannabis Cottage supervisor Corey Young said the reactions from customers when they find out about the recycling program are very positive. He stated one of the main complaints they receive is also about packaging.   “There is a lot of excess packaging,” he said. “And unfortunately a lot of the companies are slow to come out with new versions. So in the meantime, I believe it’s (Terracycle) essential.”   Although he couldn’t confirm an exact amount, Young estimated they have collected about 800 packages from customers in the past month.   “I think other companies should follow Tweed’s lead in creating their own recycling programs as well,” he said.   In October, the Tweed/TerraCycle program announced the collection of over one million pieces of used cannabis packaging from across the nation, recycling over 22,000 pounds of plastic containers, tubes, and bottles.   Bud-tender at Greenery Cannabis Boutique, Geoffrey Small, said customers seem relieved when they find out what Tweed and Terracycle are doing to help mitigate the issue of excess packaging.   Although some companies package less than other, Green Gaia Cannabis Co. manager Katerina Bakalos said the recycling program is a great service to have, and well-received by customers. So far, Green Gaia has collected thousands of product packages.   In conversations with some licenced producers, Bakalos understands that changes are coming with regards to packaging. This, she explained, is the focus for several producers, now that the 2.0 products, or edibles and concentrates, are on the shelves. In late December, retailers around Canada, including Penticton, started to receive 2.0 cannabis products.   “I’m sure once a few of the producers do it (repackaging), it’s going to start a domino effect,” said Bakalos. “Because I do believe, some of the packaging, people won’t buy it (because) it’s too thick of plastic or too big a box, that kind of thing.”   “Plastic containers within a box, it’s almost like double-packaging.”   Looking forward, all shops expressed their excitement as their first full summer season approaches.  

When Romain Gaillard, founder and CEO of the retailer, saw a blue-to-red visualization created by British scientist Ed Hawkins called Warming Stripes showing yearly increases in average global temperatures from 1850 to 2018 on the cover of The Economist in September, the dire threat of climate change crystallized in his mind. “I was born in 1980, and that’s where it starts to become pinkish and orange. I have two kids. They are 4 and 2. It’s purple red and very dark red in 2015 and 2017, the years they were born. Those are the warmest years ever recorded,” he says. “We all know about global warming, but this was really a big aha moment for me. From then on, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what we could do.”   The Detox Market landed on a comprehensive effort it’s dubbed Sustainability Starts Now kicking off today that encompasses an initiative named Earth CPR to become carbon negative by planting 500,000 trees this year and 2.5 million by 2025 through nonprofit Eden Reforestation Projects, turning its seven stores into hubs for beauty product recycling in partnership with TerraCycle, evaluating operations to diminish its environmental footprint, assembling a selection of eco-friendly products, and putting up posters in lower Manhattan with the Warming Stripes visualization as well as installations in its locations to spur other people to have Gaillard’s aha moment.   “One thing we’ve been great at as a company is to make people aware of toxicity in personal care. Our next mission is to encourage people to switch to sustainable products. It’s clean beauty times 10,” says Gaillard. “When you have this aha moment, there’s no way back from it. I’m not saying that you will suddenly become like Greta Thunberg and travel by bike everywhere, but, with everything you do, you start to pay attention, and it can have a great impact.”         The Detox Market, which plans to open two locations this year, is certainly paying attention to the materials it relies on in an attempt to eliminate excess. For example, it’s swapped out disposable makeup applicators in its stores to bamboo versions, and nixed an insert in the packaging of its body care line Detox Mode to reduce potential waste. To incentivize beauty product recycling, The Detox Market is doling out loyalty points to customers who recycle in its shops. The products they recycle don’t have to be from brands available at The Detox Market. Credo has a similar recycling program.   Inside stores, The Detox Market is spotlighting an array of eco-oriented products from brands including OrganiCup, Meow Meow Tweet, David’s Natural Toothpaste, Erbaviva, Olas Oral Care, Stasher and Jungle Straws. It’s placing a refill station with Detox Mode hemp soap in stores, and selling a sustainability set for $30 featuring Stasher, Jungle Straws and Baggu. Gaillard says, “We curated beauty products along with products that aren’t beauty-related, but are products you use in your daily routine that we felt are great.” The Detox Market isn’t the first retailer to edit a collection of green products. Net-a-Porter’s Net Sustain assortment of 27 beauty and 45 fashion brands focuses on sustainable merchandise, and Farfetch has launched a sustainable category.         Gaillard estimates The Detox Market will spend roughly 2% of its revenues this year on activities to become carbon negative and closer to 10% on advertising to promote Sustainability Starts Now. “If just a few big companies follow what we are doing, it could make a very interesting change,” says Gaillard. “If we are planting half a million trees, that’s as if Ulta was planting half a billion trees, and Amazon was planting 10 billion trees. For us, it’s a very aggressive number.”   Asked about expected sales results from the Sustainability Starts Now effort, Gaillard responds, “I don’t know what we are going to see. I think we will see a lot of visibility. By visibility, it’s not necessarily for Detox Market, but about this problem to bring that to the center of the discussion. One thing we are good at is being loud about a specific problem. We were very loud about toxicity in personal care—and we still are—but my goal is to make as much noise as we possibly can now about sustainability.”         In their purchasing behavior, Gaillard doesn’t believe customers currently prioritize the eco-friendliness of products. However, he projects they will begin to prioritize it in the near future. “If you look at the Stripes and you fast forward five to 10 years, it’s clear it’s going to be beyond a priority,” he says. “There will be a time when consumers ask for complete transparency on the impact of companies on their communities and on the planet.”   To improve transparency at The Detox Market, the retailer is developing sustainability guidelines for the brands it stocks. “It’s not a black or white type of situation, that’s why it is complex. It would be hard to say, ‘No more plastic,’ and tell all the brands, ‘You have 60 days to remove plastic.’ We are working on what to do. My idea is to really encourage brands to join our movement and to find better solutions,” says Gaillard. “Packaging for small brands is complicated because the MOQs [minimum order requirements] are high. It can be that some small brands work together or work with us to get to higher MOQs, and we together convince packaging companies to work on sustainable solutions.”

When it comes to going green, consumer products have led the movement in the kids industry. Toycos got the ball rolling early on being more environmentally friendly, with major players like Hasbro announcing initiatives as early as 2010.   And while those first programs focused on reducing the amount of paper and plastic used in packaging, more recently licensees and manufacturers are turning their attention to baking in an eco-friendly ethos into the very DNA of their brands.   Nickelodeon is taking this tack with its consumer products strategy for YouTube star Isabella de La Torre (known as La Bala).   Cristian Cabero, Nick’s SVP of consumer products and location-based experiences, says his team took inspiration from the ways in which de La Torre works green products into her everyday life when they began developing the CP range.   For example, she travels with a reusable cup to avoid single-use plastics, so Nickelodeon is aiming to create products that are similarly sustainable, as well as reducing the amount of packaging used for the entire line. These efforts aren’t designed to stand out—being eco-friendly should now be assumed and something La Torre’s fans expect from their purchases.   In fact, a 2018 study from research firm GreenMatch found that 72% of Gen Z consumers would spend more money on a service if it was sustainably produced, and those same respondents also reported a strong preference for switching to brands with sustainable initiatives. The study also found kids are willing to boycott companies that do not align with their values. And these stats came before millions of people (Gen Zers among them) protested for climate change solutions in September last year. What’s more, a 2019 report from Research and Markets found kids have a direct spending power of as much as US$143 billion, and an indirect spending power of US$600 billion. That’s a lot of reasons to go green.   Initial categories for La Bala’s consumer products program will include apparel, accessories, publishing and back-to-school, with the first items scheduled to hit shelves in Mexico this summer. By the end of the year, Nickelodeon plans to expand throughout LatAm and launch additional categories like bedding and electronic accessories.   De La Torre first learned about environmental issues and sustainability through social media, she says. “It’s unbelievable how many things are happening because of climate change, and people think it’s normal. We have to work now, and I’ve been using my voice to spread awareness.”   But de La Torre’s entire life doesn’t revolve around environmental efforts. She’s like most teenagers, which means her time is split between a number of interests.   “There are a lot of things she’s passionate about,” says Tatiana Rodriguez, Nickelodeon’s SVP of programming and creative strategy. “She also loves music and art, so we’re working to incorporate all of those things into the products [with equal importance.]”         The biggest obstacle, Cabera says, is waiting for the technology behind manufacturing processes to catch up to the company’s (and de La Torre’s) aspirations. “There are limitations,” he says. “We must deliver a good-quality product at a price that is accessible to the consumer.”   Even with tech enabling more eco-friendly products, this level of environmental integration isn’t easily achievable for every toyco. For those who aren’t yet ready to go fully green with a new range, there are other options.   New Zealand-based company Zuru, for example, is making incremental changes to its Bunch O Balloons (pictured) brand after being criticized for generating plastic waste. The product features balloons with self-sealing stems that allow kids to quickly and easily fill up—you guessed it—a bunch of balloons at once.   “The balloon pieces aren’t able to be put in all curbside recycling because they’re latex,” says Zuru’s global marketing director, Renee Lee. “We looked at how we could mitigate the impact we’re having, and that’s where the idea came about to partner with TerraCycle.”   The New Jersey-based company allows consumers to dispose of their Bunch O Balloons stems, bags and balloon pieces by mailing them in to be recycled. The packaging materials, for example, are melted into hard plastic that can be remolded into new products. The Zuru team is also aiming to change to 100% certified recycled materials in 2021.   And though a brand like Bunch O Balloons may not easily lend itself to environmental efforts, sustainability can become a founding pillar of new properties. Cuddles the Sloth, an upcoming addition to Zuru’s portfolio, is a prime example.   Instead of hard mechanics, the interactive pet features pressurized air flowing through tubes to create hundreds of movements including hand-holding, singing and sneezing. Zuru engineered the tech in house, and—besides a small battery pack—the product is truly plush, free of many of the non-recyclable materials traditionally associated with interactive pets.   Cuddles has been in the works for five years, and Lee says that in 2019 as the team was aligning its strategy for the launch, wildfires were raging across the Amazon rainforest.   Because sloths live in rainforests in Central and South America, Zuru partnered with One Tree Planted to include codes in the packaging that will allow kids to go online and plant a tree in the rainforest. (It costs Zuru just US$1 for the organization to plant a new tree.)   “It wasn’t just about giving money back to plant these trees,” Lee says. “It was about engaging the children who purchase this toy in the message.”

In this interview, TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky talks to Arnaud Meysselle, CEO of REN Clean Skincare about the later's partnership with Loop - TerraCycle's global circular shopping platform. REN Clean Skincare has a substantial sustainability platform. Please tell us about it. REN Clean Skincare has adopted a holistic approach to sustainability, especially since pledging to be Zero Waste by 2021. There’s no silver bullet to sustainability, but the changes we've made demonstrate a commitment toward reducing waste through the use of recycled materials and recyclable and refillable packaging solutions. We’ve included as much PCR as is currently viable in the packaging of our latest launches, Clean Screen Mineral SPF, Non-Drying Spot Treatment and Clean Jelly Oil Cleanser, which have been designed with circularity in mind. We’ve also used reclaimed ocean plastic sourced by TerraCycle® in the production of a 100% recycled bottle, raising awareness of a larger climate waste problem. With Loop, we’re aiming to avoid waste creation altogether, providing refillable solutions that allow customers to return their packaging to be cleaned, refilled, and delivered time and time again. How did the partnership with TerraCycle and its circular shopping platform Loop start? Our partnership with Loop is an essential - and exciting - step forward in our pledge to become Zero Waste by 2021. REN Clean Skincare first partnered with leading recycling innovator TerraCycle in 2018 as one of the first prestige skincare brands to offer a product in a 100% recycled PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottle, 20% of which is reclaimed from the ocean. Showcased in our award-winning Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Body Wash and Lotion, with more packs to follow, the reclaimed plastic content is collected from oceans, beaches, rivers, lakes and the banks of those waterways by global NGOs mobilized through TerraCycle’s network. How does the partnership with Loop fit with REN’s priorities? Loop’s vision to create a circular refillable system aligned with our Zero Waste initiative so well that we were the first premium beauty brand to sign up. A subscription service can be daunting for some customers, but to ours, who engage with our sustainability ethos, we are delighted to offer a mess-free, convenient refill option that keeps our packaging from becoming waste in the first place. What can consumers expect from REN Clean Skincare in Loop? Six of our bestselling products will be available in glass bottles, making them easier to clean and refill, with a single-material plastic pump, which is easier to recycle than standard pumps with metal springs. Loop has an entire team dedicated to creating stringent design specifications for Loop packages to ensure they are durable, transport well, hold temperature, and protect the products inside. With this collaboration, consumers can expect the same luxury products with clean, high-quality ingredients, now in beautiful, durable packaging with the added premium service and convenience of delivery and pickup. What was REN’s process with its packaging in order to join Loop? As the first premium beauty brand to join Loop, there was an element of learning together. We were lucky to have a transparent relationship where we could test packaging and adapt on the go. Many ideas and packaging concepts later, we have our refillable glass bottles that are durable enough to be cleaned and reused over and over, while our pumps are being dismantled and recycled. With advancing technology, the aim is that these pumps can be cleaned and reused alongside our bottles before eventually being recycled. However, it’s an ongoing process. With Loop, we will be continually reviewing and testing our refillable solutions to ensure they are compatible with the Loop circular model while staying true to the REN Clean Skincare brand. What are the learnings to carry into 2020, be they issues of packaging design, supply chain, logistics, marketing, public opinion, or educating consumers around the circular economy? Education is the key factor in minimising waste. We know our customers are keen to lessen their environmental impact. As recycling methods differ from country to country, and even council to council, it can be hard to find relevant information. It’s up to us to lobby councils to become more waste-conscious, while also designing packaging that can be recycled more easily within current facilities and educating customers through our communications to dispose of it correctly to ensure it reaches the appropriate recycling stream. In addition to Loop, what are REN’s other plans for innovating for the future? We have exciting upcoming projects that fulfill the three key areas of our Zero Waste pledge. With Loop, we explore refillable and reusable solutions, but we’re also working to redesign our packaging into fully recyclable vessels, with no metal pumps and single-type plastic. We’ve broken new ground with Infinity Recycling, which involves the launch of a new pack using circular polymers certified by SABIC, a global leader in pioneering sustainable material solutions by facilitating reuse of the planet’s natural resources. We are proud to be the first luxury beauty brand to support this groundbreaking recycling technology that is capable of regenerating plastic waste to deliver certified recycled plastic identical to virgin, a great addition to current technologies. Our upcoming launches will maximise the use of PCR plastic usage and recyclability, working towards our pledge of being Zero Waste by 2021. What is your advice for other companies (big and small) who want to design into the circular economy but don’t know where to start? It’s not being wrong you should fear - it’s not trying. With new technologies constantly arising, sustainability can be complex and takes constant review to stay up to date. At REN Clean Skincare our main ethos was Clean to Skin and we have proudly evolved by adding Clean to Planet with a 50/50 importance. If you build it into your brand, it will soon become intrinsic to your processes. Remember, there is not one solution to sustainability, the approach you take will depend on your vision of sustainability, your consumer and your product. Don’t follow other brands for their action, make your actions as part of your product offering and brand purpose.

Bausch + Lomb, the global eye health company of Bausch Health Companies Inc., is partnering with recycler TerraCycle to launch a recycling program for contact lenses in Canada.   Called the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program – and available in select eye care offices across Canada – the joint initiative allows Canadians who wear contact lenses to recycle their traditionally non-recyclable disposable contact lenses and blister pack packaging.   “More than 290 million contact lenses end up in Canadian landfills or waterways yearly…and as more consumers switch to wearing daily disposable lenses, this number will increase significantly,” said Matt Nowak, director of sales and marketing, Bausch + Lomb Canada. “With the launch of the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, they will finally be able to divert this waste away from landfills, lakes, rivers and oceans.   According to Bausch + Lomb, contact lenses and blister packs are considered non-recyclable through municipal facilities because they’re too small to be captured by standard sorting machinery. Through the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, consumers can search for their nearest participating eye care professional on the interactive map found at www.terracycle.com/en-CA/brigades/bausch-and-lomb-en-cato recycle all brands of disposable contact lenses and blister pack packaging through that location.   After being collected at an Every Contact Counts recycling location, the contact lenses and blister packs are shipped to a TerraCycle recycling facility, where they’re separated and cleaned. The metal layers of the blister packs are recycled separately, while the contact lenses and plastic blister pack components are melted into plastic, which can be remolded to create new products.   “Contact lenses are one of the forgotten waste streams that are often overlooked due to their size and how commonplace they are in today’s society,” said TerraCycle founder and CEO Tom Szaky. “By creating this recycling initiative, our aim is to provide an opportunity where whole communities are able to collect waste alongside a national network of public drop-off locations, all with the unified goal to increase the number of recycled contact lenses and their associated packaging, thereby reducing their overall impact on the environment.”   In addition to Canada, Bausch + Lomb also has similar contact lens recycling programs in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Australia.   TerraCycle is headquartered in Trenton, N.J.

TORONTO and TRENTON, N.J. – Bausch + Lomb has partnered with TerraCycle to launch contact lens recycling in Canada.   Through the joint initiative, Canadians who wear contact lenses now have a way to recycle their traditionally non-recyclable disposable contact lenses and blister pack packaging.   Contact lenses and blister packs are considered non-recyclable through municipal facilities because they are too small to be captured by standard sorting machinery. Through the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, consumers can search for their nearest participating eye care professional on the interactive map found here to recycle all brands of disposable contact lenses and blister pack packaging through that location.   After being collected at an Every Contact Counts recycling location, the contact lenses and blister packs are shipped to a TerraCycle recycling facility where they are separated and cleaned. The metal layers of the blister packs are recycled separately, while the contact lenses and plastic blister pack components are melted into plastic, which can be remoulded to create new products.   “More than 290 million contact lenses end up in Canadian landfills or waterways yearly,” said Matt Nowak, director, sales and marketing, Bausch + Lomb Canada.   “As more consumers switch to wearing daily disposable lenses, this number will increase significantly. Our customers and their patients are concerned about the environmental impact of the packaging going to landfills, and they want to act to protect the environment.”   “Contact lenses are one of the forgotten waste streams that are often overlooked due to their size and how commonplace they are in today’s society,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO, TerraCycle.   “Initiatives like the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program allow eye care professionals and patients to work within their communities and take an active role in preserving the environment, beyond what their local recycling programs are able to provide. By creating this recycling initiative, our aim is to provide an opportunity where whole communities are able to collect waste alongside a national network of public drop-off locations, all with the unified goal to increase the number of recycled contact lenses and their associated packaging, thereby reducing their overall impact on the environment.”   In addition to Canada, Bausch + Lomb also has similar contact lens recycling programs in The Netherlands, the United States and Australia.