近日，包裹递送服务公司UPS与全球多家知名大型消费产品公司以及回收利用全球领导品牌泰瑞环保（TerraCycle）强强联手，共同推出了一个回收利用的全新系统，几乎可以摆脱塑料用品世界的不利影响。这个名为“loop”的系统鼓励可重复利用可归还的再利用形式，通过管理消费产品包装的方式达到让消费者减少一次性包装消费的效果。

TerraCycle's new circular shopping platform rescues big packaged brands from PR crisis Remember the sea turtle with a straw fused up its nose? The viral image that broke your heart and made you swear off straws? There’s more. On February 4, the UK’s RSPCA released the latest round of disturbing photos of wildlife – maimed seals, ducks, deer, even cats – ensnared in plastic bags, bottles and other snaggy remnants of our disposable economy. A flurry of British media headlines cut to the chase: record numbers of animals are killed or injured by plastic. It doesn’t take a PR insider to tell you that new reports of wildlife injured by plastic litter are sure to get packaged goods makers biting their nails and bracing for impact. With public outrage over disposable plastics growing steadily, major international brands have been under heavy pressure to rethink their packaging models. Over the last few months, the world’s largest consumer goods makers and sellers responded by announcing some surprisingly aggressive waste reduction targets. With some cajoling from the UK-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation, roughly 300 major corporations responsible for 20 per cent of the planet’s plastic packaging, including Unilever, Colgate, SC Johnson, H&M, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, signed onto a “new plastics economy” commitment. They’ve vowed to make sure all their plastic packaging is either recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. The targets are impressive. They’re also, as shareholder advocacy group As You Sow noted, aspirational. Making your plastic packaging recyclable is one thing. Making sure it all gets recycled is another, particularly with global recycling infrastructure in a free fall, as China and now Malaysia and soon Vietnam shut their doors to the planet’s less desirable recycling scraps. (Not to mention that 90 per cent of plastic is never shipped off to be recycled to begin with, regardless of whether it’s technically recyclable). Compostable packaging targets get messy, too, when you consider that many cities with curbside composting, such as Toronto, reject most certified compostable packaging (like, say, compostable coffee pods) in their green bins because they’re, in a nutshell, not compatible with their systems. That leaves the most meaningful option – and the gateway to a truly circular economy – behind door number three: reusable. Deposit return systems on refillable drink containers, including beer or milk bottles, have been the golden child of the circular economy since, well, the golden era of the milkman. Other circular economy darlings have usually been limited to companies that make products that can be taken back and/or and refurbished, like an old Patagonia coat. The idea has never really gained traction with the make ‘n toss packaged good set – until now. Enter Loop’s new “circular shopping platform” – heralded as the 21^st century milkman. But instead of a milk truck, your friendly neighbourhood UPS driver will be tasked with dropping off (and picking up) a leak-proof reusable LOOP box filled with an array of popular brands like Pantene, Tide, Seventh Generation, Dove, Tropicana, Nature’s Path, Body Shop and more so people can get everything from mayonnaise to deodorant in branded stainless steel, glass and refillable plastic containers – all within 48 hours of ordering. Once you’re done, call UPS for pick-up and the containers will be returned to Loop for sanitation then to manufacturers for refill. It’s a conscious consumer’s dream. It also sounds like a lot of greenhouse gas-intensive shipping. TerraCycle, the company behind Loop has said it’s calculated the total impact of its shopping platform and says that, overall, Loop products are 50 to 75 per cent better for the environment than conventional alternatives. Usman Valiante has his doubts. The senior policy analyst with Corporate Policy Group LLP has been involved in rolling out producer take-back initiatives in B.C. and Ontario and cautions that early carbon footprint estimates often miss the mark: “If you look at the greenhouse gas footprint of Amazon, online shop was supposed to reduce the amount of truck trips, when it’s actually done the opposite.” It would be “fine, if the entire transportation system ran on renewable energy,” says Valiante. “But it’s not.” Loop has argued that while it might add more delivery trucks to the road, it’s system will ultimately involve fewer garbage trucks. It also plans to break into brick-and-mortar retail outlets in the future. Loop’s real world GHG numbers will be crunched further during its trial run in New York and Paris starting this May. If all goes well, Loop trials will be coming to Toronto, Tokyo, San Fran and London next to much fanfare. Many of Loop’s early brand partners could no doubt use some good press. Coco-Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, Nestle, Mars, Clorox, Mondelēz have all been slammed by Greenpeace as the world’s largest contributors to the ocean plastic crisis. Their branded packaging has been turning up in Greenpeace ocean trash audits from Asia to Canada. It’s actually why Loop’s creator, Toronto-raised and Jersey-headquartered Tom Szaky reportedly pitched those brands first. Partnering with Loop doesn’t just save them from a PR crisis and position them as innovators. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has also been drawing corporate players to the circular economy table with the promise of boosted brand loyalty and deeper data dives on consumers. As Institute for Smart Prosperity’s Stephanie Cairns points out to, when people sign up to have weekly deliveries of Haagen-Dazs [the only ice cream brand in the Loop store so far], Nestle doesn’t just get brand loyalty, it starts amassing specific data about exactly who’s eating its ice cream and when. “For a lot of brands, this a very attractive idea,” says Cairns. TerraCycle (founded in 2001) has always known the power of flipping the script on branded packaged goods. One of the recycling company’s earliest upcycled products involved transforming old branded juice pouches into new branded tote bags. Okay, so not everyone wants to sling a Luna-wrapper-turned-messenger bag over their shoulder. But with TerraCycle’s new Loop initiative, they’ve figured out a classier way to close the loop on disposables, working with consumer good companies to develop sleek, branded reusable containers, on which deposits will be paid. The concept should test well with well-heeled, urban Aspirationals – the 40 per cent of people who, according to BBMG, wan­­t to buy from companies that do good. Particularly those Aspirationals already doing a lot of online shopping and feeling guilty about their packaging trail. But not every consumer will want to or can afford to fork out $20 for shipping and up to $10 per container on a deposit, which throws a bit of a wrench in the reach and scaleability of the model. For others, no amount of shiny reusable packaging will scrub the tarnish from the Coca-Colas and Nestles of the world. Emily Charles-Donelson works with Toronto Tool Library and Sharing Depot, where customers can borrow items and refill their own soap containers. She’s worried that Mondelēz, Clorox and friends will be selling Millennials more of the same old problematic products in feel-good packaging. “Loop’s reusable container program has the potential to significantly amplify the growing culture of reuse, moving us away from the erroneous notion that recycling is a viable solution to the waste crisis,” says Charles-Donelson. “Zooming out, however, LOOP is a halfway solution dreamed up within the parameters of the same broken corporate narrative that fueled the environmental crisis in the first place.” Can we buy our way out of this mess? Probably not, especially if we’re buying disposable paper towels and sewer-clogging antibacterial wipes in refillable containers. But at least we’re starting to come to terms with the glaring reality that we can’t recycle our way out. Until we’ve figured out a new green economy that isn’t so deeply hinged on ever more consumption, the world needs Loop and others like it to catch on, do well, scale up beyond the 20,000 stainless steel tubs of Häagen-Dazs being piloted (humans, after all, buy 13 billion litres of ice cream every year) and to thrive as one of many circular economy solutions around the globe. Maybe more than anything, we need the Loops, Tool Libraries and Sharing Depots of the world to be supported by ambitious and binding circular economy regulations, along the lines of what we’re seeing in Europe and the UK (we’re waiting on you, Canada).  At the moment, Cairns says, “We [in Canada] don’t have a public policy framework that’s going to easily enable a [refillable] product to come into the market and be collected through regular waste pick-up streams and recirculated back to suppliers.” “The Loop model really highlights the defects in Canada’s current system,” says Cairns, but she points out it also shows the potential that’s out there “if we unleash creative thinking out-of-the-box thinking.”s  

An estimated 3,000 government officials, business leaders, economics experts and non-profit representatives flocked to Davos, Switzerland, for the 2019 edition of the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering. To create a new world, we need a new world order. And that order should be guided by a vision for shared prosperity and shaped, at least in part, by a circular economic model. That mantra was espoused by many of the estimated 3,000 government officials, business leaders, economics experts and non-profit representatives who flocked to Davos, Switzerland, last week for the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering. Amid the kerfuffle about the comings and goings of an estimated 1,500 private jets, consternation over the U.S. no-show and muted cheers over record numbers of female delegates, calls for circularity — including the bold push for reusing consumer products packaging fronted by TerraCycle — and inclusivity sounded again and again. "This next phase of globalization needs to deliver economic growth — but deliver it such that it is equitable growth," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, one of the conference co-chairs, in prepared remarks for his speech at the event. "Let’s challenge the status quo with innovation and ingenuity." That requires an intergenerational, international perspective: This year, six of the eight meeting agenda co-chairs were millennials representing Colombia, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Sweden and the United States. Noura Berrouba, member of the Governing Body of the European Youth Parliament, challenged participants to find empathy. "These are not threats; these are not problems," she said, referring to the distance between the Davos attendees and those whose voices need louder amplification. "These are change agents and opportunities, and if we want to create a world where we tackle our common challenges, we need to work with the people outside of these halls." The tone of these remarks was echoed later in keynote addresses by the prime ministers of Spainand Italy, as well as the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who spoke extensively about the need to address the growing wealth gap in Europe and the rest of the world. The "yellow vests" movement in France, for example, has been a wake-up call to other members of the European Union. Governments’ climate change strategies have focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency and avoiding deforestation but they have overlooked the vast potential of the circular economy. "I am a multilateralist; I am deeply convinced there is no other way to deal with global problems but with global responses," Guterres said. "It is also not enough to vilify those that disagree and call them 'nationalists' or 'populists.' We need to understand the root causes of why large sectors of the population in different parts of the world today disagree with us — and we need to address those root causes and show these people that we care for them." Just one more exacerbating factor: New data from Oxfam suggests that Earth’s 26 richest individuals own as much as the poorest 50 percent. In 2017, it took 43 billionaires to get to that number. In an essay penned for the World Economic Forum (WEF) media center, the chief sustainability officer for Indian equipment and vehicle conglomerate Mahindra, Anirban Ghosh, suggested that the ingredients to build compelling circular economy businesses and models in poor or developing nations — including India and China — are plentiful and potent. He noted that addressing climate change offers an unparalleled opportunity to "reboot" the world economy, pointing to materials recovery and higher rates of repair as steps in the right direction. "Often handled informally, these activities provide the only source of livelihoods to some of the world’s poorest populations," wrote Ghosh. "By turning these existing trends into core development strategies, these countries could generate significant economic savings and massively cut down on carbon emissions. While developing countries must learn to do more and do it better, developed economies have an opportunity to re-orient the ‘take-make-dispose’ economic model towards a more circular paradigm." A sense of urgency Much has changed globally in the 12 months since the last Davos gathering, most especially the publication last fall of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change signaling that humans are acting far too slowly to meet the climate-mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement. Everyone needs to get a move on, to stay within just 1.5 degrees Celsius warming of global temperatures by 2030, the panel urged. "Unprecedented changes in all aspects of society" are required to get there — touching land use, energy, buildings, transport and cities — costing an estimated $2.4 trillion a year worldwide, it warned in October. We’re already witnessing the fallout in the form of more frequent hurricanes, droughts and wildfires around the world. As is tradition, the forum released its annual report (PDF) about global risks shortly before the gathering: the top three dangers, in terms of likelihood, are all related to global warming — extreme weather events, failure of mitigation and adaptation and natural disasters. That’s almost the same as last year’s list, with the exception of the weight the forum placed in 2018 on cyber attacks and data privacy concerns. "Renewing and improving the architecture of our national and international political and economic systems is this generation’s defining task," wrote World Economic Forum's president, Børge Brende, in the risk report introduction. "It will be a monumental undertaking, but an indispensable one." The upside potential of circular economy strategies It also could be lucrative for the businesses that step ahead, according to several economic analyses and reports published this week alongside the forum. Research from Dutch-based Circle Economy estimates that just 9 percent of the global economy operates in a circular manner. Only by prioritizing broader reuse of the roughly 92.8 billion metric tons of minerals, fossil fuels, metals, biomass and other materials that enter the economy annually can countries meet the United Nations target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C, the organization suggests. "Governments’ climate change strategies have focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency and avoiding deforestation but they have overlooked the vast potential of the circular economy," said Circle Economy CEO Harald Friedl in a statement. "They should re-engineer supply chains all the way back to the wells, fields, mines and quarries where our resources originate so that we consume fewer raw materials. This will not only reduce emissions but also boost growth by making economies more efficient." Certain industries could have a massive impact. A separate report (PDF) published by WEF and the United Nations E-Waste Coalition estimated the annual value of electronic waste at $62 billion, three times the worth of all the silver produced in a single year. Put another way, the current "volume" of e-waste produced annually, almost 50 million tonnes, weighs more than every commercial airplane created. The data heralds a new collaboration between several U.N. agencies and technology giants Dell, HP Inc., Microsoft and Philips, which are investing $15 million to begin constructing an e-waste recycling industry in Nigeria. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation also weighed in with an updated report about the connection between food waste and circular economy principles, which the organization estimates could be worth $2.7 trillion annually to the global economy. The paper is essentially a call to action for city planners, given that urban areas will consume roughly 80 percent of all food produced by 2050. Three practices that will be particularly imperative: local sourcing that prioritizes agribusinesses using generative soil techniques; more creative ways of making use of food by-products to eliminate waste; and more weight on plant-based protein alternatives. Here are some ways that technology can help One company that has factored the implications of circular economy principles for some time is Google. One of its quests has been researching and imaging ways in which it can help cities rethink energy management, transportation systems and waste diversion, recycling and reuse systems. Naturally, Google believes technology will be central to accelerating and enabling the transition. This week, the company’s cloud software organization kicked off a social entrepreneurship contest in collaboration with SAP called Circular Economy 2030 to surface "original ideas" for transforming anything from agriculture to packaging. Google also believes artificial intelligence has a big role to play in accelerating and scaling the circular economy transition, a position it defends in a white paper released in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Two of the bold claims: Design choices enabled by AI could help eliminate up to $127 billion in spending per year related to food waste and up to $90 billion in electronics production — both predictions are pegged to 2030. AI could be particularly useful in overhauling the product design process, according to the paper. Here’s why: Circularity requires more features to be taken into consideration for the design of products, components, and materials, such as disassembly, upgradability, or recycled content. Add to this list of features the wide choice of materials and the possibilities of manipulation of structures with 3D printing and other manufacturing techniques, and the design options become countless. AI technology can be a helpful tool to enable designers to manage this complexity when making decisions. A continuous feedback process where designers test and refine AI generated design suggestions could lead to a better design outcome in a shorter time period. For a hint of other technologies that could play a role in the transition, peek at information about Accenture’s latest The Circulars awards, meant to recognize trailblazers. This year’s program attracted more than 450 applications. The winners included Lehigh Technologies, which helps reincarnate end-of-life tires for new uses; TriCiclos, a company that has reinvented the waste management infrastructure in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru; and Winnow, which makes a "smart meter" used by companies such as IKEA and Hilton to reduce food waste in commercial kitchens. An infinite loop for consumer products, inspired by reusability Davos was also the launch pad for a new initiative, Loop, convened by consumer products giants such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Danone and Mondelēz to test a system of reusable packaging imagined by upcycling pioneer TerraCycle. In the first phase, available this spring near Paris and in the New York metropolitan area, about 300 products will be made available in reusable, durable containers. Once an item is consumed, the empty container can be returned for a refill. "We realized that recycling and using recycled content is about trying to do the best you can with waste, but it's not solving the foundational reason we have waste," TerraCycle founder and CEO Tom Szaky told GreenBiz. "We did a lot of reflection on that and realized that the foundational cause of garbage is disposability and single-use. We tried to come up with a way to solve for disposability but maintain the virtues of disposability, which are convenience and affordability." Whether consumers embrace the idea remains to be seen, of course, but the need for more business models build on the concept of reuse never has been more urgent.

A new initiative by a small company has compelled more than two dozen of the world’s biggest brands to begin testing reusable packaging. Loop, launched today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, has amassed a blue-chip roster of companies, all of which are piloting a new system of high-quality packaging that can be returned and refilled again and again. In essence, it changes the ownership model of packaging from consumer to producer. The big question is, will consumers buy into it? Today’s launch is the product of more than a year’s work by TerraCycle, the Trenton, New Jersey-based company that made a name for itself by turning hard-to-recycle waste (think juice boxes, coffee capsules, plastic gloves and cigarette filters) into new products. Along the way, the company, founded in 2001, has partnered with major consumer brands, retailers, manufacturers, municipalities and small businesses in more than 20 countries. Loop is the natural progression of that model, as well as the corporate relationships TerraCycle developed over the years. Its Loop partners include Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, Mars, Clorox, Coca-Cola, Mondelēz, Danone and a dozen or so smaller brands. European retailer Carrefour, logistics company UPS and resource management company Suez are also engaged in the system. The service will launch this spring in two markets: Ile-de-France, the region in north-central France surrounding Paris; and the New York region, which includes parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Initially, about 300 products will be available in durable, reusable containers, many created especially for Loop. "The key thesis statement is we can't just recycle our way out of the garbage crisis," Tom Szaky, TerraCycle’s CEO and co-founder, explained to me recently. "We need foundational changes. Our version of the foundational change is: How do we solve for disposability at the root cause, while matching the benefits?" Loop brings back the old 'milkman model,' where products are delivered to your door at the same time empties are picked up, washed, refilled and readied for delivery to another customer. Simply put, Loop brings back the old "milkman model," where products are delivered to customers at the same time empties are picked up, washed, refilled and restocked for delivery to another customer. The customer gets the product but the company owns the package. The reality is somewhat more complex. Loop initially will be an e-commerce play. Consumers can order goods from the Loop website or that of a partner and have them delivered like traditional products ordered online. But there’s a twist: Customers pay a small deposit for a package that has been designed for 100 or more use-cycles. When the container is empty, customers place it in a specially designed tote for pickup or, in some cases, can bring it to a retailer. They can choose whether they want that product replenished; if not, their deposit is returned or credited to their account. The empties are sent to a facility where they are washed and refilled. The entire process is handled by TerraCycle, from sale and delivery to package return and cleaning. In effect, TerraCycle is the online retailer, buying wholesale and selling retail. The package remains the property of the brand. Eventually, Loop will expand to include brick-and-mortar retailers — Carrefour and Tesco in Europe have signed on and expect to introduce Loop products in their stores later this year; a U.S. retail partner hasn’t yet been named. In that in-store version, consumers can bring empties back in a QR-embedded container provided by Loop. Scratching a niche The rebirth of reuse has been long coming. Since the dawn of the recycling movement about 30 years ago, companies have tried a number of schemes to enable consumers to use packaging over and over. One plan featured small packets of concentrated liquids used to refill a bottle of household cleaner — just add water to the concentrate and, voilá, a full bottle of a brand-name product. Another approach, refill stores, emerged in cities in Europe and North America, enabling consumers to bring their own container to buy bulk goods. Refill stations also are in traditional supermarkets and in some personal care retailers. But none of these has caught on beyond a tiny niche. Consumers, outside of a precious few hardcore greenies, don’t really want to be inconvenienced, much as they may be seeking to avoid wasteful practices. Loop’s approach seeks to overcome those obstacles. The key, said Szaky, is trying to mimic the way consumers already buy, use and dispose of packaging. We realized that recycling and using recycled content is about trying to do the best you can with waste, but it's not solving the foundational reason we have waste. "We realized that recycling and using recycled content is about trying to do the best you can with waste, but it's not solving the foundational reason we have waste. We did a lot of reflection on that and realized that the foundational cause of garbage is disposability and single-use. We tried to come up with a way to solve for disposability but maintain the virtues of disposability, which are convenience and affordability." Szaky explained that his goal with Loop was to make the system simple and familiar. "You get a box at your door with your stuff in it. Though it's better, because your box is durable, and you don't have to worry about recycling all that cardboard." Similarly on the back end. "We're trying to emulate the way you do your recycling at home. You take your used packages and you either put them in the recycling container or into your garbage bin. And then you lug it down to the curb and your recycling company or your garbage company takes it." With Loop, consumers put empties in a tote or other Loop-provided receptacle, which is picked up via UPS or another carrier, or dropped off at a retail partner," explains Szaky. "There's no washing, no cleaning required. Just like a disposable object, you throw it back into one of those durable shipping containers you would've received from us." Szaky envisions a "reuse bin" eventually showing up in homes alongside garbage and recycling bins. "And when we pick up, you have the option to have it set to auto-replenish, so that you can actually make your shopping even easier, because your empties trigger your re-orders." Counter-worthy Part of the magic of Loop is reusable packaging, designed in partnership with the brand owners to be not just durable, but "counter-worthy" — attractive enough to keep in plain view, in the words of Virginie Helias, vice president and chief sustainability officer at Procter & Gamble. "You want to show it to your friends." But, she adds, the appeal is not just aesthetic: "It's also the fact that it's a better premium experience for people." For P&G, that meant designing new packaging for the Loop platform. And, in some cases, inventing new products altogether. For example, the company developed a toothbrush called Click, part of the company’s Oral B line. "It's basically a new design that reduced the plastic by 60 percent because you have a durable handle which is made of composite material," explained Helias. "And there is a mechanism which we call Click Fits, which allows you to detach the head from the handle." A Loop tote for delivering products to consumers. Procter & Gamble, Loop’s biggest partner, which also owns a 2 percent stake in the enterprise, has tapped into 10 of its most iconic brands as part of the Loop launch, including Ariel, Cascade, Crest, Febreze, Gillette, Pantene, Pampers and Tide. "What was great to see was that most of our P&G categories were actually highly relevant for people in terms of having durable packaging," said Helias. Unilever, another Loop launch partner, is putting eight of its brands into the Loop platform, including Rexona, Dove and Axe deodorants; Signal toothpaste; Häagen Dazs ice cream; and Hellmann's mayonnaise. With the company’s deodorant brands, "The base of the stick packaging is now made from stainless steel. As you use the product, there's an insertable refill where you then give that back to us and then we send you a new one," explained David Blanchard, Unilever’s chief R&D officer. Like P&G’s Helias, Blanchard used the word "beautiful" repeatedly in our conversation to describe the company's various reusable packaging innovations, made from glass, aluminum, durable plastics and other materials. For example, regarding the deodorants, he said, "It's a beautifully crafted piece of packaging." Another Unilever innovation is Signal tooth tabs, an alternative to toothpaste. Essentially, it’s a small tablet of tooth powder you "chew, brush as usual, then rinse and smile," Blanchard explained. "We're creating a whole new format in a fully recyclable and refillable jar, so you get zero packaging, zero waste. It uses less water because of the way in which you simply put the product in your mouth and then clean and rinse." Will consumers buy in? No doubt, Loop is a well-designed system with a compelling offering and a powerhouse line-up of brands. But one key question remains: Will consumers buy in to reuse? It’s no small concern. Consumers — in Europe, North America, South America and Asia — repeatedly have foiled efforts by brands large and small to create products and delivery models that reduce waste, energy, water and other resources. In some cases, they believed that products were inferior or didn’t perform well. In others, the higher price was a barrier, and still others lacked the convenience of their conventional version. In many cases, consumers couldn't be bothered to change their well-worn habits. Szaky and his corporate partners believe they have thought through such pitfalls, although the Loop system hasn’t yet been tested in real-world settings. Szaky and his corporate partners seem to have thought through many of these downfalls, but the Loop system hasn’t yet been tested in real-world settings. Clearly, Loop’s big brand partners believe that their individual and combined efforts can break through. "It addresses a clearly growing expectation from people," says P&G’s Helias. "When we ask people about what's important for them, packaging now becomes intrinsically important. And the frustration with other packaging is becoming very close to other factors that we are hearing about in our studies." Unilever’s Blanchard agrees. "We think that about 25 percent of consumers today are looking to buy brands that have a more sustainable footprint or clearly have a purpose that resonates with them from a broad environmental sustainable purpose point of view. And then, there's probably another 50 percent of consumers who are then increasingly looking for brands to have that point of view or that sustainable footprint." There’s also comfort in numbers, he says. "We've looked at reuse in France. We're looking at a refill type of system in Vietnam. And we've not yet really cracked that business model. What Loop offered was the opportunity to be a part of a bigger consortium where consumers will get a much broader range of products. And therefore it gives them an opportunity to really do this with a bit more scale." Helias believes the reuse model has other benefits beyond the environmental ones. "You obviously develop a very intimate relationship with the consumer. And you build loyalty. It is all about enabling and inspiring responsible consumption, which is kind of our core agenda at P&G. And this addresses it beautifully. This is why we have so many brands excited about the idea." P&G, Unilever and the other partners will be watching the forthcoming launch closely, trying to discern what works. "I think the most important metric will be the depth of repeat," said Blanchard. "Do consumers come back to using these products time and time again? We would typically look to find at minimum a 50 percent repeat rate, so that half of those consumers over a period of time come back to use the product at least once, if not two or three times." And, of course, there are the environmental metrics. "It takes five Loop cycles of fill and reuse to be better from an environmental standpoint," said Helias. "We hope can go way beyond that but that's exactly why we are testing in market. It's to validate that assumption." Tom Szaky, for his part, is already looking ahead. "The next category, when we're ready, we want to test things like baby clothing and baby toys. We think there's a really good opportunity for this in what we call disposable durables. That's going to be a key question for us: How far and wide can this go?"

La Ciudad de México es considerada actualmente la quinta megaurbe en el mundo con una población total estimada de 21 millones 581,000 habitantes, apenas por debajo de la metrópolis brasileña de Sao Paulo, de acuerdo con un informe de la ONU. Como toda megaurbe, la CDMX tiene múltiples problemáticas, entre las cuales una de las más complejas y que causarán mayor desvelo a los próximos alcaldes y alcaldesas de la CDMX es la excesiva generación de basura, considerando que los capitalinos producen cada año 4 millones 562 mil 500 toneladas de basura, lo que representa 12,500 toneladas de basura al día en la Ciudad de México, un volumen de desechos sólidos preocupante a nivel glocal considerando que la taza de reciclaje en el país es sólo del 3.3%[1] de acuerdo a cifras del Waste Atlas. Destacados conferencistas y emprendedores que inspiran como Michael Wass de TerraCycle, Dulce Álvarez de Granutec y Andrea García de PROtrash, participarán en el Energy Summit que se llevará a cabo en el festival INCmty 2018 del 8 al 10 de noviembre en Monterrey, compartiendo conocimientos, experiencias e ideas para enfrentar los desafiantes cambios a los que debemos adaptarnos como lo es el reciclaje. En esta cumbre se hablará de las oportunidades y nuevos accesos a soluciones operativas y tecnológicas para las mejoresstartups, proveedores e inversionistas en los campos de sostenibilidad, energías renovables, eficiencia energética y tecnología limpia. Michael Wass, Vicepresidente Global de Desarrollo de Negocios y Servicio al Cliente de TerraCycle, participará en INCmty con la conferencia “El gran valor de tu basura”. TerraCycle es una innovadora empresa que se ha convertido en un líder mundial por reciclar lo que normalmente se considera “no reciclable”. Ahí, Michael es responsable de la administración y expansión de más de 100 programas de reciclaje que se llevan a cabo en conjunto con socios como L’Oreal, Bimbo, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Mondelez y P&G. Además, es también el creador de un programa que ofrece donaciones a organizaciones sin fines de lucro a cambio de residuos para reciclar. En la CDMX TerraCycle está implementando un programa urbano llamado #TiraElChicleAlBote, una iniciativa que muestra que el reciclaje significa una segunda vida para el chicle, ya que, al ser mezclado este polímero con otros residuos, este puede convertirse en artículos de utilidad como: mochilas, lapiceras, botes de basura, jardineras, juegos infantiles para parques y en este caso el programa decidió enfocarse en botes de basura. El proyecto es de gran relevancia pues será el primer programa de reciclaje de chicles en México, un gran reto considerando que tan sólo en la calle de Madero, en el Centro Histórico de la CDMX, hay más de 200 mil gomas de mascar pegadas al suelo, según estimaciones de las autoridades capitalinas. Dulce Álvarez, directora de Granutec, participará con la conferencia “Emprendimiento Verde”. Granutec es una empresa familiar que se dedica al reciclaje de hule y de llantas. En México se desechan 40 millones de llantas al año, de las cuales sólo se recicla el 9%. Granutec crea nuevos productos como impermeabilizantes para los techos de las casas, pinturas ahuladas, pisos para canchas de tenis, canchas de futbol, hasta la masterización del hule para la industria automotriz y del calzado logrando haber reciclado a la fecha 1,400 toneladas de llantas. Andrea García, CEO de PROtrash, participará con la conferencia Cuidado! Hacer un emprendimiento social te puede cambiar la vida!. PROtrash es una empresa social que se dedica a mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas por medio del reciclaje. Una familia mexicana produce en promedio 4.5 kilogramos de basura al día, pero solamente el 3.3% de los residuos generados son reciclados de acuerdo a cifras del Waste Atlas, lo que convierte a la basura en un gran negocio desaprovechado. PROtrash promueve el intercambio de PET, aluminio y vidrio, por tarjetas con las que las personas de escasos recursos podrán comprar alimentos, ropa, medicinas o incluso juguetes. Además, la empresa social ha participado en varios concursos de emprendimiento como HULT PRIZE, Laudato si challenge, Sharktank, y ha sido nombrada la empresa social del año por Coparmex Jalisco en 2017. Su directora general, Andrea García, es ganadora del premio Tec Mujer 2018 en la categoría de emprendimiento social, y fue recientemente nombrada una de las 50 mujeres líderes en impacto social por Vital Voices. Expertos calculan que en los últimos 5 años los humanos han generado 228 mil toneladas de basura en el mundo cada hora en promedio, lo que ha provocado –entre otras cosas– la creación de una isla artificial desbordada por basura. La basura no sólo es un problema terrenal; el gran basural del planeta es el mar. Sobre él, más precisamente en el Océano Pacífico, flota a la deriva una isla de plástico y su tamaño es dos veces el territorio de Estados Unidos. La mancha –que surge a 800 kilómetros de la costa californiana– se acerca a Hawai y se extiende hasta casi Japón, un grave problema para la fauna marina que se nutre de ella al confundirla con alimento. Según Naciones Unidas, la contaminación del océano causa la muerte de un millón de pájaros cada año y de 100.000 mamíferos acuáticos. INCmty es una plataforma del Tecnológico de Monterrey que impulsa el emprendimiento y la innovación desde el 2013. Inició como un festival anual de emprendimiento y ahora es una iniciativa de Monterrey para México y el mundo, que convoca a innovadores, emprendedores y organizaciones para impulsarlas y conectarlas con lo mejor del ecosistema emprendedor mundial. Consulta imágenes los ponentes del Energy Summit en INCmty 2018 en esta liga: http://tiny.cc/EnergySummit Acerca del Tecnológico de Monterrey El Tecnológico de Monterrey (http://www.tec.mx) es una universidad privada sin fines de lucro fundada en 1943 cuya visión es formar líderes con espíritu emprendedor, sentido humano y competitivos internacionalmente; con presencia en 26 ciudades de México. El Tec de Monterrey cuenta con una matrícula de más de 60 mil alumnos de nivel profesional y posgrado, y más de 6 mil 600 profesores; cuenta también con más 27 mil alumnos de preparatoria y más de 2 mil 500 profesores de ese nivel. La Institución está acreditada por la Comisión de Universidades de la Asociación de Escuelas y Universidades del Sur de Estados Unidos (SACS). De acuerdo con el QS World University Rankings (2019), se encuentra en la posición número 178, y en su indicador de opinión entre empleadores se coloca como la número 1 en México y como la 52 en el mundo. En el QS University Rankings: Latin America (2018) ocupa la quinta posición; en esta misma región, de acuerdo con el Times Higher Education Latin America University Rankings (2018) se ubicó como número 1 en México y la 52 en Latinoamérica; y es la única universidad de América Latina en el Top Schools for Entrepreneurship (2018) de Princeton Review y Entrepreneur, al ocupar la posición 14 en programas de emprendimiento en licenciatura. Asimismo, por tercer año consecutivo, la Institución refrenda su lugar como la número 1 en el Sector Educación dentro del Ranking “MERCO Empresas” que mide la reputación corporativa. Acerca de INCmty INCmty es una plataforma del Tecnológico de Monterrey que impulsa el emprendimiento y la innovación desde el 2013. Inició como un festival anual de emprendimiento y es ahora una iniciativa de Monterrey para México y el mundo, que convoca a innovadores, emprendedores y organizaciones para impulsarlas y conectarlas con lo mejor del ecosistema emprendedor mundial. Más información en incmty.com.

Envase de shampoo fabricado con plásticos de la playa

Una reconocida marca LANZA EN LATINOAMERICA LA PRIMERA BOTELLA RECICLABLE DE Shampoo FABRICADA CON PLÁSTICO RECOLECTADO DE PLAYAS LATINOAMERICANAS P&G anuncia que, para finales de 2019, alrededor de 4 millones de botellas de Head & Shoulders incluirán hasta un 25%** de plástico post-consumo reciclado (PCR).

Primer botella reciclable de shampoo

Procter & Gamble anuncia que Head & Shoulders, la marca de Shampoo número uno del mundo+, está lanzando en Latinoamérica la primera botella reciclable de Shampoo, fabricada con plástico recolectado en diversas playas de Latinoamérica. Concretamente, estos nuevos envases incluirán hasta un 20% de material reciclado, excluyendo la tapa.   Según algunas investigaciones de fundaciones especializadas, el 95% del valor del material de envases plásticos se pierde como residuo, y de mantenerse el mismo ritmo actual de consumo, en el 2050 podría haber más plástico que peces en el océano. Por esta razón la empresa decide involucrarse en buscar soluciones al unirse con los expertos en el reciclaje TerraCycle, SUEZ y QCP para producir esta botella hecha con plástico reciclado recolectado en playas*, que vendrá a Latinoamerica como edición limitada en las tiendas de autoservicio principales de tu ciudad.“ Siempre he vivido cerca del mar. Es muy impactante ver que cada vez que hacemos una limpieza de playa, nada parece haber cambiado al final del día; esto es por la gran cantidad de desechos” Dijo Jose Alberto Derlon, vicepresidente del sector de belleza de P&G Latinoamérica. “Siendo el padre de 3 niños, creo que todos deberíamos hacer algo al respecto y en Head & Shoulders, queremos ser líderes en tecnología de sustentabilidad para que podamos proteger y crear conciencia en las presentes y futuras generaciones. Sabemos que esta botella es solo un primer paso, pero esperamos que ayude a generar conciencia sobre este problema tanto en la industria como en las personas.”

Para la producción de esta botella, se necesitó un aproximado de 22,000 Kg de materia prima recolectada por voluntarios en playas Latinomericanas.

Esta cantidad de plástico en vez de haberse quedado en los océanos fue transformado en un plástico de alta calidad. Adicional a este proyecto, la reconocida marca, se comprometió a liderar un cambio positivo en la industria. “Nosotros reconocemos que necesitamos aumentar la educación y la conciencia alrededor del reciclaje en Latinoamérica y es por eso que nos juntamos con expertos en la sustentabilidad y comunidades locales incluyendo voluntarios y ONGs.” Dijo Jose Alberto Derlon, vicepresidente del sector de belleza de P&G Latinoamérica. “No solo esperamos ayudar a reducir residuos de plástico en los océanos, pero también queremos inspirar al consumidor a que recicle, dándole una segunda vida al plástico”. “Estamos orgullosos de trabajar con una de las marcas más grandes del mundo para crear un producto innovador”, dijo Tom Szaky, CEO de TerraCycle. “Con la economía circular ganando más atracción, esperamos que otras marcas globales trabajen con proveedores verdes y usen su influencia para impulsar el cambio en beneficio del medio ambiente”, concluyó.El compromiso incluye aumentar progresivamente la cantidad de plástico post-consumo reciclado (PCR) en su portafolio.

Para finales del 2019, alrededor de 4 millones de botellas tendrán hasta un 25%** de plástico PCR.

Además, la marca incentiva a las personas a reciclar las botellas, ya que al hacerlo estarán impidiendo que 30 gramos de plástico entren en nuestros océanos y mares.Esto es solo el comienzo de los esfuerzos de ayudar a no dejar rastros en nuestras playas, y para proteger la Tierra de nuestras futuras generaciones.  

 TerraCycle

Es una compañía innovadora en el área de tratado de desechos con la misión de eliminar la idea de desechos®. Operando internacionalmente en 21 países, TerraCycle está asociada con compañías líderes en el área de productos, minoristas, ciudades e instalaciones donde se reciclan productos y envases desde pañales sucios hasta colillas de cigarrillos. Estos productos son reciclados en vez de terminar en basureros o ser incinerados. Además, TerraCycle trabaja con compañías de productos de consumo para integrar plástico difícil de reciclar en sus empaques. TerraCycle ha ganado más de 200 premios sobre sostenibilidad y ha donado más de 25 millones de dólares a escuelas y otras organizaciones de caridad desde su creación hace 15 años.

• México. - Con el objetivo de fortalecer la convivencia, el cuidado del espacio público y medio ambiente, el Consejo Ciudadano de la Ciudad de México, el gobierno capitalino y la empresa Terracycle, impulsan la conducta El Chicle al Bote, con la novedad de que el desecho será recopilado para su reciclaje. Desde el 2010 esta conducta es impulsada, bajo el principio de la auto regulación ciudadana para dar a conocer el daño que ocasiona tirar la goma de mascar al piso, que tan solo en calles del Centro Histórico ha llegado a sumar más de 200 mil piezas en un espacio de 5 calles. Luis Wertman Zaslav, titular del Consejo Ciudadano de la Ciudad de México, dijo que muchos capitalinos tiran el chicle porque se les hace fácil, sin saber el daño que se causa a la salud y medio ambiente. Al encabezar el inicio de la campaña el chicle al bote, acción que comprende la recolección de este material y su reciclamiento, Luis Wertman Zaslav, recalcó que la idea es buscar mostrar a través de una activación de persona a persona el daño a la imagen urbana causado por esta conducta; reducir el volumen de chicles que terminan en el piso y disminuir la inversión económica necesaria para recolectar los chicles del suelo. Para esta acción se instalaron 75 contenedores en postes de luminarias distribuidos por la autoridad del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México, con el fin de captar los desechos de goma de mascar y proceder a reciclarlos. Una vez por semana se removerán los chicles recolectados, que serán enviados al centro de acopio Terracycle en monterrey, nuevo león, para ser reciclados y convertidos otra vez en materia prima. El instituto de la juventud de la ciudad de México estará activando la acción mediante la incorporación de jóvenes en cada uno de los contenedores, llevando a cabo la socialización, sensibilización y medición de la acción en el espacio público. La acción se llevará a cabo en las calles de Francisco I. Madero, 16 de septiembre, República de Argentina, Seminario y Pino Suárez, por espacio de dos meses.

El centro de la CDMX instalará botes y habrá una brigada de jóvenes que explicarán el funcionamiento del reciclaje de chicle.   Como parte de su compromiso y plan de crecimiento la empresa, Mondelez arrancó un programa de reciclaje de chicle en el país, con la instalación de 75 botes recolectores en el Centro Histórico de la capital. De acuerdo con el director de Comunicación de la compañía, Santiago Aguilera, esta será la primera etapa del proyecto, el cual analizará los resultados en diciembre próximos para llevarla a otros sitios de la Ciudad o a más entidades de la República. Resaltó que, desde hace un año, en su publicidad incluyeron el mensaje de tirar el chicle al bote, para alcanzar a millones de personas en plataformas tradicionales y digitales, no obstante, querían materializarlo y hacer un cambio positivo, por lo que se acercaron con un líder mundial de reciclaje, chicle TerraCycle, el cual tiene muchos proyectos exitosos. El directivo detalló que la decisión de arrancar el proyecto en la calle de Madero en el Centro Histórico de la capital se debe a que cada día transitan por ahí entre un millón y un millón 500 personas.

“Una vez que tengamos los resultados en diciembre, nos reuniremos el gobierno de la Ciudad de México, con las autoridades del centro histórico, con el Consejo Ciudadano y con TerraCycle para entender, analizarlos y ver cómo podemos migrar a una segunda etapa, donde podamos alcanzar otras partes de la ciudad o migrar a otros estados”.

Asimismo, Santiago Aguilera expuso que la empresa realizó la inversión de los botes, así como en la campaña de difusión; sin embargo, una vez que empiece la recolección, este se enviará a Nueva Jersey para su transformación en nuevos contenedores.

“Decidimos hacer una prueba piloto para evaluar los impactos que este programa de concientización puede generar en la población, donde el gobierno les abrió las puertas”, afirmó el directivo.

Mondelēz Por lo que, a través de la colaboración con la autoridad, les permitieron instalar los botes en el Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México, además de que habrá una brigada de jóvenes que explicarán su funcionamiento. De acuerdo con Mondelez, el consumo per cápita de chicle de los mexicanos oscila entre los 200 y 300 gramos al año, además de que tres de cada 10 consumen chicle a diario.

Dado que cada vez son más los consumidores preocupados por el medio ambiente, la marca de goma de mascar Trident lanzó unos contenedores especiales para reciclar los chicles, cuyo objetivo será transformar este producto en otros artículos, tales como cestos de basura. En México, siete de cada diez gomas de mascar que se consumen son de la marca Trident —que pertenece a Mondelēz— , que fácilmente se puede transformar en otras cosas. De acuerdo con información disponible en internet, TerraCycle, Trident y el Centro Histórico se asociaron para crear el programa de reciclaje gratuito, que se puede identificar en redes sociales con el hashtag #TiraElChicleAlBote. Con ello esperan lograr que los fanáticos de esta golosina participen activamente y lo depositen en los contenedores especiales.

Una vez recolectadas, las gomas de mascar se limpian y convierten en nuevos polímeros que serán utilizados para crear productos reciclados”, expone el sitio de TerraCycle.

Según información de Trident, el país es el segundo mercado donde más chicle se vende a escala mundial, sólo después de Estados Unidos, ya que se consumen de 200 a 210 gramos de goma de mascar por persona cada año. Mondelēz también tiene otras marcas en su portafolio, tales como Bubbaloo y Clorets: inclusive, la planta de gomas de mascar más grande del planeta opera en la República Mexicana y 7.5 de cada diez chicles consumidos son elaborados allí.

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO Dado que cada vez son más los consumidores preocupados por el medio ambiente, la marca de goma de mascar Trident lanzó unos contenedores especiales para reciclar los chicles, cuyo objetivo será transformar este producto en otros artículos, tales como cestos de basura. En México, siete de cada diez gomas de mascar que se consumen son de la marca Trident —que pertenece a Mondelēz— , que fácilmente se puede transformar en otras cosas. De acuerdo con información disponible en internet, TerraCycle, Trident y el Centro Histórico se asociaron para crear el programa de reciclaje gratuito, que se puede identificar en redes sociales con el hashtag #TiraElChicleAlBote. Con ello esperan lograr que los fanáticos de esta golosina participen activamente y lo depositen en los contenedores especiales.

Una vez recolectadas, las gomas de mascar se limpian y convierten en nuevos polímeros que serán utilizados para crear productos reciclados”, expone el sitio de TerraCycle.

Según información de Trident, el país es el segundo mercado donde más chicle se vende a escala mundial, sólo después de Estados Unidos, ya que se consumen de 200 a 210 gramos de goma de mascar por persona cada año. Mondelēz también tiene otras marcas en su portafolio, tales como Bubbaloo y Clorets: inclusive, la planta de gomas de mascar más grande del planeta opera en la República Mexicana y 7.5 de cada diez chicles consumidos son elaborados allí. Actualmente 50% de la producción de esta fábrica se queda en el país y el resto se va a otros mercados. Los contenedores de goma de mascar para reciclar que se pusieron a disposición de los consumidores se pueden encontrar en varios puntos del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México, lugar relevante si se considera que hace cinco años la calle de Madero fue noticia porque los chicles pegados en el piso eran muy difíciles de quitar, al grado que el gobierno de la ciudad tuvo que comprar diez máquinas especiales para poder retirarlos.