El 80% de los residuos que se rechazan podría ser procesados y convertidos en material útil para hacer nuevos productos. No se hace porque es complicado y caro. TerraCycle revierte esta situación y recoge productos concretos de nuestro día a día para darles una segunda vida y que no acaben en el vertedero: bolígrafos, maquinillas de afeitar, cápsulas de café, tóneres de impresora…

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's latest progress report on where consumer goods companies stand on the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment shows substantial work ahead. While this year’s Global Commitment 2020 Progress Report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation reveals rising interest in companies moving from single-use packaging toward reuse models, this approach is still a small part of circular economy initiatives. The goal of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment update, now in its second year, is to assess how the 118 companies and 17 governments that have made pledges to to reduce waste from plastic packaging by 2025 are faring on their targets. Consumer brands that have signed onto the project include large brands that collectively make up 20% of the plastic packaging market. While some key indicators in the report saw progress made in the 2018-2019 timeframe, notably in the increased use of recycled content, it was clear that not all areas (and not all companies) are progressing in tandem. For the category of reuse, 56% of signatories in the production, packaged goods and retail sectors reported that implementation of reuse pilots was either underway or soon to come. This was up 43% from the previous reporting year. Yet despite this growing interest, the report indicated the share of reusable packaging “has not increased from the prior year,” making up just 1.9% of the market by weight. The remaining 98.1% of the market was single-use products. It also stated the reusable packaging in play is “primarily driven by a few companies who derive significant revenues from reuse models.” And while over half of signatories have reuse models in place, many of them are largely limited to just a few product lines in the categories of non-alcoholic beverages, cleaning products, cosmetics and personal care. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation did not respond to a request for comment on the report's findings. The apparent lack of progress may be in part explained by the length of time it takes to develop reuse systems, said Clarissa Morawski, CEO of the circular economy nonprofit Reloop. “The entire development of a reuse system for packaging requires careful planning, design, digitalization, setting up effective collection points, financing and securing the assets through back end management… No small feat,” she said. TerraCycle’s Loop program, for example, which develops and services reusable packaging for some of the program’s signatories, previously said research and development on each new product is around 6 to 18 months. But Judith Enck, president of the nonprofit Beyond Plastics said that “unless major retooling is necessary,” successful reusable systems “do not have to take a lot of time.” She cited Oregon's refillable bottle system as a positive example, stating that retailers often just need the right model and that may include some level of industry-wide cooperation. “The major problem is that there are few commitments to reuse, that are well funded and prioritized,” said Enck. “We have a solid waste hierarchy at the federal and state level that starts with waste reduction and reuse. But, in practice, the hierarchy has been turned upside down with most of the money and attention going to the bottom two rungs of the hierarchy: burying and burning of materials.” Large-scale examples of reuse referenced in the report came from pre-existing legacy programs, like Danone S.A.’s use of refillable water jugs, which has been in play since the late '90s. According to a company spokesperson, the program started “to help provide access to safe, quality water in countries [like Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey] where that can be a challenge" and has since become part of its circularity plans. “The refillable jugs offer a 95% reduction in plastic per liter sold and a 60% reduction in CO2 compared to standard bottle [1.5 liters]. We’re learning from these successful models in order to expand them to other countries in the EU.” Danone said 50% of its water is delivered through this program, though its smaller water bottles are still disposable. According to the report, the company is planning to invest 200 million euros in a packaging accelerator to scale up reuse elsewhere in its operations. Another potential hiccup in the road to reuse may be COVID-19’s impacts on the circular economy, which is only briefly mentioned in the report as it covers progress in the year prior to the pandemic. While these impacts are unlikely to eclipse the potential of reuse, sources say they may change the way models manifest and trends play out moving forward. For example, the report highlighted PepsiCo’s "SodaStream Professional" program, which saw 30 SodaStream units placed in workplaces, universities and hospitality partners across the U.S. in 2019. These units dispense flavored still or sparkling waters into workers’ refillable personal containers through a QR code they scan on their smartphones. But according to a PepsiCo spokesperson, many of the places in which SodaStream Professional is used are temporarily closed due to the pandemic. The company said it is working with clients to “determine the best way to introduce SodaStream Professional as part of their reopening plans” and that it is focusing its emphasis on contactless technology to “allow users to customize and pour without having to touch the unit at all.” But others believe a “refill on the go” model — the most popular of the five models identified for reuse, in which users refill their reusable container away from home, like at an in-store dispensing system — is on its way out. Earlier this year, Loop CEO Tom Szaky predicted a shift in this area. “If it's professionally cleaned and filled, the risk on reuse is exactly the same as the risk on single-use, which is also professionally packed,” he said, referring to the advantages of ecommerce refill delivery services, like Loop. Consumers refilling their own containers, he added, "is really where the big question mark is." Currently, the progress report lists “refill from home” as a category with 26 pilots, the fewest on the list. The report indicated that no signatories have lowered their targets in the face of the pandemic, and cited some have upped their pledges to invest in circular economy pilots in recent months. Shortly after the report's release, Colgate Palmolive Company released its 2025 sustainability goals, which include eliminating a third of plastics “as part of the transition to 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable plastic packaging by 2025.” As more companies set such targets, experts say it's important to remember not all targets are created equal. While some are designed to measure the amount of reduced plastic in the consumer packaging market, others are measuring the ability of corporations to develop pilots that might help them do that. "A lot of companies are pushing circular economy of plastics just as a delay tactic," said Jan Dell, an independent engineer with The Last Beach Cleanup, in reference to societal pressures around plastics reduction. But while pilots may not have immediate effects, they are still an important measuring stick, Morawski said. “These pilots are the R&D, which is part of this long important process. This is a huge shift for this industry,” Morawski said. “The key will be how did they go? What did you learn? And how does this inform the next steps for the larger system implementation?”

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Vail Resorts and PepsiCo announced an expansion of their longstanding partnership to 18 additional Vail Resorts locations across North America, including Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Mount Snow in Vermont, and Hunter Mountain in New York. In addition to renewing and expanding their product distribution partnership to now 33 total resorts globally, PepsiCo committed to a significant investment annually in projects that support Commitment to Zero, Vail Resorts’ sustainability pledge to achieve a zero net operating footprint by 2030, including zero waste to landfill. Through a multi-year sustainability roadmap, the companies will focus on waste reduction, including reducing beverage and food packaging waste and replacing wax-lined paper cups with compostable or durable PepsiCo products. Vail Resorts and PepsiCo have already begun this work at select resorts. At the end of the 2018/19 ski season, the companies shared that more than 250,000 wax-lined paper cups (or 7,750 pounds of waste) had been saved from landfill as a result of this switch at multiple on-mountain restaurants. PepsiCo has its own target to make 100 percent of its product packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2025. “It is by working together, through robust partnerships with shared sustainability goals, that we’ll have the most impact on climate change,” said Kate Wilson, senior director of sustainability at Vail Resorts. “No one company can do it alone, and expanding our partnership with PepsiCo will allow us to make major progress toward reaching our most challenging Commitment to Zero pillar—zero waste to landfill. Our team is excited about the innovative solutions ahead as well as what we’ve accomplished with PepsiCo so far, which has contributed greatly to the progress we’ve made toward achieving our Commitment to Zero goal.” “We can make a tremendous impact at scale through high-volume consumer touchpoints like resorts and sports & entertainment venues,” said Scott Finlow, chief marketing officer, PepsiCo Foodservice. “It’s rewarding to team up with like-minded partners like Vail Resorts to co-create sustainability initiatives that address short-term business requirements while working to reach longer-term ambitions.” In addition to waste diversion efforts, PepsiCo also will support Vail Resorts’ sustainability commitments through guest-facing education initiatives, joint marketing efforts, and creative upcycling projects. This season, Vail Resorts and PepsiCo will partner with international recycling leader TerraCycle to create picnic tables and Adirondack chairs out of recycled snack and candy wrappers for guests at Park City, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Vail, and Breckenridge resorts. The companies also are partnering with Fuse Marketing and Snow Park Technologies to develop a terrain park feature at Breckenridge made partially of recycled plastic and snack and candy wrapper material. The renewed partnership between the companies also will add PepsiCo beverages for Vail Resorts’ guests in-resort at many of the newly added properties, including bubly, LIFEWTR, and Gatorade. The 18 resorts included in the expanded partnership include Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia; Mount Snow in Vermont; Hunter Mountain in New York; Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana.

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—Vail Resorts and PepsiCo announced an expansion of their longstanding partnership to 18 additional Vail Resorts locations across North America, including Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Mount Snow in Vermont, and Hunter Mountain in New York. In addition to renewing and expanding their product distribution partnership to now 33 total resorts globally, PepsiCo committed to a significant investment annually in projects that support Commitment to Zero, Vail Resorts’ sustainability pledge to achieve a zero net operating footprint by 2030, including zero waste to landfill. Through a multi-year sustainability roadmap, the companies will focus on waste reduction, including reducing beverage and food packaging waste and replacing wax-lined paper cups with compostable or durable PepsiCo products. Vail Resorts and PepsiCo have already begun this work at select resorts. At the end of the 2018/19 ski season, the companies shared that more than 250,000 wax-lined paper cups (or 7,750 pounds of waste) had been saved from landfill because of this switch at multiple on-mountain restaurants. In synergy with Vail Resorts’ Commitment to Zero initiative, PepsiCo has its own target to make 100 percent of its product packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2025. “It is by working together, through robust partnerships with shared sustainability goals, that we’ll have the most impact on climate change,” said Kate Wilson, Senior Director of sustainability at Vail Resorts. “No one company can do it alone and expanding our partnership with PepsiCo will allow us to make major progress toward reaching our most challenging Commitment to Zero pillar—zero waste to landfill. Our team is excited about the innovative solutions ahead as well as what we’ve accomplished with PepsiCo so far, which has contributed greatly to the progress we’ve made toward achieving our Commitment to Zero goal.” Potential Impact is Large “We can make a tremendous impact at scale through high-volume consumer touch points like resorts and sports and entertainment venues,” said Scott Finlow, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Foodservice. “It’s rewarding to team up with like-minded partners like Vail Resorts to co-create sustainability initiatives that address short-term business requirements while working to reach longer-term ambitions.” In addition to waste diversion efforts, PepsiCo also will support Vail Resorts’ sustainability commitments through guest-facing education initiatives, joint marketing efforts and creative upcycling projects. This season, Vail Resorts and PepsiCo will partner with international recycling leader TerraCycle to create picnic tables and Adirondack chairs out of recycled snack and candy wrappers for guests to enjoy at Park City, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Vail, and Breckenridge resorts. The companies also are partnering with Fuse Marketing and Snow Park Technologies to develop a terrain park feature at Breckenridge made partially of recycled plastic and snack and candy wrapper material. The renewed partnership between the companies also will add PepsiCo beverages for Vail Resorts’ guests to enjoy in-resort at many of the newly added properties, including bubly, LIFEWTR and Gatorade. The 18 resorts included in the expanded partnership include Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia; Mount Snow in Vermont; Hunter Mountain in New York; Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana.

TerraCycle, Trenton, New Jersey, will be working with Vail Resorts on reducing plastic use at their resorts, in partnership with PepsiCo. TerraCycle will also work with Ocean Spray to launch a national recycling program. Also, Clean Ocean Access and TerraCycle will work together to recycling hard-to-recycle plastic waste. Vail Resorts and PepsiCo Vail Resorts, Broomfield, Colorado, and PepsiCo, Purchase, New York, have announced the expansion of their partnership to 18 more resort locations around North America. In addition to renewing and expanding their product distribution partnership to 33 total resorts globally, PepsiCo committed to a significant investment annually in projects that support Commitment to Zero, Vail Resorts’ sustainability pledge to achieve a zero net operating footprint by 2030, including zero waste to landfill. Through a multiyear sustainability road map, the companies will focus on waste reduction, including reducing beverage and food packaging waste and replacing wax-lined paper cups with compostable or durable PepsiCo products. This season, Vail Resorts and PepsiCo will also partner with TerraCycle to create picnic tables and Adirondack chairs out of recycled snack and candy wrappers for guests to enjoy at Park City, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Vail and Breckenridge resorts. In synergy with Vail Resorts’ Commitment to Zero initiative, PepsiCo has its own target to make 100 percent of its product packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2025. “It is by working together, through robust partnerships with shared sustainability goals, that we’ll have the most impact on climate change,” says Kate Wilson, senior director of sustainability at Vail Resorts. In addition to waste diversion efforts, PepsiCo also will support Vail Resorts’ sustainability commitments through guest-facing education initiatives, joint marketing efforts and creative upcycling projects. Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., Middleborough, Massachusetts, announced a partnership with TerraCycle to launch a free recycling program that enables consumers to recycle Ocean Spray flexible plastic Craisins dried cranberries and snack packaging for an alternative use. Through the partnership, Ocean Spray is advancing its sustainable packaging strategy by helping to divert waste from landfills and extending the life of materials to reduce the overall environmental footprint of a product. Now, customers can send their Ocean Spray Craisins dried cranberry products that are in flexible plastic packaging to TerraCycle, where the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products, such as park benches and picnic tables. As an added incentive, for each shipment of Ocean Spray Craisins dried cranberries packaging sent to TerraCycle through the Ocean Spray Recycling Program, participants earn points that can be donated to a nonprofit, school or charitable organization of their choice. In addition, Ocean Spray is working with TerraCycle’s new Loop platform to develop a program where together they will design and launch products in reusable packaging to create a truly circular economy. Consumers will be able to order Ocean Spray products from Loop’s e-commerce platform, and once done with the product, will be able to simply return the packaging to Loop to clean, sanitize and refill with the original products to reuse. “We are thrilled to partner with TerraCycle and their new Loop program to advance Ocean Spray’s commitment to sustainability so that we can leave the earth a better place for the farmers and families we serve,” Christina Ferzli, head of global corporate affairs at Ocean Spray, says. “We embrace TerraCycle’s innovative platform as a brand-new way to approach the process of recycling, especially as we honor Climate Week and consider the steps we are taking as an organization through all of our sustainability efforts to continue this work in a meaningful way.” "Since our founding, TerraCycle has made it our objective to 'Eliminate the Idea of Waste' by recycling the unrecyclable and diverting waste from landfills and local communities," Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO, says. “Through the Ocean Spray Recycling Program, we are joining forces with this iconic brand to offer a simple solution to packaging waste that helps preserve our environment for future generations.” Clean Ocean Access Clean Ocean Access (COA), Middletown, Rhode Island. a non-profit organization, has announced a new recycling initiative in partnership with TerraCycle. Since February 2020, the program has successfully collected more than 140,000 pounds of sailing and agricultural shrink-wrap for recycling. Shrink-wrapping boats and greenhouses in preparation for winter is common in the U.S., but recycling the shrink-wrap in the spring is now more challenging than ever. Now, the sailing and maritime community have begun to turn to Clean Ocean Access and TerraCycle’s Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project. This project aims to establish a U.S.-based recycling system, while also working with the marine industry to advance more circular solutions such as closed-loop recycling for shrink-wrap (where the recycled film can become new shrink-wrap) or increasing the use of reusable covers where possible. Made possible through a grant from 11th Hour Racing, the Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project aims to prevent plastic film from entering landfills or incinerators by collecting the shrink-wrap from marinas, boatyards, vessel owners, and local agricultural operations, and transporting the material to TerraCycle in New Jersey. After initial implementation in Rhode Island, the long-term goal of this project is to leverage an established network of plastic recyclers and manufacturers with the potential to collect a larger variety of shrink-wrap. “The Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project provides a time-sensitive opportunity to advance the existing efforts to collect plastic film, and bring awareness to the challenges and opportunities of creating a domestic circular economy, while having a laser focus on improving ocean health so future generations can enjoy ocean activities,” Dave McLaughlin, co-founder and executive director of Clean Ocean Access, says. “By recycling boat shrink-wrap with Clean Ocean Access, TerraCycle is doing exactly what it was founded to do,” Dylan Layfield, TerraCycle senior manager of material solutions, says. “By picking up where conventional recycling leaves off, we’re ensuring that our shared waterways can be enjoyed by our children and our children’s children.”

PepsiCo provides $450,000 in seed money to the TerraCycle Global Foundation, which is committed to reducing the volume of marine debris and plastic waste found in the world’s waterways.

Vail Resorts and PepsiCo announced an expansion of their partnership to 18 additional Vail Resort locations across North America including Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Mount Snow in Vermont and Hunter Mountain in New York. In addition to renewing and expanding its product distribution partnership to 33 resorts globally, PepsiCo committed to investing in projects supporting Commitment to Zero, Vail Resorts sustainability platform to achieve a zero net operating footprint by 2030, including zero waste to landfill. The companies are focusing on reducing beverage and food packaging waste and replacing wax-lined paper cups with compostable or durable PepsiCo products.

Vail Resorts and PepsiCo have announced an expansion of their partnership to 18 additional Vail Resorts locations across North America, including Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Mount Snow in Vermont, and Hunter Mountain in New York. In addition to renewing and expanding their product distribution partnership to 33 total resorts globally, PepsiCo committed to a significant annual investment in projects that support Commitment to Zero, Vail Resorts’ sustainability pledge to achieve a zero net operating footprint by 2030, including zero waste to landfills.