London residents and the surrounding areas can celebrate Zero Waste Week by signing up to recycle “unrecyclable” items – including cheese packaging, cleaning product packaging, hair care empties and beauty products – whilst raising money for their chosen good cause in the process. The recycling programmes are run by TerraCycle and are free to sign up to. By signing up, residents can either collect and send in their waste to be recycled, or they can set up a public drop-off location and become recycling champions for their communities.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generate over 250 million tons of trash annually, or 4 to 5 pounds per person per day. Only about 25% to 30% of it is recycled; the rest is incinerated or buried in landfills, where it can often end up polluting the environment and leaching into the soil and groundwater supply.   It’s a reality that TerraCycle finds unacceptable.   Founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky, then a student at Princeton University, Trenton-based TerraCycle is a social enterprise on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. “We pick up where municipal recyclers leave off and recycle the things they don’t, including coffee pods, cigarette butts, chip and snack wrappers, clothing, shoes, contact lenses and much more,” said TerraCycle North American Public Relations Manager Sue Kauffman. “We collect over 150 waste streams and are adding more every day.”   Different towns have their own rules for recycling, often driven by economics. “If recyclers can sell the processed waste at a profit, they’ll recycle it – if not, they’ll either incinerate it or divert it to a landfill,” she said. “Thanks to over 200 million individuals actively recycling through TerraCycle, we’ve recycled over 7.7 billion pieces of waste, diverted millions of pounds of valuable resources from landfills all over the world, and donated nearly $45 million to charity to-date.”   A Range Of Recycling Solutions   Recycling 97% of the waste it receives and composting the remainder, TerraCycle promotes the opportunity for consumers to “reuse, upcycle, and recycle” in a variety of creative ways:  

• Free Recycling Programs – Sponsored by corporate partners such as Arm & Hammer, Colgate, Gerber, Gillette, Herbal Essences, Solo, Swiffer and other well-known brands, TerraCycle’s free recycling programs enable consumers to recycle specific branded products or entire categories of products at no cost. “Simply go to our website, pick a recycling program, register and ship the targeted waste stream to us using the free shipping labels provided online; based on the weight of the shipments, recyclers earn ‘TerraCycle points’ that can be converted to cash and donated to schools, charities and nonprofits of their choice,” said Kauffman, who noted that points can yield big dividends. “Through the ‘Free Recycle Playground Challenge’ that Colgate runs in conjunction with ShopRite each year, for instance, the school that collects the most oral care waste will win a new playground constructed from the recycled plastic they sent in and valued at $50,000,” she said. In addition to being free and easy, “it’s exciting to see schools starting their own Green Teams, learning about sustainability and participating in our recycling opportunities to earn more points.” Among new items recently added to their recyclable list are the packaging associated with L.O.L. Surprise! dolls and products by Reckitt Benckiser (makers of such brands as Mucinex, Enfamil and MegaRed). “In addition, in association with Gillette, we recently added disposable razors to our list, which represents the first time that there’s been an outlet to recycle disposable razors, blade cartridges and plastic packaging in the U.S.,” Kauffman said.

 

• Zero Waste Boxes – Through this program, consumers can purchase everything from a pouch to a pallet to reuse difficult-to-recycle waste that can’t be recycled through one of TerraCycle’s free programs or through regular municipal recycling. Boxes are specific to a variety of different product categories, from alkaline batteries and light bulbs to printer cartridges, paint brushes, plastic bags, shoes, vitamin bottles and dozens more options. “Once consumers send their waste in to be recycled, it will be weighed, processed, shredded, melted into pellets and ultimately sold to companies who use it to make other things,” Kauffman said.

 

• Loop – Launched in January 2019, Loop is a groundbreaking e-commerce platform that’s reminiscent of the milkman of yesteryear. Through the exclusive program, consumers can receive the products they use every day in durable, reusable containers that were designed for Loop by partners such as Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo, Coca Cola and others. When finished, consumers return the packaging for cleaning and refill, completing a no-waste loop. “While TerraCycle recycles plastic and other items to make the Earth a cleaner place, our new Loop program strives to not create waste in the first place,” Kauffman explained. “Response to this program has been so strong that we’ve already expanded it to other states beyond New York and New Jersey.”

  Offering Creative Circular Solutions   Headquartered in a refurbished facility where contents are made largely from recycled items – “my desk is an old door and office partitions are crafted from old soda bottles,” Kauffman said – TerraCycle has tapped into a growing need and is helping to make sustainability a mainstream movement. Following heightened media attention concerning the magnitude of America’s waste, as well as China’s 2018 decision to restrict imports of the megatons of trash they’d been processing/recycling for us for decades, “American consumers are definitely paying more attention to this issue than ever before,” Kauffman said. “The best way to elicit change is by voting with your dollars and buying from companies with a strong sustainable process. In the case of the companies that have partnered with TerraCycle, we’re able to work together to offer creative and efficient circular solutions to waste that don’t include the landfill.”       Nearly 20 years since its founding, TerraCycle now operates in 21 countries, has won more than 200 awards for sustainability, and was named No. 10 in Fortune’s Change the World list, out of 52 companies. For Kauffman and her 300 colleagues, working at TerraCycle is a labor of love. “We’re all extremely passionate here, creativity is so high, and new ideas are blossoming every day,” she said.   “It’s wonderful to celebrate Earth Day in April and we celebrate it for the entire month,” Kauffman concluded, “but the way we see it at TerraCycle, Earth Day should be every day.”   TerraCycle is located at 1 TerraCycle Way in Trenton and can be reached at (866) 967-6766 or by visiting www.terracycle.com.

A big component in working toward a circular economy involves brand owners—a topic we will look more closely at this year.   RB, maker of consumer brands including Mucinex and Enfamil, is partnering with international recycling provider TerraCycle. The launch of the free recycling program comes at an especially relevant time—as the weather gets colder, we find ourselves in peak cold and flu season. About 79% of all households in the U.S. buy cold, cough or flu products at least once a year, and the plastic packaging for these products leaves the planet with approximately 55 million pounds of non-recyclable plastic every year, the companies stated.   Brett Stevens, TerraCycle global VP, material sales & procurement, told Plastics Technology that cold, cough and flu products’ packaging are designed, first and foremost, with performance in mind. These are medicine-related products and so the packaging must be constructed in such a way that the content inside stays fresh and viable, he said.   “Unfortunately, this often renders the packaging to be non-municipally recyclable. Further, municipal recycling programs are incredibly picky on what they can accept, and so most packaging (not just this industry) is not traditionally recyclable,” he said. “That’s why TerraCycle operates these private collection and recycling programs to help these packages see a second life.”   As part of the initiative, the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program will accept packaging waste not only from RB products, but from any brand of vitamins and supplements, upper respiratory, sexual health & well-being, as well as infant formula & child nutrition, personal care and foot care.   Consumers sign up for the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program at terracycle.com/rb-health and mail in the packaging waste using the prepaid shipping label. Once received, TerraCycle will clean and melt the collected product packaging into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. As an added incentive, for every shipment of packaging waste sent to TerraCycle, collectors earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   “Collection rates in our programs are a factor of multiple things: from client budget, to the amount of collection locations, all the way to the weight of the products and packaging that we collect,” Stevens said. “Every single piece of compliant post-consumer waste that is sent in through the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program will be recycled into a format where it can be used to make a new product.”   TerraCycle is known for its innovative approach to help increase recycling. They do this by offering a range of national recycling programs that allow everyone interested in making the earth a cleaner place to recycle numerous waste streams that are traditionally non-recyclable.  

RB’s Sustainable Initiatives

  Lynn Kenney, head of corporate communications for RB, said this program with TerraCyle is part of RB’s ongoing commitment to creating a circular economy, which also includes making 100 percent of its packaging recyclable or reusable, while using at least 25 percent recycled plastic content in its packaging by 2025.   Kenney says that the company already uses material in its plastics packaging in order to deliver its 2018 plastics pledge which is about using at least 25% recycled plastic in plastic packaging globally, alongside reducing the plastics they use in packaging overall and progressively making sure it is all recyclable and can also be reused.   Design changes include its trigger spray design that can be fully recycled and the development of refill pouches in some markets so that consumers can reuse the spray bottles. They’ve also developed recyclable pouches.     Here are some examples of its work so far:  

• In 2018-2019, RB launched the first metal free trigger for improved recyclability, starting with Dettol, Sagrotan & Lysol brands. Its lightweight design reduced the amount of plastic by 500 tons on an annual basis.

 

• Since January 2019, Finish has used non-carbon black technology to produce recyclable black plastic for some of its tubs. On August 19, RB moved from black to grey plastic, again improving its recyclability and including 30% recycled plastic.

 

• In 2019, RB launched its first recyclable flexible pouch in Germany with Finish. Traditional pouches have used a type of plastic laminate which isn’t commonly recyclable. RB worked with its suppliers to produce a new type of plastic pouch, which is recyclable.

 

• In 2019, RB launched Veo Surface Cleaner in the U.S., which uses a removable sleeve that helps consumers properly recycle the bottle. The bottle is made from 95% recycled plastic.

  “We are continuing to develop new packaging designs and working with packaging material suppliers to help use deliver our plastics pledge,” Kenney said. “Innovative design, new materials and working with our partners including retailers and, of course, listening to our consumers are critical to our success and enabling us to reduce, recycle and reuse plastics to reduce the impact it can have on the environment while also helping to deliver safe and secure packaging for our products.”

Global health and hygiene company RB, maker of popular consumer brands including Mucinex and Enfamil, has announced its partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle to offer consumers a simple and completely free way to recycle their consumer goods packaging.   The RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program will accept packaging waste from all brands of vitamins and supplements, upper respiratory, sexual health & well-being, as well as infant formula & child nutrition, personal care and foot care.   The Healthy You, Healthy Planet™ partnership with TerraCycle to recycle all health and nutrition packaging is the next step in achieving RB’s global commitments to support a more sustainable future, which also includes reducing product packaging and eliminating waste through innovation.   Through the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Programme, packaging waste from the following categories will be recycled:  

• Vitamins, minerals and supplements packaging (Ex: MegaRed & Airborne): blister packs, tubes, bottles, cans, boxes, caps and lids
• Sexual health and well-being packaging (Ex: K-Y & Durex): tubes, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, caps and lids
• Cough, cold, flu, sore throat, and nasal care packaging (Ex. Mucinex & Delsym): bottles, tubes, spray bottles, blister packs, caps and lids
• Infant formula and child nutrition packaging (Ex: Enfamil): tubs, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, cap, and lids
• Personal care and foot care packaging: tubes, bottles, caps, lids, and other plastic packaging

  From vitamin bottles and caps to infant formula tubs, TerraCycle will clean and melt the collected product packaging into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to ‘Eliminate the Idea of Waste’ and its recycling initiatives like the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Programme that drive awareness of single use packaging epidemic. These programmes elicit positive change in the consumer and ultimately lead to the preservation of our environment for future generations to come,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO. “Since our founding, TerraCycle has made it our objective to recycle the unrecyclable, while diverting waste from landfills and local communities. It’s partnerships like the one we enjoy with RB that truly make a difference and make it possible.”   The RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Programme is open to any interested individual, school, daycare, fitness facility, healthcare office, office, or community organization. To learn more about RB’s global commitment to support a more sustainable future visit www.rb.com/US. For more information on TerraCycle’s innovative recycling programmes, visit www.terracycle.com.

Global health and hygiene company Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB), which makes popular consumer brands including Mucinex and Enfamil and is headquartered in the U.K., has announced it entered into a partnership with TerraCycle, Trenton, New Jersey, to offer consumers with a simple, free way to recycle their consumer goods packaging. According to a news release from TerraCycle, the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program will accept packaging waste from all brands of vitamins and supplements, upper respiratory, sexual health and well-being, infant formula and child nutrition, personal care items and foot care items.   The Healthy You, Healthy Planet partnership with TerraCycle to recycle all health and nutrition packaging is the next step in achieving RB’s global commitments to support a more sustainable future, which also includes reducing product packaging and eliminating waste through innovation, according to a news release from TerraCycle.   “At RB, we know how important protecting the future of our planet is to our consumers so we’ve partnered with TerraCycle to make it simple for anyone to take an active interest in the environment and recycle their packaging waste,” says Nitish Kapoor, executive vice president of RB North America Health Brands. “People buy millions of RB health products from brands like Enfamil and Mucinex every week, so offering free, national recyclability for the packaging is simply the right thing to do. This program is part of RB's ongoing commitment to creating a circular economy, which also includes making 100 percent of our packaging recyclable or reusable, while using at least 25 percent recycled plastic content in our packaging by 2025.”   Through the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program, packaging waste from the following categories will be recycled, including:  

• vitamins, minerals and supplements packaging, such as blister packs, tubes, bottles, cans, boxes, caps and lids
• sexual health and well-being packaging, such as tubes, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, caps and lids;
• cough, cold, flu, sore throat and nasal care packaging, such as bottles, tubes, spray bottles, blister packs, caps and lids;
• infant formula and child nutrition packaging, such as tubs, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, caps and lids; and,
• personal care and foot care packaging, such as tubes, bottles, caps, lids and other plastic packaging.

  From vitamin bottles and caps to infant formula tubs, TerraCycle will clean and melt the collected product packaging into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. The RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, day care, fitness facility, health care office, office or community organization.   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to ‘Eliminate the Idea of Waste’ and its recycling initiatives like the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program that drive awareness of single-use packaging epidemic. These programs elicit positive change in the consumer and ultimately lead to the preservation of our environment for future generations to come,” says Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO.   TerraCycle financial results   Trenton-based TerraCycle US Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of international recycling leader TerraCycle Inc., has announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2019, ending June 30. The company’s revenue rose to $11.2 million, representing a 16 percent year-over-year growth over second quarter of 2018 revenues of $9.5 million, TerraCycle reports in a news release. Net income more than doubled to $1.8 million, marking 67 percent year-over-year growth over the second quarter of 2018’s net income of $603,000.   During the first two quarters of 2019, the company surpassed its prior year’s total number of new contracts and new programs. Additionally, the company reports that it’s continuing to invest in its workforce, increasing its U.S.-based staff by 10 percent over the prior year.   In addition, TerraCycle’s Regulation A capital raise is approaching $10 million, the company reports.  TerraCycle has attracted investment in its Regulation A offering from ITOCHU Corp., a 100-year-old, $50 billion revenue Japanese trading company. ITOCHU, a large broker of plastic, will work with TerraCycle to expand the market for postconsumer plastics and in particular will develop and sell plastics that come from generally nonrecycled waste streams.   "Our mission at TerraCycle has always been to eliminate waste, recycle the unrecyclable and use our innovative business solutions to minimize human impact on the planet,” says TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “During the course of our 18-year history, we’ve successfully translated our passion for what we do into an established company built on a strong financial foundation with sustained earnings and growth.”   Using third-party logistics and facilities, TerraCycle converts collected waste into raw materials that are sold to and used by manufacturers to create new products. Examples of waste streams collected and recycled by TerraCycle include chip bags, coffee capsules, cigarette butts, oral care, beauty care, writing utensils and more than 100 other waste streams in the U.S., TerraCycle reports in a news release on its second-quarter earnings.  

Global health and hygiene company Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB), which makes popular consumer brands including Mucinex and Enfamil and is headquartered in the U.K., has announced it entered into a partnership with TerraCycle, Trenton, New Jersey, to offer consumers with a simple, free way to recycle their consumer goods packaging. According to a news release from TerraCycle, the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program will accept packaging waste from all brands of vitamins and supplements, upper respiratory, sexual health and well-being, infant formula and child nutrition, personal care items and foot care items.   The Healthy You, Healthy Planet partnership with TerraCycle to recycle all health and nutrition packaging is the next step in achieving RB’s global commitments to support a more sustainable future, which also includes reducing product packaging and eliminating waste through innovation, according to a news release from TerraCycle.   “At RB, we know how important protecting the future of our planet is to our consumers so we’ve partnered with TerraCycle to make it simple for anyone to take an active interest in the environment and recycle their packaging waste,” says Nitish Kapoor, executive vice president of RB North America Health Brands. “People buy millions of RB health products from brands like Enfamil and Mucinex every week, so offering free, national recyclability for the packaging is simply the right thing to do. This program is part of RB's ongoing commitment to creating a circular economy, which also includes making 100 percent of our packaging recyclable or reusable, while using at least 25 percent recycled plastic content in our packaging by 2025.”   Through the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program, packaging waste from the following categories will be recycled, including:  

• vitamins, minerals and supplements packaging, such as blister packs, tubes, bottles, cans, boxes, caps and lids
• sexual health and well-being packaging, such as tubes, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, caps and lids;
• cough, cold, flu, sore throat and nasal care packaging, such as bottles, tubes, spray bottles, blister packs, caps and lids;
• infant formula and child nutrition packaging, such as tubs, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, caps and lids; and,
• personal care and foot care packaging, such as tubes, bottles, caps, lids and other plastic packaging.

  From vitamin bottles and caps to infant formula tubs, TerraCycle will clean and melt the collected product packaging into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. The RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, day care, fitness facility, health care office, office or community organization.   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to ‘Eliminate the Idea of Waste’ and its recycling initiatives like the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program that drive awareness of single-use packaging epidemic. These programs elicit positive change in the consumer and ultimately lead to the preservation of our environment for future generations to come,” says Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO.   TerraCycle financial results   Trenton-based TerraCycle US Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of international recycling leader TerraCycle Inc., has announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2019, ending June 30. The company’s revenue rose to $11.2 million, representing a 16 percent year-over-year growth over second quarter of 2018 revenues of $9.5 million, TerraCycle reports in a news release. Net income more than doubled to $1.8 million, marking 67 percent year-over-year growth over the second quarter of 2018’s net income of $603,000.   During the first two quarters of 2019, the company surpassed its prior year’s total number of new contracts and new programs. Additionally, the company reports that it’s continuing to invest in its workforce, increasing its U.S.-based staff by 10 percent over the prior year.   In addition, TerraCycle’s Regulation A capital raise is approaching $10 million, the company reports.  TerraCycle has attracted investment in its Regulation A offering from ITOCHU Corp., a 100-year-old, $50 billion revenue Japanese trading company. ITOCHU, a large broker of plastic, will work with TerraCycle to expand the market for postconsumer plastics and in particular will develop and sell plastics that come from generally nonrecycled waste streams.   "Our mission at TerraCycle has always been to eliminate waste, recycle the unrecyclable and use our innovative business solutions to minimize human impact on the planet,” says TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “During the course of our 18-year history, we’ve successfully translated our passion for what we do into an established company built on a strong financial foundation with sustained earnings and growth.”   Using third-party logistics and facilities, TerraCycle converts collected waste into raw materials that are sold to and used by manufacturers to create new products. Examples of waste streams collected and recycled by TerraCycle include chip bags, coffee capsules, cigarette butts, oral care, beauty care, writing utensils and more than 100 other waste streams in the U.S., TerraCycle reports in a news release on its second-quarter earnings.  

Two more companies have formed partnerships with Trenton-based recycler TerraCycle. Consumers of RB products like Mucinex, Airborne, and Durex, and of Zuru Bunch of Balloons products, can recycle packaging for free by sending them in to TerraCycle.   Consumers will be able to recycle packaging waste from all RB brands of vitamins and supplements, upper respiratory, sexual health & well-being, as well as infant formula & child nutrition, personal care and foot care. Vitamin bottles and caps to infant formula tubs will be cleaned and melted into remoldable hard plastic to make new recycled products. “People buy millions of RB health products from brands like Enfamil and Mucinex every week, so offering free, national recyclability for the packaging is simply the right thing to do,” said RB North America Health Brands Executive Vice President Nitish Kapoor in a statement.   Through the Zuru recycling program, consumers can send in their water and party balloons, stems, and packaging waste with a prepaid shipping label to also be melted into remoldable plastic.

Global health and hygiene company RB, maker of popular consumer brands including Mucinex and Enfamil, announced today their partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle to offer consumers a simple and completely free way to recycle their consumer goods packaging.   The RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program will accept packaging waste from all brands of vitamins and supplements, upper respiratory, sexual health & well-being, as well as infant formula & child nutrition, personal care and foot care.   The Healthy You, Healthy Planet™ partnership with TerraCycle to recycle all health and nutrition packaging is the next step in achieving RB’s global commitments to support a more sustainable future, which also includes reducing product packaging and eliminating waste through innovation.   “At RB, we know how important protecting the future of our planet is to our consumers so we’ve partnered with TerraCycle to make it simple for anyone to take an active interest in the environment and recycle their packaging waste,” said Nitish Kapoor, Executive Vice President, RB North America Health Brands. “People buy millions of RB health products from brands like Enfamil and Mucinex every week, so offering free, national recyclability for the packaging is simply the right thing to do.  This program is part of RB’s ongoing commitment to creating a circular economy, which also includes making 100% of our packaging recyclable or reusable, while using at least 25% recycled plastic content in our packaging by 2025.”   Through the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program, packaging waste from the following categories will be recycled:   Vitamins, minerals and supplements packaging (Ex: MegaRed & Airborne): blister packs, tubes, bottles, cans, boxes, caps and lids Sexual health and well-being packaging (Ex: K-Y & Durex): tubes, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, caps and lids Cough, cold, flu, sore throat, and nasal care packaging (Ex. Mucinex & Delsym): bottles, tubes, spray bottles, blister packs, caps and lids Infant formula and child nutrition packaging (Ex: Enfamil): tubs, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, cap, and lids Personal care and foot care packaging: tubes, bottles, caps, lids, and other plastic packaging   From vitamin bottles and caps to infant formula tubs, TerraCycle will clean and melt the collected product packaging into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to ‘Eliminate the Idea of Waste’ and its recycling initiatives like the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program that drive awareness of single use packaging epidemic. These programs elicit positive change in the consumer and ultimately lead to the preservation of our environment for future generations to come,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO. “Since our founding, TerraCycle has made it our objective to recycle the unrecyclable, while diverting waste from landfills and local communities. It’s partnerships like the one we enjoy with RB that truly make a difference and make it possible.”

Loop, a first-of-its-kind circular shopping system created by TerraCycle in partnership with major retailers and brands, on May 21 officially launched its pilot program in the Mid-Atlantic region of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington, D.C. To celebrate the launch, TerraCycle and Loop’s retail and brand partners held a press conference and reception at the World Economic Forum in New York City.

Another major coalition to reduce plastics waste has been announced (see PIEWeb of 17.01.2019) with consumer goods giants such as Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola participating. Established by waste management company TerraCycle (Trenton, New Jersey / USA; www.terracycle.com), Loop (Trenton; www.loopstore.com) is an e-commerce platform that will ship products in reusable packaging and collect it after use – "Loop is the milkman reimagined."

Reusable shampoo bottles (Photo: TerraCycle)

Consumers can order products from participating companies, and empty used containers are then put into dedicated shipping tote bags and collected by Loop directly from households. The packaging will be cleaned for refill and reuse, or recycled as appropriate. The aim is to eliminate waste from single-use packaging and shipping materials, such as cardboard boxes. "Through Loop, consumers can now responsibly consume products in specially-designed durable, reusable or fully recyclable packaging made from materials like alloys, glass and engineered plastics," says Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle. Loop was presented at the World Economic Forum(WEF, Geneva / Switzerland; www.weforum.org) that was held from 22-25 January 2019 in Davos / Switzerland. Two pilot projects in New York and Paris will start in the coming spring, with more locations to be added during 2019 and 2020. The other companies taking part in the initiative include Unilever, Mars Petcare, The Clorox Company, The Body Shop, Coca-Cola European Partners, Mondelēz International, Danone, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Lesieur, BIC, Beiersdorf, RB, People Against Dirty, Nature's Path, Thousand Fell, Greenhouse, Grilliance, Burlap & Barrel Single Origin Spices, Reinberger Nut Butter, CoZie and Preserve. French food retailer Carrefour is the founding retailer, and Tesco will pilot Loop in the UK later in 2019. Transportation company UPSand waste disposal group Suez are also participating.