Compostable packaging. Two words that, for much of 2010, brought cringes to the faces of American packaging designers. Why? We all know what a disaster the first Sunchips compostable packaging launch was, at least in the U.S. It was the first high-profile mainstream effort to do so, and consumers crumpled it quickly because of the high decibel bag. Thankfully, Frito Lay didn’t just call it quits, but instead came back fighting with a newly quieter bag, cautiously being rolled out now. But let’s say that issue gets fixed and other mainstream brands find their courage to go the compostable or biodegradable route, too. There’s a larger problem here which, with for all the showboating about what a silver bullet for CPG these options are, needs to be addressed: It’s a pain in the ass to actually get this supposedly compostable packaging to actually compost! You and I both know this: Unless you happen to have professional level facilities or be the most skilled backyard composter in four states, you simply won’t get the results that people are expecting to happen. And these unmet expectations will lead to a deeper, less vocally expressed disaffection for green products that’s more difficult to address. So what can be done?

Forget recycling. Reusing materials discarded in the manufacturing process is a growing force behind a fresh new industry.      (...) That scale that Looptworks' Hamlin is aiming for is already happening on the post-consumer end of the upcycling market. If Etsy is considered the epicenter of do-it-yourself upcycling, then New Jersey-based TerraCycle takes on that same function in mass upcycling. The company turns actual garbage into hundreds of products, like Oreo wrapper backpacks and bicycle chain picture frames. With a large-scale collection infrastructure developed over the past 10 years, TerraCycle nabs about 1 billion pieces of garbage every quarter that ultimately end up on the shelves of big-box retailers like Target and The Home Depot. Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, started the operation <http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219310#>  as a humble provider of worm poop while he was a Princeton University freshman. But over the years the company's increasing fortunes have mirrored the burgeoning opportunities in the green market. In 2009, sales revenue hit $7.5 million; in 2010, it jumped to $20 million. Since January, Szaky has added operations in nine more countries, bringing the total to 20. There's also serious behind-the-scenes innovation happening. Terra-Cycle employs "polymer scientists" who are immersed in figuring out ways to manipulate paper, organics and plastics into materials like a new plastic lumber and textile made from Capri Sun drink pouches. Meanwhile, teams of designers are figuring out how to make jackets from Doritos bags and luggage from energy bar wrappers. "The market is ripe for more innovation," Szaky says. "[Valued] at $12.5 million, TerraCycle is, without any debate, the biggest upcycler in the world. But compared to other industries, that's small--and that means there's way more opportunity."

People like to have a product just work, and don't want to work to make it work. Even if it's a simple matter of running the tap, screwing in a refill cylinder <http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/07/iq-cleaning-products-the-sweet-spot-of-green-convenient-cheap/> , and off you go, that seems to be too much effort for all but the most dedicated greenies. And when it comes to food products, maybe refilling feels too hippie, and like you're not getting truly fresh, new food?   Does size matter? Could it be that people don't get the mathematics? Perhaps people are still going on the bigger is better, more is more school of consumerism, and when they see a smaller version of something they've bought for years, it's in their minds not worth paying the same price? Or even if it's cheaper, the product somehow seems insufficient and not of equal quality because it's not as big, and the small bit of DIY required makes the product less substantial, less "genuine"? Does it make people feel poor? As much logical sense as using and producing  concentrate-based products may make, maybe it's a case of people feeling like doing so is an indicator to family and friends that they're not well off. Even if they actually are needing to save money (who doesn't?) and it would make sense, is using concentrated products too much of an acknowledgment of that? That said, are concentrated products, outside laundry and juice, destined to go the way Beta videotapes <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax> ? Possibly. Or maybe it's time to make the case so compellingly to mainstream society, the products so attractive, coveted even, that concentrated products become just a regular part of people's purchases? Concentrated products need to go from an extra mental step to an "of course" purchase, no leap needed. But how? What needs to change? The products, the people, or the environment? I'm guessing all three. Take electric cars for example: They had to go from kit car geek toy <http://chrisescars.com/what-killed-electric-car-70s/>  in the 70s to an idea "ahead of its time" <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F>  in the 90s to what looks like exactly the right combination <http://www.revengeoftheelectriccar.com/film.html>  of industry will, consumer interest, and unstable resources for the old way of doing things today. Concentrated products likewise may hit their sweet spot when water becomes as scarce, price volatile and a focus of people's interest as gas has. Readers: What's your thoughts on this puzzle? What needs to happen to make concentrated products front and center with mainstream America? What's been your experience with concentrated products? Let us have it, no holds barred. Read more about reducing waste: Reduce Waste: Lose the Cafeteria Trays <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/reduce-waste-lose-cafeteria-trays.php> Fast Food Trash: How to Reduce Your Waste (Video) <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/fast-food-trash.php> No Pick-Up Means Less Trash <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/no_pickup_means.php>

Compostable packaging. Two words that, for much of 2010, brought cringes to the faces of American packaging designers. Why? We all know what a disaster <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/02/big-lessons-from-the-sunchips-packaging-fiasco.php>  the first Sunchips compostable packaging launch was, at least in the U.S. It was the first high-profile mainstream effort to do so, and consumers crumpled it quickly because of the high decibel bag. Thankfully, Frito Lay didn’t just call it quits, but instead came back fighting with a newly quieter bag <http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/512905-Ta_da_Frito_Lay_presents_quieter_compostable_SunChips_bag.php> , cautiously being rolled out now. But let’s say that issue gets fixed and other mainstream brands find their courage to go the compostable or biodegradable route, too. There’s a larger problem here which, with for all the showboating about what a silver bullet for CPG these options are, needs to be addressed: It’s a pain in the ass to actually get this supposedly compostable packaging to actually compost! You and I both know this: Unless you happen to have professional level facilities or be the most skilled backyard composter in four states, you simply won’t get the results that people are expecting to happen. And these unmet expectations will lead to a deeper, less vocally expressed disaffection for green products that’s more difficult to address. So what can be done? One option as I see it is to develop curbside compostables collection by all municipalities. Make it as normal as putting your recyclables in the blue bin. Or if that’s not looking feasible under the current infrastructure where you are, have a private company do it in tandem with the current recycling/waste collection. Before you write this off as an impossibility in today’s economy, look at San Francisco’s success <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/mandatory-composting-law-success-san-francisco.php%5D%20in%20implementing%20exactly%20this.%20%5Bhttp://sunsetscavenger.com/residentialCompost.htm>  in implementing exactly this <http://sunsetscavenger.com/residentialCompost.htm> . Yes, it did in part involve phasing in a law that it’s mandatory that all compostables get put in the green bin, which may or may not fly in other places. But what we’d all do well to learn from is how San Francisco has monetized the composting. They’ve made it a desirable, locally sourced material for farmers, gardeners and the increasing number of restaurants that grow their own food and can now further tout their local credentials. Finding customers for compost is much easier than the intricate web of suppliers and buyers of recyclable materials. There’s another solution: You may not know it, but TerraCycle started business making worm compost based gardening products. So yeah, we know a thing or two about composting! With our well established packaging collection Brigades <http://www.terracycle.net/brigades> , we could just as easily begin collecting your company’s compostable packaging. This does two things: It bypasses additional cost to local municipalities to start composting programs for the increasing number of compostable packaging options, and you avert consumer frustration with their home efforts lack of success. More gets successfully composted, and Brigade participants get paid per piece collected, benefitting a place of their choice: their school, community group or a favorite charity/NGO. Or do we need to think beyond composting? Given that sustainability poster child Portland, Oregon, is just now doing tentative testing of curbside compostables collection <http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Portland-Announces-Curbside-Compost-Collection-90796139.html> , it’s clear that this route is going to take a while. We’re happy to do our part, composting packaging and upcycling it, but we’re only part of the answer here. It’s time for you as packaging designers to take the reins, coming up with options that always, always keeps in mind consumers first, along with applicability to current systems, and acceptance by stores that will stock these items. Frito Lay is to be applauded for having taken the initiative, bravely stepping forward as the first mass market food product with compostable packaging. The consumer reaction was unfortunate, but it’s proved a learning experience, both for Frito Lay, and all of you out there working on new, greener packing options. So readers, let’s have it. How can packaging be improved to work better all around? How can we all help composting and the collection of it be as normal and everyday as recycling has become?

Vor zehn Jahren hatten zwei Studenten der Princeton University im US-Bundesstaat New Jersey die Idee, aus Abfällen neue Produkte zu machen. Heute sammeln mehr als 12,5 Millionen Menschen in den USA Müll für TerraCycle. Bisher wurden fast zwei Milliarden Verpackungen verarbeitet, geschickt von Schulen, Büros und Privatleuten. Daraus entwickelt dann ein Team aus Wissenschaftlern und Designern neue Produkte, die dann wiederum von Partnerunternehmen in Lizenz hergestellt werden. Jetzt sollen auch die Bundesbürger ihren Müll an TerraCycle schicken, denn das Unternehmen expandiert nach Deutschland.

Some of my favorite entrepreneurial companies have very strong social missions: Stoneyfield Farm,  Honest Tea, TerraCycle, Timberland, and Patagonia, to name just a few. Note that these are all extremely successful companies whose CEOS routinely talk about how having a social mission   — whether it’s promoting community-based agriculture, supporting environmental causes, or creating a culture of volunteerism - has helped drive revenue growth, increase employee retention, and provide the company with a brand differentiation strategy.

TerraCycle: Una empresa basada en las nuevas ideas del eco-capitalismo que se ha visto desbordada debido al éxito. Así es TerraCycle, fundada por los jóvenes Tom Szaky y Jon Beyer en 2001, cuando aún eran estudiantes en la universidad de Princeton. ¿Y qué es lo que hacen? Pues básicamente, convertir la basura en dinero. Sí, claro. ¿Y cómo? Ellos cuentan que la idea nació inspirándose en una caja de gusanos. Empezaron pactando con los comedores universitarios para poder utilizar los restos de comida que iban a parar a la basura. Con este residuo, generaban abono a partir de su vermicompostaje (compostaje con lombrices), que luego vendían. Hasta aquí todo normal. Lo bueno es que para su puesta a la venta en el mercado, utilizan botellas de plástico reutilizadas, recolectadas por lo que ellos llaman las Brigadas de Botellas de Terracycle, repartidas por toda Norteamérica, y que básicamente son niños a los que se les insta, después de una serie de campañas informativas y de concienciación ambiental en sus escuelas, a recopilar las botellas de plástico que utilizan en casa. Terracycle está creciendo muy rápido, ni los mismos fundadores se lo esperaban, y están reajustando su estructura, muy amplia y de enorme potencial. Ahora mismo, lo que están haciendo es redistribuir y organizar estas brigadas que, además de recoger botellas de plástico, también recolectan botes de yogurt, corchos de botellas de vino y otros embalajes a cambio de algo de dinero (todavía no hay nada tan eficaz como el dinero como incentivo). La empresa valoriza estos residuos poniéndolos de nuevo en el mercado. En su página web puedes ver algunos de sus productos. Terracycle es una de las 100 compañías más innovadoras, según la revista Red Herring, y recientemente ha sido galardonada con el premio Environmental Stewardship Award, organizado por Home Depot Canada. Aquí la página web de TerraCycle, en inglés pero se comprende.

Tang anunció una nueva alianza con TerraCycle, la compañía encargada de la reutilización de envases usados a nivel global, que recolecta aquellos empaques difíciles de reciclar para transformarlos en productos económicos y amigables para el medio ambiente. Siguiendo la consigna de “Gánale a la Basura”, Tang y TerraCycle ponen en marcha el Primer Programa de Reutilización de Envases en Argentina, donde el público en general podrá inscribirse y formar parte de la Brigada Tang. Esta nueva alianza promueve la recolección y la reutilización de los envases de bebidas en polvo. De esta manera colaboran en la disposición final de los mismos, minimizado el impacto ambiental y promoviendo la cultura del cuidado del medio ambiente de una manera amigable. El proyecto tiene previsto un programa de donaciones para la organización Espacio Agua, o las organizaciones sin fines de lucro y escuelas elegidas por cada Equipo de recolección. TerraCycle pagará los gastos de envío y donará $ 0,10 por cada sobre recibido. De esta manera el programa no sólo mantiene los residuos lejos de los basurales, sino que además ayuda a escuelas y organizaciones sin fines de lucro. Otro aspecto del proyecto tiene como objetivo la educación a niños formándolos en el concepto de responsabilidad ambiental y la reutilización de recursos. Se espera con este programa generar en las futuras generaciones una mayor preocupación por las cuestiones ambientales. La participación es libre y todos los gastos de envío son pagos. Los interesados pueden registrarse en la página de Tang, en la de TerraCycle o llamando al 0800 666 1194.

Gina Adams-Levy of Northville, recently won the national Make A Difference Mom contest sponsored by The Ziploc Brand and TerraCycle. Selected for her dedication to children and outstanding waste reduction efforts in the community, Adams-Levy is being nationally recognized for her achievements.

Recycle your inhalers at the Co-Operative After our stories recently about the 250 tons of out of date, surplus and redundant medicines that are destroyed in an incinerator each year and the slightly more up beat story about the ability to recycle your unwanted medicines to help people in developing countries, I was interested to hear another recycling story shared by one of our facebook fans. David posted up about the latest initiative between the Co-operative Pharmacy, GlaxoSmithKline and Terracycle. The three companies have pioneered a initiative to enable patients with respiratory illnesses to recycle their inhalers at 40 participating Co-operative Pharmacies across South Wales and the South of England. This scheme is the first in Europe and is on trial for six months. Around 35 million inhalers such as Ventolin are used in the UK each year, generating 450 tonnes of waste which ends up in landfill or is incinerated. The inhalers will be collected in participating Co-Operative pharmacies and collected monthly by Terracycle where different parts of the inhaler will be recycled. The part which still can’t be recycled are the blister strips. Here’s what happens to the components:

Plastics

The plastics will remain on site for processing, after which the recycled components will be sold on for use in new products.

Aerosol

The recovered aerosol will be sent to a specialist company who use compaction and gas-liquid separation in order to recycle the metal components and collect any remaining liquid or propellant gas. The gas is then used as a replacement fuel in high temperature incinerators and cement kilns and no part of the aerosol container goes to landfill.

Blister strip

The blister strip which previously contained medically active ingredients will be treated by a specialist process in accordance with clinical guidelines. There are still quite a lot of unanswered questions i my eyes about what will actually be happening to these inhalers, but I’d love to know what you think about the story!