"Eu quero mudar a forma como o mundo faz negócios", afirma o jovem empreendedor

Seu modelo de negócio busca ser, ao mesmo tempo, bom para o planeta e para as pessoas. Para isso, inclui diversos membros da sociedade em uma parceria que traz benefícios para todos.

Tom Szaky tinha apenas 19 anos quando decidiu criar a TerraCycle. O que seria apenas uma empresa de fertilizantes feitos de húmus de minhoca se expandiu para uma companhia internacional que hoje fabrica diversos produtos sustentáveis reutilizando materiais que iriam para o lixo, enquanto ajuda comunidades e ONGs carentes, reforça o conceito de responsabilidade sociambiental em grandes empresas e prova que boas ideias e trabalho duro são a fórmula ideal para transformar o mundo.

TerraCycle’s recycling campaigns are so easy to participate in that nearly any company with any sense (and the opportunity) can get on board and get some good green PR for doing so. The program is currently sponsored by Kraft Singles, Kraft String Cheese, Polly-O String Cheese, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Kraft Natural Cheese, Cracker Barrel Cheese, Velveeta, Kraft Grated Parmesan, Athenos, Breakstone’s, Knudsen Cheese, and all other delicious Kraft Cheese products. TerraCycle also recently launched the Tortilla and Tostada Bag Brigade with Mission Foods, its first Mexican food partner. “Two cents per bag collected will be paid to Share our Strength, Mission’s charity partner, or to the charity of the collector’s choice,” Stacey Cusack of TerraCycle wrote in an email to me.

As you all know, I’m on a rampage to expand the way we measure out business success to be more than just about profits.  We need to move from a blazing lack of integrity and ethics to a socially responsible mindset.  Frito Lay is already ahead of that game. For over 70 years, Frito Lay has been taking steps to reduce impact on the earth. Here are some of their moves: Imagine a future where chip bags won’t end up in landfills, where used packaging will be given a second lifecycle as an everyday product, like a clipboard, tote bag, or trash can. That’s what Frito Lay’s partnership with Terracycle delivers, thanks to Terracycle’s innovative upcycling.  But that’s not all Frito Lay does.

’Tis the holiday season and here at FILTER we believe in giving gifts that keep on giving. So in the spirit of the holidays, throughout December we’ll be posting our Good Gift Guide ideas for your picky loved ones. The saying goes that it’s greater to give than it is to receive. So what if you could give in more ways than one? The TerraCycle manufacturing company is making that possible this holiday season with gifts that are also good for the environment. Dedicated to using non-recyclables to create new items, or “upcycling,” their speakers and vinyl picture frames are perfect for the eco-enthusiast. Made from M&M’s, Starburst and Skittles candy wrappers, the speakers run on the power supply of your iPod or MP3 player, available here for $13.99. Their vinyl picture frames are—you guessed it—made out of old records, available here for $12.99. While they may not live to spin another day, at least they can still look impressive.

The school has been named one of the top 100 schools by TerraCycle for collecting juice pouches. More than 56,000 juice pouches have been collected for this project. Staff member Sarah Ramey heads the recycling committee and club, aided by students, parents and staff.

To address the recycling issue the company launched an ‘upcycling’ scheme in March, asking parents to collect empty pouches and Freepost them to Terracycle to be turned into Ella’s Kitchen lunchboxes and similar - half a million have already been diverted from landfill. Another lifecycle analysis suggests this eliminates 192g of CO2 per pouch compared to 6.33g with recycling. Lindley adds that the company also collects and sends off its manufacturers’ waste to be upcycled.

Hoje a TerraCycle já está presente em seis países, incluindo o Brasil, e doa cerca de US$ 100 mil para entidades carentes por mês.

No Brasil e no mundo, as empresas descobrem que, quanto mais sustentáveis elas forem, maiores serão seus lucros.