Swiffer, a cleaning product used in more than 50 million households worldwide, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle to make its Swiffer Sweeper, Duster and WetJet refills nationally recyclable.   Through the Swiffer Recycling Program, consumers can now send in Swiffer cleaning products to be recycled for free.   To take participate in the program sign up on the TerraCycle program page at terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/swiffer and mail in the accepted waste using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is broken down, separated by material and the plastics are cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.

"She is going to change the world," commented Kevin Myers, Director of Communications at Reed College, as I passed him on my way to a campus interview with student Hayden Hendersen.   Hendersen has started an on-campus recycling center. After an hour of speaking with her, it was clear what Myers was referring to. Hendersen's passion, perseverance, and probing research on recycling sources are very impressive. Since her sophomore year she has worked diligently on creating a very comprehensive recycling center for students, faculty, and staff at Reed.   Bins at the recycling center accept all kinds of things – some which can be recycled locally or in the metro area; and some for which there are no recycling outlets in Portland.   The Internet has enabled Hendersen to find places throughout the U.S. that accept the recyclables that are not taken in Portland. Using brown cardboard boxes that people bring to the center, she mails recyclables from the campus mailroom with funds provided by the college. Before she takes anything to local recyclers or mails to a company elsewhere in the U.S., she calls ahead to make sure their website accurately lists what they still will accept.   Hendersen's recycling commitment is unwavering. In the past, she has ridden her bike several times to the Metro Station in Northwest Portland, with bike basket and bags full of hazardous waste (batteries, light bulbs) from campus. She has used e-mail to get students to volunteer to take responsibility for emptying recycling and composting bins in dorms and other buildings on campus, and to help in other ways.   Now, in her senior year, Henderson is on paid staff – as Student Sustainability Coordinator – and is making plans to have someone replace her, so that the recycling center that she is so passionate about can continue.   Over the last three years she has designed all of the colorful and very descriptive fliers hung around the Reed campus, printed by the campus print shop, which help people understand what can and cannot be recycled.   In the BEE interview, she described how she got the college to agree to have a recycling center that takes a very wide variety of things: Two years ago, living off campus, her basement was becoming overwhelmed with recycling she had collected that no one wanted to accept. "I was sick of having it [my basement] filled with recycling. Over winter break in my sophomore year, a friend and I collected everything from my basement and went out and bought some containers, labeled them, and put them in an inside corner of campus. Then we went to the Sustainability Committee to ask their permission to start a recycling center," she says with a grin – knowing full well that she had put the cart a little bit before the horse.   The committee granted permission that has led to many, many visible changes on campus. Bins outside of restrooms, classrooms and dorms are provided for various recyclable items.   Hendersen became interested in recycling in third grade when her mother was service-learning coordinator at her school. They worked with a couple of teachers who implemented "green and healthy" lessons. "There were very few recycling bins in the classrooms, so I started changing that," she says.   Now in her senior year at Reed, majoring in environmental studies and political science, she is writing a thesis on implementing a national plant-based school lunch program. "I'm trying to come up with a policy that would do that," she explains. She is applying for fellowships, and would love to stay in Portland in a job that would achieve more of her recycling goals.   In her small hometown of Raymond, Wisconsin – population 3,500 – her family has been changed by her passionate work. They have become vegetarians; and her sister, a mechanical engineer, learned from her about a foremost U.S. recycling company – TerraCycle, in New Jersey – that Hendersen ships some of the recycling to. Her sister has moved there, to take a job with them.   To see Hendersen's instructive recycling fliers, and learn more about the recycling center, visit the Reed College website – www.reed.edu/sustainability – and click on the gold box: "Recycling and compost information." The Metro website – www.oregonmetro.gov – also lists recycling depots in the metro area.   Since the campus recycling center is just for the Reed College community (Hendersen says the restriction is difficult, but necessary, in terms of volume and space), she hopes that with some of the information she provides, people can get together and carpool to Agilyx in Tigard, and/or find other recycling options from the websites provided. There are alternatives to dumping it all in the garbage.

Swiffer, a cleaning product used in more than 50 million households worldwide, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle to make its Swiffer Sweeper, Duster and WetJet refills nationally recyclable.   Through the Swiffer Recycling Program, consumers can now send in Swiffer cleaning products to be recycled for free.   To take participate in the program sign up on the TerraCycle program page at terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/swiffer and mail in the accepted waste using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is broken down, separated by material and the plastics are cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.

Loop is now a reality in nine states in the northeastern United States, Washington, and plans to grow more in that country, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom and Japan. In less than a year of operation, Loop , a circular purchasing platform for consumer products designed not to generate packaging waste - developed by Tom Szaky and his team - has had an undeniable receptivity on the part of several brand-owned companies and retail chains around the world; and it is increasingly welcomed and used by final consumers, who see it as an efficient way to contribute to the mitigation of the environmental impact of waste. (More about Loop in this article from Mundo PMMI). From New York, Tom Szaky spoke with Mundo PMMI and explained the dimension that the platform has been charging. He also referred to the challenges and priorities that have been established for its consolidation and strengthening in different countries and regions of the world, and its future in other regions of the globe. PMMI World: Some define Loop as one of the most disruptive advances in Circular Economy and packaging to date. What is the balance after these eight months after its launch and has it been proven whether our society is ready for Loop? Tom Szaky: Loop is an engine for producers to create reusable versions of their products and for retail chains to integrate those offers, both physically, in stores, and in their online sales. There are many ways to assess the success of Loop and one of them is the number of people who are joining the initiative, that is, how large this ecosystem is becoming. And I must say that since we opened we are adding a brand every two business days; The number of new revenues is astronomical, it grows very quickly with some medium-sized brands and startups , but also with many large companies. The same goes for retail companies, we are receiving a retail firm every three weeks. In fact, in March of this year we will be going out with Tesco in the United Kingdom, with the Loblaws food and pharmacy chain in Canada in June, in Japan in November, and also in Germany. Australia is also on its way. Another way to measure the success of Loop is the availability to consumers. I am very pleased to say that this year, both in the United States and in France, you can see the products in the physical stores of retailers and they will be able to return the containers to the store, which is very important to be able to take the model to great scale. Additionally, retail chains such as Carrefour are inserting Loop products into their e-commerce pages, and the cost will be associated with shipping and collection. This brings great operational challenges and is the result of trials conducted during 2019. In general, what we have seen is that consumers are responding very well to the Loop model, and this is the reason we will continue to grow. In summary, today we have around 200 brands and we are adding a brand every two days, we also have about 50 retailers and we are adding one every three weeks. PMMI World: What is Loop's biggest challenge today?  Tom Szaky: Our biggest challenge and priority is to make Loop feel as “disposable” as possible, that is to say that the consumer lives the experience of feeling like on a platform exactly the same as what he experiences when he consumes a disposable product. One of the things that people have told us in the first presentations, and one of the main challenges, is that they would like to see more and more Loop products available in the market. In the beginning the products were only obtained online and the user bought them by this means; Now, through the retail chains, it is possible to find the products in the stores, which allows the buyer to acquire both the Loop products and the others that he usually buys. This is why it is important that the product feels disposable but works towards the consumer as reusable. This is what leads us to focus on the disposable experience, because that is what the user is looking for.   Loop is a circular buying platform for mass consumption products designed not to generate packaging waste, developed by Tom Szaky and his team.   PMMI World: The difference between the generation of millennials and the most senior generates an impact? Is it possible that it is easier to convince a millennial to buy through Loop than a Baby Boomer?   Tom Szaky: It's an interesting approach, but I don't share it. I think millennials join an initiative like Loop because they are tired of garbage; They have lived their entire lives using disposables and want to get out of that and do something different. But, in the case of a Baby Boomers or the parents of a millennial , the experience is very familiar, since that way the purchases worked before. Loop returns them to their childhood where there was no garbage, this is why an interest is generated for them, and for these reasons arouses emotion in both generations. PMMI World: What is Loop's biggest opportunity today? Tom Szaky: The main focus is to attract a large number of fast-moving consumer products and many retail chains that sell their products on the platform. Secondly, it is reaching fast food restaurants, and then there would be the clothing sector. PMMI World: How is Loop attracting fast food companies? Tom Szaky: We are now working with one of the largest fast food brands in the world, developing a type of reusable potato chip packaging, so that when ordering the customer can choose the reusable option and get an aesthetically pleasing packaging , beautiful, that works under the same method. PMMI World: What has been the main reason why TerraCycle has managed to convince big brands like Nestlé, Unilever, Pepsico, Danone - to name a few - to join and be part of Loop? Tom Szaky: I think that basically there have been two factors, which occurred simultaneously: the moment and the immense capacity that Loop offers to innovate and turn products into something exciting, with aesthetically beautiful packaging, that work. Those two factors together have been tremendously important for the development we are seeing today for Loop. PMMI World: What could you say about the innovations that Loop has encouraged in the design of reusable packaging?   Tom Szaky: I think consumers want to have the feeling and experience of disposable. The important thing about returning ownership of the container to the manufacturing company is that it becomes an asset, and being an asset manufacturers can make more significant investments in it. Loop gave brands and their designers the ability to achieve in the packaging aspects that they had always wanted to do and that the system had not allowed them basically due to cost factors. PMMI World: What is the power of the packaging reusability model? Tom Szaky: Reusability is an idea that everyone understands; Children today understand packaging more than its contents, they know that garbage is wrong and that recycling is fine, although they cannot explain anything about palm oil, or climate change. PMMI World: How was the task of convincing the consumer that reusability is possible? Tom Szaky: I think showing them that it works; Initially the consumer doubts, and once they see it in operation, everyone believes: none of this is new, this is how it was done around the 1930s. It is not impossible to sell this concept, it is simply to refresh an old idea. PMMI World: Could you mention any statistics that reflect the impact of the reusability model on packaging in terms of carbon footprint reduction? Tom Szaky: This depends on the packaging, of course. Statistically, around the first three years, the impact is equal to that of the disposable model. In the first use, the reuse is worse than in the case of the disposable; at all three uses it is the same; at five uses it is 15% better than waste; and in the tenth use it is 75% better. These are statistics of our allies and Loop, which we have also obtained through life cycle analysis, LCA. PMMI World: Infrastructure has been a very important challenge for you. Tom Szaky: Yes it has been a great challenge, but not the greatest. We are now present in France, in the United States, we are going to inaugurate Loop in the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Germany this year. We have very good infrastructure partners and with very good capital, so this has been a setback, but it is not an issue that cannot be overcome. PMMI World: What is the next step in the global expansion of Loop? Do you contemplate the possibility of being in Latin America soon? Tom Szaky: We are looking to enter Latin America, in Brazil we have been with TerraCycle for many years and we believe that by 2021 we will be there, with the Loop model. PMMI World: Having a reusable product means that it has an important value that exceeds the value of disposables, if the brands gave a value to the single-use container, do you think this would promote collection and recycling? Tom Szaky: Yes, definitely. The more value a single-use container is given, the greater its recyclability. PMMI World: TerraCycle has been recognized for recycling difficult materials. Do you think that migrating to reusability can affect recyclability? Tom Szaky: TerraCycle is growing very fast, we had an organic growth of 30% this year. The two initiatives are growing and have different roles; I believe that reusability has a projection towards the future and recyclability is more related to what we are doing in the present. The main focus on the production of disposable packaging is to make them as economical as possible, and when the packaging is cheaper the overall cost is reduced and it ends with a more complex packaging in terms of material, as in the case of multilayer. In my opinion that is the biggest problem, that the main objective of the brands, which is to reduce costs, goes in reverse of the recyclability of the packaging. PMMI World: How do you see the future? What is the greatest contribution that could be made to mitigate the impact of waste? Tom Szaky: For us it's about creating more reusable alternatives for the products and making them more available for more retailers to distribute. Our way of calculating success is by measuring how much users migrate from single-use containers to multi-use products and packages. That is our goal in general.

When it comes to going green, consumer products have led the movement in the kids industry. Toycos got the ball rolling early on being more environmentally friendly, with major players like Hasbro announcing initiatives as early as 2010.   And while those first programs focused on reducing the amount of paper and plastic used in packaging, more recently licensees and manufacturers are turning their attention to baking in an eco-friendly ethos into the very DNA of their brands.   Nickelodeon is taking this tack with its consumer products strategy for YouTube star Isabella de La Torre (known as La Bala).   Cristian Cabero, Nick’s SVP of consumer products and location-based experiences, says his team took inspiration from the ways in which de La Torre works green products into her everyday life when they began developing the CP range.   For example, she travels with a reusable cup to avoid single-use plastics, so Nickelodeon is aiming to create products that are similarly sustainable, as well as reducing the amount of packaging used for the entire line. These efforts aren’t designed to stand out—being eco-friendly should now be assumed and something La Torre’s fans expect from their purchases.   In fact, a 2018 study from research firm GreenMatch found that 72% of Gen Z consumers would spend more money on a service if it was sustainably produced, and those same respondents also reported a strong preference for switching to brands with sustainable initiatives. The study also found kids are willing to boycott companies that do not align with their values. And these stats came before millions of people (Gen Zers among them) protested for climate change solutions in September last year. What’s more, a 2019 report from Research and Markets found kids have a direct spending power of as much as US$143 billion, and an indirect spending power of US$600 billion. That’s a lot of reasons to go green.   Initial categories for La Bala’s consumer products program will include apparel, accessories, publishing and back-to-school, with the first items scheduled to hit shelves in Mexico this summer. By the end of the year, Nickelodeon plans to expand throughout LatAm and launch additional categories like bedding and electronic accessories.   De La Torre first learned about environmental issues and sustainability through social media, she says. “It’s unbelievable how many things are happening because of climate change, and people think it’s normal. We have to work now, and I’ve been using my voice to spread awareness.”   But de La Torre’s entire life doesn’t revolve around environmental efforts. She’s like most teenagers, which means her time is split between a number of interests.   “There are a lot of things she’s passionate about,” says Tatiana Rodriguez, Nickelodeon’s SVP of programming and creative strategy. “She also loves music and art, so we’re working to incorporate all of those things into the products [with equal importance.]”         The biggest obstacle, Cabera says, is waiting for the technology behind manufacturing processes to catch up to the company’s (and de La Torre’s) aspirations. “There are limitations,” he says. “We must deliver a good-quality product at a price that is accessible to the consumer.”   Even with tech enabling more eco-friendly products, this level of environmental integration isn’t easily achievable for every toyco. For those who aren’t yet ready to go fully green with a new range, there are other options.   New Zealand-based company Zuru, for example, is making incremental changes to its Bunch O Balloons (pictured) brand after being criticized for generating plastic waste. The product features balloons with self-sealing stems that allow kids to quickly and easily fill up—you guessed it—a bunch of balloons at once.   “The balloon pieces aren’t able to be put in all curbside recycling because they’re latex,” says Zuru’s global marketing director, Renee Lee. “We looked at how we could mitigate the impact we’re having, and that’s where the idea came about to partner with TerraCycle.”   The New Jersey-based company allows consumers to dispose of their Bunch O Balloons stems, bags and balloon pieces by mailing them in to be recycled. The packaging materials, for example, are melted into hard plastic that can be remolded into new products. The Zuru team is also aiming to change to 100% certified recycled materials in 2021.   And though a brand like Bunch O Balloons may not easily lend itself to environmental efforts, sustainability can become a founding pillar of new properties. Cuddles the Sloth, an upcoming addition to Zuru’s portfolio, is a prime example.   Instead of hard mechanics, the interactive pet features pressurized air flowing through tubes to create hundreds of movements including hand-holding, singing and sneezing. Zuru engineered the tech in house, and—besides a small battery pack—the product is truly plush, free of many of the non-recyclable materials traditionally associated with interactive pets.   Cuddles has been in the works for five years, and Lee says that in 2019 as the team was aligning its strategy for the launch, wildfires were raging across the Amazon rainforest.   Because sloths live in rainforests in Central and South America, Zuru partnered with One Tree Planted to include codes in the packaging that will allow kids to go online and plant a tree in the rainforest. (It costs Zuru just US$1 for the organization to plant a new tree.)   “It wasn’t just about giving money back to plant these trees,” Lee says. “It was about engaging the children who purchase this toy in the message.”

In this interview, TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky talks to Arnaud Meysselle, CEO of REN Clean Skincare about the later's partnership with Loop - TerraCycle's global circular shopping platform. REN Clean Skincare has a substantial sustainability platform. Please tell us about it. REN Clean Skincare has adopted a holistic approach to sustainability, especially since pledging to be Zero Waste by 2021. There’s no silver bullet to sustainability, but the changes we've made demonstrate a commitment toward reducing waste through the use of recycled materials and recyclable and refillable packaging solutions. We’ve included as much PCR as is currently viable in the packaging of our latest launches, Clean Screen Mineral SPF, Non-Drying Spot Treatment and Clean Jelly Oil Cleanser, which have been designed with circularity in mind. We’ve also used reclaimed ocean plastic sourced by TerraCycle® in the production of a 100% recycled bottle, raising awareness of a larger climate waste problem. With Loop, we’re aiming to avoid waste creation altogether, providing refillable solutions that allow customers to return their packaging to be cleaned, refilled, and delivered time and time again. How did the partnership with TerraCycle and its circular shopping platform Loop start? Our partnership with Loop is an essential - and exciting - step forward in our pledge to become Zero Waste by 2021. REN Clean Skincare first partnered with leading recycling innovator TerraCycle in 2018 as one of the first prestige skincare brands to offer a product in a 100% recycled PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottle, 20% of which is reclaimed from the ocean. Showcased in our award-winning Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Body Wash and Lotion, with more packs to follow, the reclaimed plastic content is collected from oceans, beaches, rivers, lakes and the banks of those waterways by global NGOs mobilized through TerraCycle’s network. How does the partnership with Loop fit with REN’s priorities? Loop’s vision to create a circular refillable system aligned with our Zero Waste initiative so well that we were the first premium beauty brand to sign up. A subscription service can be daunting for some customers, but to ours, who engage with our sustainability ethos, we are delighted to offer a mess-free, convenient refill option that keeps our packaging from becoming waste in the first place. What can consumers expect from REN Clean Skincare in Loop? Six of our bestselling products will be available in glass bottles, making them easier to clean and refill, with a single-material plastic pump, which is easier to recycle than standard pumps with metal springs. Loop has an entire team dedicated to creating stringent design specifications for Loop packages to ensure they are durable, transport well, hold temperature, and protect the products inside. With this collaboration, consumers can expect the same luxury products with clean, high-quality ingredients, now in beautiful, durable packaging with the added premium service and convenience of delivery and pickup. What was REN’s process with its packaging in order to join Loop? As the first premium beauty brand to join Loop, there was an element of learning together. We were lucky to have a transparent relationship where we could test packaging and adapt on the go. Many ideas and packaging concepts later, we have our refillable glass bottles that are durable enough to be cleaned and reused over and over, while our pumps are being dismantled and recycled. With advancing technology, the aim is that these pumps can be cleaned and reused alongside our bottles before eventually being recycled. However, it’s an ongoing process. With Loop, we will be continually reviewing and testing our refillable solutions to ensure they are compatible with the Loop circular model while staying true to the REN Clean Skincare brand. What are the learnings to carry into 2020, be they issues of packaging design, supply chain, logistics, marketing, public opinion, or educating consumers around the circular economy? Education is the key factor in minimising waste. We know our customers are keen to lessen their environmental impact. As recycling methods differ from country to country, and even council to council, it can be hard to find relevant information. It’s up to us to lobby councils to become more waste-conscious, while also designing packaging that can be recycled more easily within current facilities and educating customers through our communications to dispose of it correctly to ensure it reaches the appropriate recycling stream. In addition to Loop, what are REN’s other plans for innovating for the future? We have exciting upcoming projects that fulfill the three key areas of our Zero Waste pledge. With Loop, we explore refillable and reusable solutions, but we’re also working to redesign our packaging into fully recyclable vessels, with no metal pumps and single-type plastic. We’ve broken new ground with Infinity Recycling, which involves the launch of a new pack using circular polymers certified by SABIC, a global leader in pioneering sustainable material solutions by facilitating reuse of the planet’s natural resources. We are proud to be the first luxury beauty brand to support this groundbreaking recycling technology that is capable of regenerating plastic waste to deliver certified recycled plastic identical to virgin, a great addition to current technologies. Our upcoming launches will maximise the use of PCR plastic usage and recyclability, working towards our pledge of being Zero Waste by 2021. What is your advice for other companies (big and small) who want to design into the circular economy but don’t know where to start? It’s not being wrong you should fear - it’s not trying. With new technologies constantly arising, sustainability can be complex and takes constant review to stay up to date. At REN Clean Skincare our main ethos was Clean to Skin and we have proudly evolved by adding Clean to Planet with a 50/50 importance. If you build it into your brand, it will soon become intrinsic to your processes. Remember, there is not one solution to sustainability, the approach you take will depend on your vision of sustainability, your consumer and your product. Don’t follow other brands for their action, make your actions as part of your product offering and brand purpose.

Clean beauty retailers are confronting their role in the global climate crisis.   On Wednesday, Detox Market rolled out a 360-degree plan to tackle its impact. Under the name #EarthCPR, Detox Market will plant 2.5 million trees by 2025 through nonprofit organization Eden Reforestation Projects.  In-store and online, Detox launched a collection of sustainable products with a focus on reusable items including face wipes and refillable products like makeup from Kjaer Weis. The company will release in May a set of sustainability standards for its partner brands to follow that will expand on its existing clean beauty requirements. Romain Gaillard, Detox Market founder and CEO, estimates that the new sustainability commitments will cost the equivalent of 2% of the company’s revenue, but declined to provide hardline figures.   “From our stores and offices to shipping warehouses, we’re making simple changes that [will] yield serious results, now and over time,” Gaillard said. “We’re rethinking everything from the way we receive shipments to how we can communicate more information regarding product packaging and formulations.”   Detox Market is just one indie retailer that has begun dedicating resources to sustainability programs. Despite the hot topic of sustainability within the beauty industry — Launchmetrics found the word “sustainable” generated $1.8 million in media impact value for beauty brands in the first six months of 2019 — existing limitations around integrating sustainable practices make it difficult to make a large impact.   “I wish we could [create a sustainable beauty category], but innovation hasn’t come far along enough for us to do that,” said Tara Foley, Follain founder and CEO. “We’ve waved the flag in the clean and sustainable environment, but not enough people are adopting those products yet; we think it’s because people want to buy beauty products mostly because they are fun and effective [not because they are sustainable].”   Follain introduced TerraCycle boxes in all of its six locations in 2015 and has offered refillable product stations for liquid soap since its first store opened in Boston in 2013. Detox Market is also adding TerraCycle to its seven stores, in 2020 and will open another two locations next year. Plus its corporate office and stores are reducing their carbon footprint by using reusable products and conserving water, heat and electricity. Lena Rose, a Chicago-based retailer and spa that opened in 2017, has pledged to become plastic-free by 2025, and will also add a refillable product station in-store in April.   The aforementioned retailers agreed that more significant sustainability initiatives from large retailers like Walmart and Target, and companies like Estée Lauder and L’Oréal would drive the most change. Indie retailers typically stock indie brands, meaning the brands they carry are not producing enough product volume to have a significant impact. Retailers like Detox Market and Follain are also too small to dictate environmentally sustainable supply chain requirements to their brand partners.   Almost all national retailers have sustainability plans in place, including Target and Walmart, but they exist within larger corporate social responsibility programs, meaning they do not impact brand partners or reach customers in a practical way. Some larger retailers, like Sephora, are looking at options on the consumer level. In the third quarter of 2019, Sephora began piloting a program in Colorado and Utah allowing customers to bring back three containers from Sephora-carried brands to receive a 15% discount on Sephora Collection products. Net-a-Porter recently added beauty to its Net Sustain assortment with 27 new and existing beauty brands.   “Customers have propelled clean beauty forward since the beginning,” said Jenny Duranski, founder of Lena Rose. “Now that it [has reached mainstream] and brands see the businesses opportunity in clean and green beauty, you may see retailers and brands recognizing the same opportunities for sustainability.”

(Jan. 30, 2020) Twenty cigarette butt recycling receptacles are expected to be installed in Berlin, according to Economic and Community Director Ivy Wells.   Wells informed the Berlin mayor and town council on Monday that the installation of the receptacles, which will bear the town’s logo, is nearly complete.   Wells had applied for a Main Street Improvement grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development last May for the cigarette butt hut project and learned the town had received a $10,000 grant for the project in the fall.   “This was fully grant funded,” Well said. “It will also save on trash as well.”   “We received [these huts] and Dave Wheaton put those up last week,” she continued. “I have contracted with a company in Trenton, New Jersey, called TerraCycle, it’s all free. We collect the cigarette butts out of these receptacles and we bag them and put them in a box we send them.   Once the butts are collected, they’ll be mailed to TerraCycle, which provides free shipping and donates a dollar to the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program for every pound of discarded cigarettes collected.   In addition, the butts used for smoking will be recycled into something human butts can be used for sittings.   “The butts that are put into these are used to make benches for our butts to sit on,” Wells said.

As a professional meeting planner and principal on event logistics for the food industry association, I increasingly challenge our team to make sustainability a goal by either donating uneaten food or partnering with facilities to divert waste from landfill. This year, at the 2020 Midwinter Executive Conference, we considered a pilot with our partner Unilever, which will now serve as a case study for 2020 and beyond.  

The Idea

  Did you know that Hellmann’s bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic? In fact, across their portfolio, 50% of Unilever’s plastic packaging in North America comes from recycled content. Given their passion for sustainability, Unilever was a natural partner with FMI to deliver  a  zero waste Executive Awards Luncheon for the FMI Board of Directors and guests. Initially we thought to plan a meal with no disposable accessories (such as coffee stirrers and signage), but quickly we aimed higher on a collaborative effort that spanned multiple partners.  

The Partners

  It started with buy-in from our conference services team at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge, led by Chef Bryan and his talented team in the kitchen. Then Waste Management Sustainability Services provided us with Comprehensive Zero Waste Program Management that helped guide staff to evaluate the potential for compostable items. Recycled City LLC served as our local Arizona organic composter and TerraCycle’s provided zero-waste event boxes for recycling non-compostable items.  

Behind the Scenes

  Two days prior to the luncheon, the Waste Management team arrived onsite to establish a training system with the chefs, kitchen and banquet staff. All the food prep for the lunch would be monitored and trimmings would be sorted into organic collection bins rather than jettisoned into the trash.   Staff sorted packaging waste into recycling bins, including a bag which was shipped to TerraCycle for hard to recycle materials. After the lunch, plate waste was added to the bins for compost and our partner at Recycled City compost picked it up from the loading dock after the event.  

Lessons Learned

  The results were a giant success! We diverted hundreds of pounds of material by way of recycling, composting, reuse and donation with 0.0 lbs. going to landfill.   We learned a great lesson on how sustainability transcends traditional roles and functions. Many retailers, hotels and restaurants have relationships with food banks or food rescue organizations to assist them with food donations for excess food but going for zero-waste to landfill is a labor of love. I’m especially excited for the spring when I can actually “plant” my event program that was made from wildflower seeds.   Changing the way we approach the well-oiled machines of our businesses with an eye for material recovery and the elimination of waste-to-landfill requires commitment to go the extra mile. Estimating the right amount of food (from the ingredients to the plate) in a hotel environment with multiple concurrent meal events is the Mount Everest of the food-waste-reduction journey. All of us in the food industry have a role to play on this climb, and we’re here to share the stories of the pioneering scouts who are leading the way.   Sustainability, transparency and closing the loop on plastics weren’t just educational topics covered on stage at Midwinter – you could see our commitment during committee meetings, education sessions and our Tech Talks. For instance, in order to walk the talk of sustainability, we worked with Dasani and offered a water dispenser with still or sparkling options in our Refresh lounge.   Our organization looks forward to sharing more best practices and collaboration with partners in the near future. Namely, we’ll be releasing a lesson learned document with our association partners at the Food Waste Reduction Alliance.