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Loop Review: A Waste-Free Packaging Service For Returning Containers

TerraCycle coca cola Nestle Unilever Include USA UPS Procter & Gamble Loop Clorox Häagen-Dazs Hidden Valley
The service promises to help you cut waste. It’s better at emptying your wallet. When I first heard about Loop, a reusable packaging service designed to help cut down on waste, I couldn’t wait to try it. As a conscious consumer, I am proud of my reusable straws and grocery bags, but I struggle to find affordable, plastic-free alternatives to some of my favorite food brands and household items like shampoo. Plastic packaging has become a frequent target of activist groups campaigning against the deluge of garbage entering the oceans. Items like candy wrappers and soda bottles are some of the most common pieces of trash found on beaches during cleanup efforts, and a handful of giant consumer goods companies are largely responsible for the mess. Several of these companies, including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestle and Coca-Cola, have partnered with Loop, redesigning some of their products’ packaging to discourage people from trashing it. Launched by recycling company TerraCycle, Loop delivers products from name brands like Clorox and Hidden Valley in packaging that can be returned, refilled and redistributed. The service made its debut to much fanfare at the World Economic Forum in January. The returnable, reusable containers are meant to stay in circulation longer than traditional packaging in an attempt to slash not only waste but also climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. But does it really work in practice? That’s what I wanted to find out. Loop launched a beta test in May, and I signed up for a trial membership over the summer and used the service for two months. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t exactly what I expected. For an in-depth look at what it’s like to use Loop, check out our full review below. Haagen-Dazs ice cream in a metal tin, designed for the Loop service. LOOP Haagen-Dazs ice cream in a metal tin, designed for the Loop service.

 

HOW IT WORKS

After creating a personal account on the Loop store website, you can start shopping. Available products include groceries and items for housecleaning and personal hygiene. The most popular things sold on the service so far have been cleaning products, such as Cascade dishwasher pods and Clorox disinfectant wipes; foods like Häagen-Dazs ice cream; and personal care items, including Pantene shampoo and conditioner, according to Loop representative Lauren Taylor. I placed two orders over the course of my trial, purchasing rolled oats, dry salted almonds, nut butter, coffee, all-purpose cleaner and gummy bears for my first order, and just coffee and oats for my second. They all came in metal containers except for the nut butter, which was in a glass jar. I was disappointed to find that the service offers only a limited number of products, and I was stunned at how much it costs to buy this stuff from the Loop website. (More on that later.) The goods are shipped within two days through UPS and arrive in a very sturdy and large tote bag. Once you’ve emptied the reusable containers, you load up the tote and send them back to be cleaned for reuse. You don’t have to ship all your empties back at the same time ― which makes sense because, as I discovered, my gummy bear supply doesn’t run out at the same rate as my all-purpose cleaner supply. You can also set up your account to automatically refill products in your tote. Loop is currently available in only a few states along the East Coast: New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont, and in Washington, D.C. It also ships to Paris. Next year Loop will expand to London, Toronto, California, Germany and Tokyo, Taylor told HuffPost. She didn’t share how many users have signed up so far, but she said Loop will add more brands and products to its online store as more people use the service. Joan Marc Simon, executive director of Zero Waste Europe, called Loop “a good initiative with the best intentions,” adding that there’s a lot that needs to change about it. I agree, but there are also some great things about the service, so let’s start there. Procter & Gamble, one of the multinationals that partnered with Loop, designed packages for multiple brands -- from personal LOOP Procter & Gamble, one of the multinationals that partnered with Loop, designed packages for multiple brands — from personal hygiene products to cleaning supplies — to be sold on Loop’s website.

 

WHAT YOU’LL LIKE 

1) It’s not too complicated to use

Disposable packaging is tough to quit because it’s incredibly easy and convenient. For a service like Loop to be successful, it has to be as simple and hassle-free as throwing out a candy wrapper, said Simon. Loop isn’t quite as simple as that, but it’s not too difficult to figure out. The online shopping experience was smooth, and the goods arrived as described on the website. Returning Loop’s big tote bag with the empty canisters was easy enough, though not as easy as taking out the trash or recycling. I made a quick pitstop on my morning commute to drop off the goods at a UPS and a day later received an email confirmation that my empty products had been received and a deposit refund was on its way to my credit card.

2) It’ll make you feel good about yourself

As someone who reads and writes a fair amount about plastic, I have serious guilt over my consuming habits. Every plastic soap dispenser or soda bottle I toss away contributes to my sense of personal failure. Even though I bought only a few items from Loop, those were items that didn’t end up in my trash can. Taylor said that Loop has “prevented the manufacturing of thousands of single-use, disposable packaging.” Simon agreed that reusing packages with Loop makes sense as a way to reduce waste. Knowing that Loop was helping me slash my plastic use, even in a small way, made me feel good.

3) It will change the way you think about waste

Testing Loop deepened my sensitivity to waste and made me want to be more proactive. I became more skeptical about the materials around me: Did I have to buy a plastic tub of coffee grounds, or could I wait a day to stop by the store that offers beans in bulk? It seems promising that Loop has convinced several large consumer goods companies to rethink packaging, and it’s easy to envision a world where every company follows suit. Erik Loomis, a history professor at the University of Rhode Island, cautioned me about being too optimistic: By touting their participation in so-called sustainable programs, these companies get an image boost that distracts from how they operate on a global scale and discourages the public from asking what they could be doing better. “If we’re going to actually deal with climate change, we have to deal with the big questions that hold corporations responsible,” Loomis said. Fair enough.

WHAT YOU’LL DISLIKE

1) It’s not cheap, and the product range is limited 

It’s easy to rack up a large bill with Loop. Though there’s no membership fee (hooray!), there are plenty of other costs built in. You not only have to purchase the products and cover shipping costs, you also must pay a deposit for each reusable container, since you’re essentially renting those from the company. The tote bag is a $15 deposit, and a glass jar of cake mix requires a $3 deposit, while a bottle of body wash takes a $5 deposit. It adds up fast. My first order came to a whopping $85.70. For only six items! To be fair, $32 was for packaging deposits and $20 was for shipping. And I snagged a $20 discount as a first-time customer. For my second round of orders, I bought only two more products, so the total was $37 with the deposits. After using the service for two months, buying a total of eight products and receiving refunds for all my deposits, I paid a total of $69.70. (HuffPost provided funds for the purposes of reporting this piece.) Some of the products in Loop’s online market seemed overly expensive to me. Part of the issue here is that Loop offers just one brand per product (for now), with no cheaper, off-brand alternatives to choose from. Never before have I purchased a $14 nut butter ($16, including the jar deposit), but there were no other options. I can usually find similar goods at my supermarket for less than I can on Loop’s website because there’s more choice outside Loop and I can hunt for a bargain. Product selections are limited on Loop's website. Some categories offer only one choice. If something you want seems too pric LOOPProduct selections are limited on Loop’s website. Some categories offer only one choice. If something you want seems too pricey — like this $14 nut butter — you can’t shop around for a better deal.   Some of these prices are prohibitive if you’re on a tight budget. Which made me wonder if the service would ever become affordable for people who don’t have piles of extra money lying around. Loomis said services like Loop turn environmentalism into “a consumer movement,” something that can be practiced only by well-off people. Right now, Loop is too burdensome for the average working person. The service, he said, appears to have been created “by rich people for rich people.” Taylor said that Loop will keep partnering with additional brands to offer more choices and that most of the current prices are “comparable” to what you’d see in a brick-and-mortar store. She said that Loop doesn’t want to be a luxury service made just for the rich.

2) It’s not totally waste-free

The whole point of Loop is to slash the amount of trash produced by shopping. The company even developed a reusable tote bag to avoid cardboard boxes and packing material. But when my first order arrived, I noticed something odd: Every item, including the tote bag, comes with a plastic seal on it! I asked Taylor about this, and she said it’s a quality control measure. The seals are meant to prove that items haven’t been tampered with during shipping. You can actually send back the plastic seals, along with your empties, to be recycled, Taylor added. Loop’s parent company operates a number of experimental programs for hard-to-recycle items like these. So you don’t have to worry about the plastic wraps ending up in a landfill or an incinerator. My tin of rolled oats, with the clear plastic seal around the lid. Loop says you can send these seals back with your empties KATE BRATSKEIR My tin of rolled oats, with the clear plastic seal around the lid. Loop says you can send these seals back with your empties to be recycled by its parent company, which specializes in hard-to-recycle items.   When it comes to reducing greenhouse emissions, the results are murkier. Online shopping can in some instances have a smaller carbon footprint than in-person shopping, but there are many factors at play here, and they’re tough to measure. I’ll point out, though, that fast shipping uses more resources ― and Loop ships pretty quickly. Using the service instead of driving a car to the store is probably less carbon-intensive, said Simon, especially if lots of people sign up for Loop. “One shipping vehicle can transport [totes] for hundreds of families, which is better than having hundreds of families driving to the supermarket individually,” Simon said. But, in my case, I would have walked to the grocery store instead of driving, so I’m not convinced that having goods delivered to my door by truck is my best option for slashing emissions.

3) It takes up a lot of space

The Loop tote bag is huge. Seriously huge. It drove me and my husband crazy, occupying all that precious floorspace in the living room of our teeny New York City apartment. We also don’t have a lot of countertop space to hoard the reusable containers. Though Loop didn’t totally fit my lifestyle, it might work just fine for someone with more storage space.

4) Sometimes visiting the corner store is just more convenient

It takes a couple of days for the service to send you new items when you run out. That’s not a huge inconvenience, but it could be a problem if you’re waiting on a product you use every day, like bath soap or shampoo. On its website, Loop recommends ordering everyday products two at a time, in case you run out unexpectedly. Ordering two bottles of shampoo is easy in theory, but it takes some getting used to if you’re not a big online shopper, which I’m not. Look at the size of the Loop tote. It's huge. And if you live in a tiny apartment, like me, its size is kind of a pain. LOOP Look at the size of the Loop tote. It’s huge. And if you live in a tiny apartment, like me, its size is kind of a pain.

THE TAKEAWAY

After using Loop for two months, I decided it’s not the best fit for me. The service isn’t quite ready for prime time, though parts of the experience I liked. I was willing to put up with some inconveniences ― such as paying the deposits on Loop’s reusable containers and stuffing the enormous tote bag behind my couch ― if it meant I’d create less waste. But ultimately the price of buying items through the service was too steep. I would definitely try it again in the future if it were cheaper and the product selection improved. Loomis, the history professor, thinks it’ll take more than that for Loop to succeed at replacing plastic packaging. “If you want to make [reusable packaging] accessible, you need the government’s investment to make it part of American policy rather than a boutique consumer item.” When I asked Simon, the zero-waste expert, if he thought Loop would ever go mainstream, he wasn’t overly optimistic. “I hope the system succeeds, but for the moment I would be surprised if it does,” said Simon. “It definitely needs to be fine-tuned and simplified, but I guess that is the rationale behind the pilot: to learn from mistakes before scaling up.” Taylor said the service will get better as it grows. She added that Loop isn’t meant to be a silver bullet for plastic waste: “There is no single solution to solve the waste crisis we are in.”     Charlotte Maiden Publicist, U.S. Public Relations Loop Global Office: (609)-393-4252 ext. 3712 Cell: (732)-865-6154 1 TerraCycle Way Trenton, NJ  08638 USA www.terracycle.com Eliminating the Idea of Waste® Please consider the planet before printing. This email and any attachments thereto may contain private, confidential, and privileged material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, copying, or distribution of this email (or any attachments thereto) by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copies of this email and any attachments thereto.  
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Sustainability Is The New Black

TerraCycle Include USA Loop
This season, we’ve seen a number of retailers and brands offering new, sustainable ways to enjoy fall fashions -- making the act of completing your perfect look good for your wallet and the planet. Of course sustainability isn’t a new trend per se, but we’re seeing it take shape in an entirely different way across the retail industry. Companies like Express, American Eagle, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Nike and Urban Outfitters all launched subscription or rental services for their clothes/products, seemingly taking a page out of successful business platforms like Stitch Fix and Rent the Runway (currently the largest drycleaner globally!!) who offer clothes through personalized boxes or rent-to-own basis. A recent survey by ratings and review platform Clutch found that more than half of online shoppers (54%) are members of subscription box services.  Luxury consignment platform The Real Real is also growing, with reported earnings projecting its revenue will jump 51% to $71 million versus a year ago. The trend of subscription boxes and rentals is more than just about busy consumers who are on the go and don’t want to invest in updating their wardrobe every season. It also pinpoints a shift in the retail industry as more companies are looking to become environmentally stable. According to eMarketer, for luxury marketers, all circular business models are profitable on a per-garment basis, with rental being the most notable (61%), followed by resale (39%) and subscription rental (30%). On top of that, consumers are clearly more focused on reducing the amount of waste they create. Brands like J.Crew and H+M are making it easier with their garment recycling programs to help create a sustainable fashion future. And companies like TerraCycle are making sustainability more accessible with their Loop offering, which combats single-use waste. Brands are quickly trying to get involved in the initial pilot and many are attracted to the old “milkman model” of having products delivered to your doors and empties taken to be washed, refilled and brought back. L’Oreal has also made strides to offer more recyclable packaging and containers. We’ll still see a bit of a paradox when it comes to Gen Z -- one of the most environmentally-conscious demographics -- as they struggle with their commitment to the environment and the attractiveness of what’s new and now. Despite all this, they know they can get better deals on fashions that are also good for the environment. Forever 21’s recent store closings are one clear example of the fact that producing inexpensive clothing at scale while operating expensive retail locations cannot compete with nimble, digital businesses and their social/influencer marketing efforts. Only time will tell if the industry’s youngest consumers are encouraging this move to a more sustainable model, but they will demand that brands be authentic and not just create purpose marketing for the sake of saving face. Amidst all of these changes, brands are still looking for ways to acquire customers, better understand them and keep them. Consumers don’t need more choices--they just need simpler solutions that save time and money. Adding sustainability on top of convenience and relevancy is one way for brands to quickly attract new customers. But marketers also need to have a true, authentic connection with consumers and they need to pay attention to the things that matter, like investing in the right materials that are also good for the environment (i.e. metal straws, bento box packaging, etc.). More importantly, they must have leaders in place who are focused on saving the planet and humanity versus driven by shareholder value at any cost. One thing is for certain: when you think about the future of your brand, you'd better make sure it’s end-to-end purpose-based: built to be better for the planet, better for you and better for humanity.
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Gerber and Terracycle Partner to Launch National Recycling Program

TerraCycle Include USA Gerber
Gerber has partnered with international recycling company TerraCycle to help give hard-to-recycle baby food packaging a new life.   How it works: Parents can sign up on the Gerber Recycling Program page and mail in packaging that is not municipally recyclable using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   As an added incentive, for every pound of packaging waste sent to TerraCycle through the Gerber Recycling Program, collectors can earn $1 to donate to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   According to Gerber, the baby food industry should help create a world where babies thrive, and this partnership is one of many steps toward its goal to achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025.
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Vets or eco-warriors: shouldn't we be both?

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB
Vets or eco-warriors: shouldn't we be both? When I first started working in general practice after graduating I realised how detrimental the impact of providing veterinary care is to the environment. The amount of waste generated, the harmful chemicals used and the vast amount of energy consumed for day-to-day running of a practice was disconcerting.  As a profession known for our compassion of living creatures and the natural world, I felt like this was counterintuitive - surely veterinary work and environmental sustainability should go hand in hand? Achieving carbon neutrality and zero waste production as a veterinary practice will certainly be challenging, but with these goals in mind I began thinking about what steps we should be taking to move in the right direction.   Together, as a team of green-minded individuals, we set about becoming more environmentally sustainable as a practice. First we implemented easy wins; simple changes in behaviour that cost nothing but reduce our energy consumption. Energy saving mode is programmed on the printers and computers, the washing machine is only run if there is a full load, lights and computer monitors are routinely turned off when not in use and washing is hung on the line rather than tumble dried. Whenever a light needs replacing, we swap it for an LED bulb which is up to 75% more energy efficient and has a much longer lifespan. I'd argue that replacing traditional bulbs with LED bulbs is one of the most simple yet effective eco-friendly habits you can adopt both at home and at work!   Keen to recycle as much of our non-hazardous waste as possible, we sought quotes from waste disposal services to find out that recycling collection was just as expensive as general waste collection which may prove too expensive for small businesses like ours to invest in. At present our cardboard and paper waste is collected by the council, however we collect mixed recycling for my boss to dispose of at home in her domestic wheelie bins. We also signed up to become a collection point for the Terracycle pet packaging recycling scheme; they collect and reuse “non-recyclable” waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or being incinerated.   Clinical waste is one of the biggest challenges to reducing total waste as, by law, it has to be incinerated and cannot be recycled. We have tried to reduce the amount we generate by using re-useable scrub caps, gowns and drapes. A paper has recently been published concluding that there is no disadvantage to using reusable cloth drapes from an infection control standpoint, which was our main concern. Another change we made was switching to smaller clinical waste bins so people have to think twice about what is genuinely clinical waste and what can be recycled. Cardboard-based clinical waste bins (such as the Bio-bin) are a good alternative to the usual plastic bins but we could not justify the additional cost in a small practice, so as a compromise we re-fill the plastic bins, and only dispose of the bin bags once full.   To reduce our water consumption, we have switched to Sterillium to achieve surgical sterility (this also reduces waste, as there is no need for packaged sterile scrub brushes and towels). Another way we minimise our water consumption is by only running the washing machine on a full load.   In an effort to reduce the paper used at the practice, the anaesthetic monitoring chart is printed on the back of the patient admit form, we always print double sided, and we look at urine results and blood results on the computer rather than printing them out. We make sure any paper we buy is PEFC certified so that we know any paper being used is ethically sourced. We also encourage clients to receive reminders by email or text rather than by post to further reduce the waste produced as well as saving on postage.   When we have lunchtime CPD, we request that the visiting companies provide lunches that are plastic free and ideally locally sourced. This often results in us receiving delicious salads and sandwiches from the local delicatessen in paper boxes…perhaps one of the best perks of our eco-friendly efforts!! We also have a large stash of re-useable cups with the practice logo on for staff and visitors to use rather than disposable cups.   Veterinary practices have a lot of power through procurement (obtaining equipment and supplies), and we decided to put this to good use to drive change in the market. We support green-minded suppliers and have swapped many consumables with eco-friendly alternatives; syringes made from renewable energy, biodegradable examination gloves and recyclable autoclave bags, amongst others. We now also stock pet toys specifically made from materials other than plastic, it's amazing what you can find out there when you look for it!   We had a discussion about further energy reduction measures such as replacing the old boiler for a more efficient model (as recommended by an energy consultant), switching to a green energy supplier or generating our own electricity on-site through renewable technology. Being a small independent practice these are unfortunately out of our budget for now, but if funds allowed in the future, this would definitely be the next step. It is likely that these changes would even make a return on our investment through reduced energy bills in the future. We did however invest in applying Solar Sentry window films to the windows in the waiting room and consult rooms, which reduce heat loss in winter and prevent excessive heat gain (and glare) in summer, thereby reducing both our heating and air-conditioning bills.   My practice is by no means perfect, and there is a lot more we could improve on, but we are trying to do everything within our means at this point in time. Our aim was to do our bit for the planet to help prevent further global warming. Clients really appreciate our eco-friendly business ethos and we have cut our energy bills too! Becoming environmentally sustainable certainly has many perks, and the eco-conscious mind-set is more contagious than the flu. I wanted to write this blog to inspire other practices to embark on eco-friendly ventures as I believe that every practice has scope to reduce its environmental impact, whatever the size or budget. It would be incredible to see the veterinary profession leading the way in taking responsibility for our environmental impact, and setting an example for other industries to follow!   I am forever on the lookout for new ideas for how we could further develop our sustainability efforts, so please get in touch at brookfieldvets@hotmail.com if you have any suggestions, I would be very grateful.   
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Retailers market sustainable stores to lure eco-conscious customers

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB
As shoppers weigh the environmental impact of their purchases, companies are realizing the ancillary benefits of going green. It wasn't too hard to make the Package Free store in Brooklyn, New York, an environmentally friendly space. Lauren Singer, Package Free's CEO, opened the store in 2017, which sells various health, beauty and lifestyle products aimed at reducing waste.   To shape the store with the environment in mind, she worked with a friend to find the materials needed, including woodwork from sustainable wood, milk paint and energy-efficient light bulbs with fixtures from a vintage lighting store.   The store tests vendor's products before selling them to shoppers and seeks out products that replace single-use items and don't have plastic packaging. The store has partnered with recycling firm TerraCycle to introduce recycling bins into the store where shoppers can recycle electronics, personal care, oral care and other waste, per the company's website.   The idea behind founding the store, Singer said in an interview with Retail Dive, was "to provide products and solutions for people who are wanting to reduce their waste and make it easier for them to do it."   While up-and-coming retailers like Package Free can be nimble in their sustainability efforts, research from U.S. Green Building Council suggests larger retailers are creating environmentally-responsible brick-and-mortar stores, too. Beyond wanting to do their part to safeguard the planet, retailers also see environmentally-responsible storefronts as both a cost-savings tool and a marketing opportunity to reach savvy shoppers, multiple sources told Retail Dive.   LEED, short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a voluntary rating criteria for assessing the environmental health and performance of new structures, existing buildings and add-ons, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. According to the "LEED in Motion" report from USGBC, America drives the top 10 countries and territories with LEED certified retail projects, followed by Canada, Mainland China, Thailand and Brazil. In the U.S., California is the top state for LEED certified retail spaces, followed by New York, Florida and Texas, per the report.   Generally, retailers can improve on a range of areas including energy-efficient lighting and equipment, better waste management and overall location, said Stefanie Young, vice president of technical solutions at the USGBC. Consumers, whether for environmental or political reasons, are becoming more conscious about the way they shop and are evaluating their purchase decision, she said in an interview with Retail Dive.   Retailers could, for example, locate their stores in public transit-adjacent locations so that shoppers and employees can easily access them without a car, according to Young. Doing so could reduce vehicle air pollution, she said, adding that the organization has noticed retailers focusing on their proximity to transit.   Anthony Abate, vice president of operations and chief technology officer at AtmosAir Solutions, said his firm has worked with retailers for their air purification systems in their brick-and-mortar locations. The company provides clients with air purification systems that clean up and recirculate existing indoor air rather than bringing in and distilling air from outside, a technique that not only saves on energy but also can keep employees and shoppers healthier, Abate said.   Aside from wanting to obtain LEED certification and becoming more sustainable, retailers have come to the company for air filtration systems for various reasons, Abate said. For retailers in the supermarket sector, for example, they need to reduce bacteria and molds to minimize food waste and prevent employee or customer illness.   "It comes [back] to those LEED Green Building certifications … That's something that retailers are using to really talk to their customers and say, 'We're environmentally-conscious and building sustainable sites,'" Abate said.   The organization has seen an uptick in high-end retailers with an international footprint looking to make their stores more sustainable in the U.S. and abroad, particularly in regions like Asia where the effects of climate change are more acutely felt, Young said.   Just as consumers are paying attention to retailers who are building sustainable spaces, retailers are looking for landlords who provide environmentally friendly spaces, too. Finding landlords who align with their water, energy, green-cleaning and other sustainability goals requires retailers to coordinate across their legal, sustainability and tenant coordination teams, Young said.   "We're seeing a bit more efforts from the top down versus waiting for consumers to make their decisions on where they're spending their pocketbook," Young said.   Package Free's physical store started as a pop-up shop, Singer said. Given New York City's tight real estate market, Singer said she didn't have much of a choice in selecting a physical location with built-in eco-friendly features. However, she was free to customize the interior with environmentally-mindful materials.   When it comes to brands building sustainable storefronts, "it's a lot easier to start from scratch," Singer said. "I think what has contributed to our success so much is that our values and our mission were very clear from the beginning."   Showcasing sustainability efforts varies from retailer to the next, Young said. While many retailers want to focus more on their products and services rather than the environment, they recognize that they have to demonstrate to discerning shoppers what role they're playing in preserving the planet, she remarked. Those efforts seem to be paying off, because Package Free recently revealed that it raised $4.5 million in funding, which Singer said will go toward boost the company's marketing efforts and develop their own products.   When Singer started Package Free, customers typically sought out the retailer for a way to reduce their waste, but she now notices customers who happen to come across the store and appreciate its mission. While she thinks everyone should take part in leading an environmentally-conscious lifestyle, Singer said retailers hold a great deal of power to influence their vendors to consider the planet in manufacturing and shipping processes.   "I believe the burden of waste should never fall on the consumer; it should always fall first on the manufacturer and then, too, on the reseller or the retailer," Singer said. For vendors that don't meet its packaging criteria, she said, "it's doing a disservice to your own brand, because the way that we dictate that our vendors ship to us will only help them in the future."
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"Giving for Goodness" with Tom's of Maine Copy

TerraCycle Include USA Tom's of Maine

Kids In Need Foundation partnered with Tom’s of Maine to give 10,000 backpacks of goodness across the country.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – September 26, 2019 – Last week the Kids In Need Foundation partnered with Tom’s of Maine to celebrate teachers across the country. Ten of our National Network Affiliate locations held special teacher shopping events to distribute a total of 10,000 backpacks. Generously donated by Tom’s of Maine, these backpacks were filled with essential school supplies for teachers to give to their students. During back to school time and throughout the year, our resource centers provide free shopping opportunities for teachers at high need schools. This back to school season, Tom’s was there to delightfully surprise and bring a little extra goodness into our teachers’ day.   “It’s great. It helps with what we’re teaching in the class and having extra supplies helps the students learn. It’s a great feeling that people want to give back to us and back to the students who may be less fortunate.” ~ Laura Newman, 1st grade teacher, Charlotte Park Elementary at LP Pencil Box, Nashville, TN   Tom’s of Maine knows the value of giving kids goodness in their lives and that every child deserves to have a happy and productive school year. They have shown their commitment to communities throughout the country through giving programs like this one. KINF was thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with them for the second year in a row to help bring that commitment to life.   “I think it’s a really great opportunity because I see a lot of our teachers spending their own money, so it’s a sigh of relief to be able to give our students supplies on site versus telling them to wait until tomorrow because we have to go out and buy it. Now we have it ready and available on hand. It puts a smile on our kids’ faces that they’re prepared and don’t have to be judged because they don’t have school supplies. We appreciate this opportunity for our kids.” ~ Allison Simpson, Community and School Site Coordinator, Amqui Elementary at LP Pencil Box, Nashville, TN   The backpacks were donated in bundles of 1,000 and sent to each selected KINF Affiliate resource center and will be shared with teachers throughout the the semester. Each backpack of goodness was filled with school supplies like notebooks, pencils, rulers, glue sticks, markers, and crayons. Tom’s of Maine also threw in a special extra touch of a card of encouragement for each student who would receive a backpack. “We love this annual event and how it helps to connect teachers at different locations nation-wide. This special day gives them a sense of solidarity, knowing that a brand like Tom’s of Maine and KINF supports them,”  said Kristine Cohn, sr. director of development & corporate partnerships at KINF. “It’s all part of helping get students what they need so they can be ready for a bright start to their school year.” Backpack distribution and teacher celebration events were held at each of these locations:   East Coast  
  • A Gift for Teaching – Orlando, FL
  • Ruth’s Reusable Resources – Portland, ME
  • Pencils & Paper – Rochester, NY
  • Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools -Tampa, FL West Coast
  • Teacher EXCHANGE – Las Vegas, NV
Midwest  
  • Teacher Resource Center – Chicago, IL
  • Crayons 2 Computers – Cincinnati, OH
  • Kids In Need Minnesota – Minneapolis, MN
  • LP Pencil Box – Nashville, TN
South  
  • Houston Food Bank – Houston, TX
Ruth’s Reusable Resources A Gift for Teaching Crayons 2 Computers LP Pencil Box A Tom’s of Maine notecard Pencils & Paper Houston Food Bank Kids In Need Minnesota  
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How to Improve Sustainability in Coffee Roasting

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB
At every link in the supply chain, improving the sustainability of the coffee trade has become an urgent task. But all too often, we focus only on the farm and the coffee shop, and forget about the roasting.   Coffee roasting can be quite efficient compared to other stages, but it still uses a lot of energy and generates large amounts of solid waste. According to one study , roasting, packaging and distribution of coffee represent about 15% of the total carbon footprint of coffee on its journey from seed to cup.   Improving the environmental sustainability of your coffee roasting operations does not have to be difficult. Let's review some practical ways for roasters to deal with energy consumption and solid waste, with information provided by coffee professionals.

Reduce Energy Consumption

  The obvious starting point for any toaster that wants to use less energy is its machine. While overloading it could lead to quality control problems, think twice before loading it too little. Make sure you reach an optimal lot size for your toaster and the sales volume of your toaster.   With luck, you are already keeping your machine in good condition and clean ; This will help it work optimally. For larger roasting operations, it is worth considering a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO). While a typical auxiliary burner incinerates pollutants in the toaster air before releasing them into the atmosphere, an RTO reuses heat from this stage in the toaster, lowering energy costs.   For smaller toasters, this type of recirculation technology is available in toasters such as Loring, while Diedrich infrared burners are famous for their cleaner exhaust pipes, compared to traditional gas burners.   Peter Mark, owner of Kuma Coffee in Seattle, tells me that he used to roast in a 12 kg machine that was heated with flame before moving on to a 35 kg Loring. He says: “Now, we use only 25% of the amount of gas we used to use, although the machine is three times larger. It is considerably more efficient. ”   After all, your business needs will determine what you can do immediately with the toaster you have. You can operate it as efficiently as possible until the time comes when you have to move to a new machine. When it's time to update, then you can turn energy efficiency into one of your requirements.

Reduce Monouse Objects

  Although you recycle the monouso products you use, they still leave a great environmental footprint. From manufacturing and transportation to recycling, all this requires energy. The best thing you can do is try to find replacements for all your monouso products. Consider the internal headphones: replace them with headbands and you will reduce your annual waste considerably.   That said, sometimes there are monouso elements that we simply cannot replace. The best we can do is limit their quantity and then recycle them. Companies like TerraCycle receive items that would be difficult to recycle in another way, such as nitrile gloves.

Reuse Jute and Cascarilla

  The two types of solid waste that roasters cannot avoid are husks and jute sacks. However, they can find a second life in agriculture.   The husk is a good addition to compost piles, since they provide fluffiness and texture, and also nitrogen. Be sure to turn it well. If you do not, it tends to form lumps on the surface when it is moistened with water, which creates a hard shell that then does not allow water to penetrate the ground in the future.   Jute bags are also ideal for farms. They are tough, versatile and perfect for transporting various things.   The real problem of eliminating the husk and jute sacks from waste streams is not so much about their lack of value, but that many roasters simply produce too many to handle the waste themselves. But the solution could be in the community. Contact farmers and gardeners in your area to find out if they are served. You may find it useful to set a specific date for public collections.

Recycle GrainPro Bags

  Another stream of waste that roasters can face are used GrainPro bags. Unfortunately, the LDPE # 4 plastic that makes them perfect for coffee storage is being accepted in less and less at municipal recycling centers.   Ron Hitztaler, operations manager at the The Green Room special coffee distribution center in Seattle, Washington, tells me: “A lot of the plants will not accept it… It must be handled and decomposed in a very special way, only by the compounds that are added. "   Even when they accept them, GrainPro president Jordan Dey tells me that "the minimum requirement for LDPE # 4 [is] significant." This has always been a problem for special coffee roasters.   However, GrainPro has recently partnered with The Green Room to find a solution. Toasters found in the US UU. They can now send their used bags from GrainPro to The Green Room, which stores the used bags until they have enough to send them to the recycling plant. Ron says: "You can [send] amounts as small as FedEx or huge amounts, in what we call Gaylord Boxes, on pallets." And he adds that large roasters can send their bags several times a week, if necessary.   Jordan says: “I simply thank you so much for your generosity in offering your storage space and staff time to help collect GrainPro bags . In addition, they are adding a logistics solution. There is the opportunity to send the bags of GrainPro or the van of The Green Room, which happens to collect them, if you are in the Greater Seattle area. ” In addition, GrainPro introduced an option to recycle with TerraCycle , which will accept 280–300 bags at a time. Alfonso Carmona, marketing director of Sustainable Harvest , tells me that Sustainable Harvest collects used bags from GrainPro from its customers and then sends them to TerraCycle to process them.   “Jute bags and GrainPro have always been a source of waste for our customers. We are excited to offer a viable solution for coffee roasters in Portland. While the climate crisis continues to accelerate, every step we take to improve the sustainability of the supply chain counts, and this will be a necessary step in the right direction. ” Many of the systems and products used by roasters are designed with ease of use in place of waste reduction. This means that toasting thinking about sustainability can sometimes seem like swimming against the current.   But, luckily, the industry is slowly realizing the need to reduce waste and emissions, and this means that more and more initiatives are being launched. Then, sign up for recycling programs like TerraCycle and The Green Room. Reduce the use of single elements as much as possible. And work with your community to find new ways to use solid waste.    
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Loggerhead Marinelife Center recycles Halloween candy trash

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB
JUNO BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Loggerhead Marinelife Center's "Unwrap the Waves" program is back for this Halloween season.   The center and several other organizations in the area will be collecting candy wrappers to 100 percent recycle.   According to the Environmental Protection Agency, plastic packaging accounts for 30 percent of the U.S.’s solid waste every year.   The center will collect candy wrappers and send them to TerraCycle, who will recycle the wrappers since a majority of recycling centers don't accept candy wrappers.   Last year, the "Unwrap the Waves" program collected 19,000 wrappers.   Wrappers can be dropped off at Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Manatee Lagoon, FAU Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Inc., and Sandoway Discovery Center.   Twenty-nine Palm Beach County schools are also collecting wrappers   Candy wrappers are being collected now through November 11.
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Mountain View Elementary School students enjoy new playscape won in online contest

TerraCycle Include USA Colgate-Shoprite Playground Challenge
BRISTOL – The students of Mountain View Elementary School got to enjoy the new playscape they won in an online contest for the first time at recess Thursday.   Principal Mary Hawk said she appreciated everything Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu and Superintendent Catherine Carbone did to help Mountain View get the word out and get the contest votes.   “It really was a team effort with a lot of people in the community voting,” Hawk said. “The police department, City Hall, everybody was emailing us and saying ‘we’re voting,’ so it’s really everybody’s playscape.”   Mountain View’s 30-year-old, rusting playscape was damaged by vandals and what was left had to be demolished in 2018, leaving mostly just a pile of dirt behind the school. The PTO had raised money six or seven years ago to put in a new balance beam, a seesaw and a small climbing wall nearby, she said.   The pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students had their own separate playscape that school installed four years ago through a grant, the principal said.   “So we had been trying to do fundraising but playscapes are incredibly expensive,” Hawk said. “We collected about $19,000 in the past three years that we’re going to use for additional pieces for our playground, either a climbing piece or some swings, but we did get the main piece by winning the contest.”   Volunteers from ESPN came to the school this past summer and painted a number of colorful game areas on the blacktop, to supplement the hopscotch and basketball hoops, she added. “That was really nice of them.”   Zoey Rupert, a fifth grader, said she was very excited when she first heard about the contest and even more excited when her school won. She said her mother got about 100 people to vote in the contest daily.   When Zoey started at Mountain View back in second grade the old playscape was already gone. She said she would mostly spend recess just walking around, because she didn’t know many other kids. “It was a little sad not having a playground, it was just empty space,” she said.   Zoey participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new playscape, giving a short speech she had written with her mother, but she held back from joining in the crowd of kids having fun the first day it was open – preferring to wait until it’s not so crowded.   However, she admitted she had already unofficially tried it out. “It was really nice,” she commented. “I liked it.”   Rebecca Bougie, a Mountain View paraeducator who has a daughter in fourth grade there, said it gives the kids more recess options. “It’s something different. My daughter said ‘you don’t always know what to play, so with the playscape it’s more stuff to do.’”   Gina Martineau, fifth grade teacher who has two children at the school, said “they are super excited.”   “We’re so grateful for everyone in Bristol and elsewhere that took the time to vote for us,” she said. “We so blessed to have our new playscape.”   Colgate, ShopRite, and TerraCycle, a recycling company that specializes in hard-to-recycle waste, ran the online contest last spring, with the grand prize of a colorful new playscape made from recycled materials, with a retail value of $55,000.   People helped out by voting for the school on the contest website, and bringing their used dental products to Mountain View to recycle. The recyclable products included toothbrushes, empty toothpaste containers, floss containers, and dental packaging materials.   Each vote and each unit (defined as 0.02 lbs.) of recyclable waste counted as one Playground Credit. So the school with the most Playground Credits was the winner.   The recycled materials are used to make the playscapes, according to the contest website. These consist of toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, toothpaste cartons, toothbrush outer packaging, and floss containers, which are shredded and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded into new products.   Susan Corica can be reached at 860-973-1802 or scorica@bristolpress.com.
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