|
Recycling Today Magazine » News »
Kraft and TerraCycle Team Up to Reduce Packaging Waste
Kraft
Foods has announced a new partnership with TerraCycle, a Trenton,
N.J.-based company that converts difficult-to-recycle materials
into a range of consumer goods. The partnership will reduce
packaging waste going into landfills by repurposing it for use in the
manufacturing of consumer products.
Several Kraft brands, including Balance bars and South Beach Living bars, Capri
Sun beverages, and Chips Ahoy! and Oreo cookies are now the lead
sponsors of TerraCycle Brigades. Each brigade is a nationwide recycling
program that makes a donation for every piece of packaging a location
collects.
The Energy Bar Wrapper Brigade
collects used bar wrappers and donates 2 cents for each wrapper
collected. TerraCycle has found a unique way to braid these wrappers
into colorful, durable purses and backpacks. The wrappers also can be
fused, making the wrappers very dynamic for upcycling.
The Cookie Wrapper Brigade
collects used Nabisco cookie wrappers and donates 2 cents for each
wrapper collected. TerraCycle will use proprietary technology to fuse
the wrappers together into sheets of waterproof fabric, which then can
be made into umbrellas, shower curtains, backpacks, placemats and much
more.
The Drink Pouch Brigade
collects used drink pouches and donates 2 cents to participating
schools or community groups for every pouch collected. The used pouches
are then sewn into tote bags, handbags and other durable items.
TerraCycle
is also in talks to establish more brigades with several other Kraft
brands, including Planters Peanuts and their cheese and toasted chips
brands.
The recycled merchandise will be available for
purchase at Wal-Mart, Target and Walgreens retail stores as early
as April 1, 2009.
"Sustainability
is about looking out for future generations. Kraft is proud to partner
with TerraCycle, an innovative company who has made it their mission to
reduce the impact on landfills and to educate consumers on the
importance of recycling," says Jeff Chahley, senior director of
sustainability for Kraft Foods. "TerraCycle’s model of rewarding
‘brigade hosts’ is a novel way of collecting packaging waste that would
otherwise have been sent to landfills. It’s so cool to see trash turned
into merchandise that’s unlike anything else on the market.”
Additionally,
the partnership will more than double the number of TerraCycle
collection sites. Currently TerraCycle has more than 3,500 collection
sites and they plan to add 4,000 more by the end of the year.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
» Post your comments on this story on the Recycling Today Message Board
|
