2Sustain

Scotch Brand transparent tape and TerraCycle, Inc., have teamed up to create the first ever program to recover and reuse clear plastic tape dispensers and cores.

Scheduled to begin later this year, the test program will involve the collection of more than 25,000 dispensers through 1,000 TerraCycle collection programs, called “Brigades.”

The Scotch® Tape Brigades will collect empty clear plastic tape dispensers and cores and pay two cents per dispenser to a charity of the collector’s choice. Then, the Scotch® Brand will take the items and reuse them for their original purpose. It’s an interesting twist on TerraCycle’s usual practice of upcycling waste packaging into new products.

“We are thrilled to be working with a company such as 3M and their Scotch® Brand,” says Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO. “Traditionally, we have taken packaging and turned it into other products, so to take the original product and continue its traditional life cycle is an exciting new opportunity for us and them.”

3M has a longstanding commitment to sustainable development through environmental protection, social responsibility, and economic progress—and product life cycle management is a key component of the company’s overall sustainability plan. You can read more about 3M’s commitment in its 2009 sustainability progress report, titled “Sustaining Our Future.” You’ll find additional data about 3M’s programs and metrics here.