2Sustain

Starbucks wants 100 percent of its cups to be reusable or recyclable by 2015.

And, last month the company completed a six-week pilot project that brings it one step closer to reaching that goal.

Starbucks, working in partnership with International Paper and Mississippi River Pulp, LLC, proved that its used paper cups can be recycled into new paper cups. The successful pilot project means that used cup material generated by Starbucks (and other retailers) has potential value in the recycling industry.

“This innovation represents an important milestone in our journey,” Jim Hanna, Starbucks director of Environmental Impact, said. “We still have a lot of work to do to reach our 2015 goal, but we’re now in a much stronger position to build momentum across the recycling industry. Our next step is to test this concept in a major city, which we plan to do in collaboration with International Paper and Mississippi River in 2011.”

Starbucks is a pioneer in what’s known as the “cup-to-cup” concept. The company launched the industry’s first paper cup containing post-consumer recycled fiber (PCF) in 2006, following several years of collaboration with Mississippi River, the only pulp mill in the US that has successfully recycled used cups into fiber suitable for producing new cups. (more…)

In an ingenious move that brilliantly illustrates how closed loop systems can benefit both consumers and corporations, Walmart has introduced a new line of pet products that are made from the retail giant’s own recyclable waste materials.

A “closed loop system” uses customer recyclables in the manufacturing process of new products, and in this case, Walmart teamed up with Worldwise, Inc., a leading environmentally responsible consumer products company, to create PoochPlanet and SmartyKat pet products. Using a proprietary processing method Worldwise will make these pet products from the following Walmart materials:

• Bottles are being recycled into dog beds,

• Hangers are being turned into cat litter pans, scoops, and scratchers,

• Bags are being converated into cat littler liners, and

• Corrugated cardboard is being processed into cat scratchers.

“This program will set a new standard for consumers looking for products that are better for themselves, their pocketbooks, and their planet,” said Aaron Lamstein, Executive Chairman for Worldwise. Inc. “We believe this has the potential to spark a revolution in how manufacturers and retailers can work collaboratively to offer better products for its customers.” (more…)

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.”

(more…)