Tag: America Recycles Day

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Let’s Celebrate: America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day
It’s that special time of year again. To me, America Recycles Day represents our annual celebration of progress collectively achieved by the recycling community, and also an important call-to-action to both the recycling community and the general public reminding us that a lot of work remains before we can pop the champagne and declare victory on the recycling front.
How2RecycleLogo(R)SmallThe SPC has worked with our members and our partners in the recycling community to generate a wealth of knowledge and action to enhance recycling. This past year we spearheaded an unprecedented collaboration of industry and NGO stakeholders to kick-off a huge study on consumer access to recycling programs. We continue to  keep  our ears on the ground  and ask  the right questions to understand the nuances of packaging design choices and their impacts on the recycling process. We’ve helped a number of companies understand the recyclability of their packaging and the opportunities for improvement. And our How2Recycle Label Program  has created a link between that industry knowledge and consumer actions by appearing on hundreds of packages in stores across America. We can feel good about the SPC’s collective action to advance recycling, and it’s good to have a day where we recognize that.
Still, America Recycles Day makes me pause and wonder why we don’t have celebratory holidays for all the other sustainable packaging initiatives. Where is the “America Responsible Fiber Sourcing Day”? Or “America Packaging With Less Cumulative Energy Consumption Day”? Or the sure-to-be-popular “Phthalate Elimination Day”? Just because we don’t celebrate the other aspects of sustainable packaging doesn’t make them any less important. While we may work on recycling every day, there are a host of issues that deserve our attention and a host of other victories that deserve celebration. So please accept the SPC’s wishes for a happy America Recycles Day, and don’t forget that the party for America Makes Packaging More Sustainable Day never ends.

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GreenBlue Sustainable Packaging Coalition Uncategorized

GreenBlue Receives an Innovation in Plastics Recycling Award

With America Recycles Day just behind us (this past Saturday, November 15th), here at GreenBlue we are thrilled to announce that we have received an Innovations in Plastics Recycling Award from the American Chemistry Council (ACC).
ACC’s Plastics Division hosts the Innovation in Plastics Recycling Awards annually to recognize organizations bringing new technologies, products, and initiatives to the industry to improve plastics recycling. GreenBlue’s Store Drop-off Label was chosen as one of three winning innovations of this year’s awards.
seventh_gen_store_drop_off
The Store Drop-off Label is intended to educate consumers about the recyclability of plastic bags, films, and wraps at nearby grocery and retail stores with drop-off bins. This label informs consumers about recyclability while they are physically handling the package, so there is no confusion.
The How2Recycle Label currently has 32 participating companies, over half of which are using the Store Drop-off Label. We are looking forward to the expansion of the How2Recycle Label in the coming years to help close the loop on the consumer side, and we are thankful to ACC for helping us spread the word!
If you are interested in learning more or joining the How2Recycle Label, email me at kelly.lahvic@greenblue.org or follow us on Twitter @how2recycle.

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Recover More Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Sustainable Packaging Coalition Celebrates America Recycles Day with a Look at How2Recycle Milestones

On this America Recycles Day, GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) celebrates America’s commitment to recycling by taking a look at How2Recycle Label milestones. Sustainability is a journey that relies on good design, accessible infrastructure, and consumer understanding of what, where, and how to recycle.

Sustainable Packaging Coalition member companies and staff identified a need for consistent on-package communication about recyclability of a package. Though consumers want to recycle, our studies found that many consumers are confused about what they can and cannot recycle, and desire clear recycling information on the package itself. The How2Recycle Label Program helps fix this problem by clearly communicating how and where certain materials should be recycled.

 Packages donning the How2Recycle label first entered the market in December, 2011. Since then, How2Recycle has grown from 11 founding participants to 20 with more to be announced soon. Press releases and website updates in the coming weeks will unveil the exciting new participants that will move with How2Recycle into its third year. SPC staff estimate at least 600 different products with How2Recycle Labels will be on shelf by the end of the year.
SPC staff continue to build relationships with partner organizations and consumers to expand the program. This includes collaborative projects with the Flexible Films Recycling Group of the American Chemistry Council, ongoing interactions with government agencies, participation in critical industry conversations, and responding to feedback from consumers.
Through a How2Recycle survey, consumer testing, and social media feedback, the public has expressed their overwhelming support of the program and its participating companies. For example, when referring to how the label made them feel about the company using it, one respondent said, “The company is obviously trying to reduce their carbon footprint and I think that is awesome and commendable.” Another noted, “It shows me the company is taking an active interest in recycling for the future of sustainability and the environment.”

About 75% of survey respondents had a positive experience with the label and about 80% thought more positively of companies if they used How2Recycle. 85% of survey respondents found How2Recycle easy to understand, a critical goal of the program. According to one respondent, “More products should do this!! It takes away the guessing game out of recycling.” Another respondent showed the educational benefit of the label, “I didn’t know that in-store plastic bag drop-offs also accept other types of plastic package film, so now I will start recycling those.”

How2Recycle’s success would not be possible without the pioneering participating companies. Their commitment to clear and concise on-package recycling labels make them leaders in their industry. Melissa Craig of Kellogg’s notes: “Consumers need clear, concise communication when it comes to recycling, so materials that can be reclaimed don’t accidentally end up in landfills. This label helps ensure all packaging components are recycled as intended, to further reduce the environmental impact of our products and promote conservation.”
GreenBlue and the SPC look forward to another successful year helping consumers and companies fulfill their America Recycles Day pledges through the How2Recycle Label Program. Our goal is to have How2Recycle Labels on the majority of consumer-facing packaging by 2016.
Let us know what you’re doing for America Recycles Day, and what you think about our How2Recycle Label on Twitter @How2Recycle or @GreenBlueOrg!