Waste Not

The North Face Launches Recycling Program for Apparel, Footwear

The North Face has announced a new initiative aimed at reducing the amount of clothing and footwear going to landfills.

Is Your Brand RAD? Partnering with the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program

In 2012, EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program celebrated six years and 50 partners. EPA launched the RAD program in 2006 as a voluntary partnership program to help protect the ozone layer and climate system. In its first year, RAD partnered with nine utilities.

Sonoco Lightens Materials Load with Cradle-to-Cradle Approach to Packaging

Sonoco, one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, has always prided itself on ‘closing the loop.’ Our company began recycling in the 1920s, before recycling was even a buzzword. Today, we successfully offer a full range of services from creation to reclamation that separates Sonoco from its packaging peers.

FlashFood Mobile App Diverts Restaurant Food Waste To Feed the Hungry

The statistics are staggering: One in five children goes to bed hungry every night in America, while 40 percent of food in this country is sent to the landfill, according to a recent report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. There is an immediate solution to redirecting this excess wasted food to families in need, but fear is choking the supply chain.

By-Product Synergy Networks Offer Zero-Waste Solutions for Businesses, Cities Worldwide

By-product synergy (BPS), a process that turns one company’s waste into valuable raw materials for another, offers an innovative, collaborative way to divert waste from landfills, cut costs and improve the environment.

Solar Panels and Schoolyard Chickens: A Net-Positive Campus

This post first appeared on GOOD on January 22, 2013.

PUMA Introduces C2C-Certified, Recyclable Track Jacket, Backpack as Part of InCycle Collection

Did you know that 31 waste-disposal trucks are needed to clear the waste that 100,000 pairs of conventional sneakers create during the production process and consumer life (until their owners throw them away and they end up in landfills or incinerators)?

Dell Reconnect: Turning E-Waste into a Community Resource

Irresponsible destruction of electronic waste can be a nasty business. Dell recognized many years ago that our customers wanted a convenient, safe and secure program for disposing their used electronics. We also recognized that our responsibility to our communities and the environment extends beyond simply building a product with the Dell name on it.

Sears Automotive on Its Way to Zero Waste with Multiple Recycling, Recovery, Reuse Programs

Sears Holdings Corporation (SHC), which operates over 2,600 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada under the Sears and Kmart brand formats, is taking significant steps to reduce its waste stream in specific areas of its enterprise. The company’s commitment is reflected in its participation in the EPA’s WasteWise program, which started in 2010.

UK Retailer John Lewis Closing Loop on Plastic Waste

This post first appeared on 2degrees on January 21, 2013.The John Lewis Partnership has committed to developing a 'closed loop' waste plastics strategy in what is claimed to be a first for a UK retailer.

Oregon's New '2050 Vision' Plan Goes Beyond Managing Waste to Managing Materials

In December 2012, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission, which is the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) policy and rulemaking board, voted unanimously to adopt Materials Management in Oregon: 2050 Vision and Framework for Action.

Power Down: How Competition Drove Energy Savings at the University of Pennsylvania

Higher education can play a leadership role in advancing environmental sustainability. Through its research, teaching, and operational practices, The University of Pennsylvania is dedicated to promoting a sustainable culture. This is not surprising given the current trend in higher education to adopt climate action plans and examine campus footprints.

Herman Miller Ups the Sustainable Ante with Design for Environment 2.0

When Herman Miller engineers began using Cradle to Cradle thinking as part of their Design for Environment (DfE) process in 2001, the world of green design was less complicated than today.

Extended Producer Responsibility: A Win-Win for Business and Governments

As both a natural resources and packaged goods company, Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) is always looking for ways to reduce our footprint while producing superior products that meet consumer demand. When it comes to our packaging, we are constantly seeking methods to increase our use of recycled PET (rPET) in our bottles.

EPR in Healthcare: Yesterday’s Waste Is Today’s Business Opportunity

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is gaining notoriety as a smart production and marketing strategy, as product take-back programs emerge as a major consumer trend.

Waste Not: Innovative Solutions from Cradle to Cradle and Beyond

The overarching principle for this month’s Issue in Focus is the insight that in nature there is no waste.For centuries, human industry has ignored this simple lesson. But today, a convergence of environmental and resource concerns is driving the recovery of all sorts of valuable materials.

Waste Not: Striving for Net Positivity

Goodwill: Saving the Waste in Men and Things

At Goodwill, we were excited to be invited to co-edit this issue dedicated to highlighting innovative solutions for eliminating and reutilizing waste streams in operations. As individuals continue to consume products and companies continue to expand, finding waste stream solutions that keep these products from stacking up in landfills has become an urgent priority.The companies we’re highlighting this month demonstrate the opportunities organizations have taken at every step of the product life cycle to limit the negative impact they have on the environment. From innovations in how products are packaged to post-use recovery efforts to partnerships that maximize both environmental and financial impact, these agencies are truly leading the way in achieving net positivity.

Waste-Haters Unite! 'We Hate To Waste' a Strategic Resource for Consumers and Brands Alike

As a seasoned green marketing professional (she literally wrote the books on it), Jacquie Ottman has made a name for herself working with companies to develop and market sustainable products sustainably.

Waste Not: Today's Most Innovative Approaches to Achieving Net Positivity

Calling all innovators and implementers! Beginning in February 2013, Sustainable Brands will be publishing a new “Issues in Focus” editorial package, including daily features, interviews and case studies on how businesses are “Striving for Net Positivity.”The Issue in FocusIn nature, we do not critique abundance; rather, we celebrate it. Every by-product of every organism is used for the next process of life. Nothing is wasted — “waste” equals food.