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An End is a Cool, New Start:
will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company Recharge Recycling with Launch of Lifestyle Brand EKOCYCLE™

The EKOCYCLE Brand Takes Sustainable Living and Recycling to the Next Level; Anchor Partners Include Beats by Dr. Dre® and New Era®

Published 12 years ago | About a 7 minute read

The EKOCYCLE Brand Takes Sustainable Living and Recycling to the Next Level; Anchor Partners Include Beats by Dr. Dre® and New Era® ATLANTA - Global musical artist and producer will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company are collaborating with other iconic brands to inspire a global movement with the launch of EKOCYCLE™ -- a stand-alone brand initiative dedicated to helping encourage recycling behavior and sustainability among consumers through aspirational, yet attainable lifestyle products made in part from recycled material. The EKOCYCLE brand initiative was developed to educate consumers about everyday recycling choices and empower their purchasing decisions as part of a social change movement. The initiative supports recycling by helping consumers recognize that items they consider waste today may be a part of a lifestyle product they can use tomorrow. With a dedication to supporting a more sustainable environment, the EKOCYCLE brand initiative will identify products, such as assorted plastic bottles and aluminum cans that can be repurposed into recycled content for fashionable and valuable lifestyle products. It will also encourage demand and use of recycled materials, and reinforce the importance of recycling finished products. "With the EKOCYCLE brand, I'm on a mission to educate and inspire consumers around the globe to seek out more sustainable lifestyle choices that will ultimately play a part in the movement toward a world with zero waste," said global musical artist and producer, will.i.am. "By making products that contain recycled materials more attractive to both businesses and consumers, everyone can do their part to keep the cycle going to turn discarded waste into cool, new items. The Coca-Cola Company shares this vision and together working with local communities worldwide we will showcase the greater value of recycling, as well as selecting products that feature recycled materials." Beats by Dr. Dre® and New Era® are the first brand partners to join the EKOCYCLE brand initiative in its mission to inspire and educate individuals and communities to live a more sustainable lifestyle. As a part of the partnership, these collaborative efforts will produce on-trend products made partially from recycled materials. Additional EKOCYCLE brand collaborations will be announced later this year. "The EKOCYCLE brand initiative is a platform that aligns with our vision of zero waste and our focus on sustainability," said Bea Perez, vice president and chief sustainability officer, The Coca-Cola Company. "Together with will.i.am, we will promote recycling in a unique way with other well-known brands to create lifestyle products that consumers worldwide desire. Today's generation of young consumers represents an active force and the EKOCYCLE brand aims to be a driver in rallying their support and efforts around a global sustainability movement." The Coca-Cola Company will donate its portion of licensing profits from the EKOCYCLE brand initiative to support additional recycling and community improvement organizations. The Coca-Cola Company will make a minimum $1 million financial commitment over the next five years. This donation is in addition to, and separate from, the charitable commitments of 1 percent of operating profits made through The Coca-Cola Foundation. Earth911®, host of the largest recycling directory in the U.S. with more than 1.5 million ways to recycle, will provide an interactive and searchable recycling directory for consumers accessible at EKOCYCLE.com. "Recycling is one of the easiest sustainable actions consumers can take, but without real-time access to local options, people are often left confused and frustrated," said Raquel Fagan, vice president of media for Earth911. "The EKOCYCLE brand initiative takes a forward-thinking approach and demonstrates how companies can play a role in eliminating this confusion and empowering consumers." On August 1, the EKOCYCLE brand will premiere its first :60 television commercial that will air in the U.S. market during the telecast of the Summer Olympic Games. A full-scale marketing, advertising and online campaign will follow. Consumers can purchase Beats by Dr. Dre® headphones beginning fall of 2012. Other EKOCYCLE products, including New Era® hats, will be available early 2013. To learn more about the EKOCYCLE brand initiative visit EKOCYCLE.com. Note to Editors: Visuals and footage of EKOCYCLE products and will.i.am can be viewed at: http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/dynamic/press_center/2012/07/ekocycle.html. Download Interviews/B-roll with will.i.am and Bea Perez from EKOCYCLE Photo/Video Shoot About will.i.am A multi-faceted entertainer, creative innovator and philanthropist, will.i.am is best known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas, who have sold 31 million albums and 58 million singles worldwide. will.i.am recently released two songs from his upcoming solo cd, #willpower on Interscope Records. The first two singles from the cd released in 2012 are: "T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)," featuring Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez, and number one hit song in the UK, "This is Love" featuring Eva Simons. As a producer, will.i.am has also worked with some of the music industry's biggest names including Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, David Guetta, and film composer Hans Zimmer. Recognized and honored by numerous industry organizations, will.i.am is the recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two NAACP Image Awards, the BMI President's Award and a 2008 Webby Award. will.i.am's i.am angel foundation (www.iamangelfoundation.org) supports young people through programs focused on education, after-school tutoring and activities that build STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and financial literacy skills. About The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo. About Beats by Dr. Dre® Established in 2008 as the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records Jimmy Iovine, Beats Electronics is the parent company of the Beats by Dr. Dre® line of high-quality headphones, BeatsAudio™ HD-sound systems, and the MOG digital music service. The company's mission is to build quality music experiences for all elements of the digital music ecosystem -- including headphones, devices and services -- so that fans can hear music the way artists intended it to sound in the studio. This includes partnerships with computer manufacturer HP, automotive manufacturer Chrysler Group and mobile phone manufacturer HTC Mobile. Led by CEO Jimmy lovine and President & COO Luke Wood, Beats Electronics is based in Santa Monica, CA. For more information, please visit http://beatsbydre.com. About New Era® New Era is an international lifestyle brand with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 90 years. The brand is best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the official cap for the National Football League. New Era is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collections, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the most interesting people around the globe. New Era encourages people to "FLY YOUR OWN FLAG®" -- to truly express their personal style and individuality through its products. The Company is headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y. and operates facilities in Canada, Europe, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.neweracap.com. About Earth911® Earth911 gathers, distributes and analyzes localized recycling information to assist manufacturers, organizations and consumers with product end-of-life solutions. Working to increase the recycling and disposal of consumer goods since 1991, Earth911's services enhance and support companies' responsible waste initiatives. The Earth911 Recycling Directory is the largest and most accurate in the nation, with more than 1.5 million ways to recycle more than 300 types of materials. Follow @Earth911 and like Earth911 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/earth911, or visit earth911.com to learn more. ###