Terracycle crosses the border into Canada, together with Kraft Canada
I’m returning to my roots, Canada, and learning some lessons that might be of use to us all, back here in the U.S.
Though we are U.S.- based, it was Canada that gave us our first big break, Walmart Canada and The Home Depot to be precise. People thought I was foolish to buck the green business trend of starting in niche, boutique, small stores and then inch our way to larger, national chains. We held firm, knowing that a much bigger, broader impact could be made, should we be carried outside the “green bubble” of the usual suspects. And it first paid off in Canada.
Now we’re returning to there, in a different way: We’re launching, together with Kraft Canada, a new set of Brigades. Brigades can be people from schools, community groups, or individuals that collect brand specific waste, or as we prefer to think of it, resources for new possibilities. For every piece they collect, they’ll earn 2 cents going to the charity or nonprofit of their choice. The focus will be on the broadly popular Mr.Christie’s (the "Canadian Nabisco") and Mr. Christie's Snak Paks wrappers Back to Nature nut and trail mixes, and juice pouches from Kool-Aid Jammers and Del Monte.
In doing this, I see a couple of outcomes and benefits: A higher rate of people bringing in recycling, beyond the self-motivated, environmentally conscious, and things that may not have been recycled happening more frequently. Also, it shows Kraft’s commitment to be a responsible corporate citizen, via an activity that will likely be shared with friends and colleagues of the people doing it. Good for the environment, good for Kraft and Terracycle.
Our partnership with Kraft to collect Capri Sun in the U.S. has been a huge success so far, more then 35,000 locations collecting millions of pouches, and over $250,000 donated thus far. Canada, an environmental powerhouse, I see you doing even better!
What other ways do you see making recycling and upcycling a more social, collective activity? How can private partnerships such as ours continue to augment the current public/private systems in your area?
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