The Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular

by Tom Szaky

Overview

Outstanding Book of the Year gold medalist and “Most Likely to Save the Planet” from the Independent Book Publisher Awards.

Tom Szaky sets out to do the impossible – eliminate all waste. This book paints a future of a “circular economy” that relies on responsible reuse and recycling to propel the world towards eradicating overconsumption and waste.

Only 35 percent of the 240 million metric tons of waste generated in the United States alone gets recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This extraordinary collection shows how manufacturers can move from a one-way take-make-waste economy that is burying the world in waste to a circular, make-use-recycle economy.

Steered by Tom Szaky, recycling pioneer, eco-capitalist, and founder and CEO of TerraCycle, each chapter is coauthored by an expert in his or her field. From the distinct perspectives of government leaders, consumer packaged goods companies, waste management firms, and more, the book explores current issues of production and consumption, practical steps for improving packaging and reducing waste today, and big ideas and concepts that can be carried forward.

Intended to help every business from a small start-up to a large established consumer product company, this book serves as a source of knowledge and inspiration. The message from these pioneers is not to scale back but to innovate upward. They offer nothing less than a guide to designing ourselves out of waste and into abundance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781523095520
Publisher:	Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication date:	02/05/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Tom Szaky is the CEO of TerraCycle, an international company he founded during his freshman year at Princeton, whose mission is to recycle the unrecyclable. TerraCycle has won more than 200 awards for social entrepreneurship and sustainable business and was the subject of the documentary series Human Resources on Pivot TV. Szaky blogs for the New York Times, TreeHugger, the Huffington Post, and a number of other major websites. And 15 Industry Leaders in Innovation and Sustainability Attila Turos, Former Lead, Future of Production Initiative, World Economic Forum Christine “Christie” Todd Whitman, President, The Whitman Strategy Group; Former Governor of New Jersey; Former Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency Jean-Marc Boursier, Group Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Recycling&Recovery (Northern Europe), SUEZ Scott Cassel, Founder and CEO, Product Stewardship Institute Stephen Sikra, Associate Director, Corporate R&D, Procter&Gamble Ron Gonen, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer, Closed Loop Partners; Cofounder and Former CEO, Recyclebank; Former Deputy Commissioner for Recycling and Sustainability, New York City Department of Sanitation Michael Manna, Founder and Managing Director, Organic Recycling Solutions Chris Daly, Vice President, Sustainability, Europe, PepsiCo Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor, Packaging Digest Tony Dunnage, Group Director, Manufacturing Sustainability, Unilever KoAnn Skrzyniarz, Founder and CEO, Sustainable Life Media, producers of Sustainable Brands Raphael Bemporad and Liz Schroeter Courtney, BBMG Virginie Helias, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Procter&Gamble Lisa Jennings, Vice President, Global Hair Acceleration, Procter&Gamble

Table of Contents

Foreword Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever xi

Introduction From Linear to Circular Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO, TerraCycle 1

Chapter 1 Plastic, Packaging, and the Linear Economy Attila Toros, Former Lead, Future of Production initiative, World Economic Forum 9

Chapter 2 Where Did Public Recycling Come From, and Where Is It Going? Christine "Christie" Todd Whitman, President, The Whitman Strategy Group; Former Governor of New Jersey; Former Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency 23

Chapter 3 The State of the Recycling Industry Jean-Marc Boursier, Group Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Recycling & Recovery (Northern Europe), SUEZ 39

Chapter 4 Who Is Responsible for Recycling Packaging? Scott Cassel, Founder and CEO, Product Stewardship Institute 55

Chapter 5 Recycled versus Recyclable Stephen Sikra, Associate Director, Corporate R&D, Procter & Gamble 71

Chapter 6 Designing Packaging for the Simple Recycler: How MRFs Work Ron Gonen, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer, Closed Loop Partners; Cofounder and Former CEO, Recyclebank; Former Deputy Commissioner for Recycling and Sustainability, New York City Department of Sanitation 89

Chapter 7 The Myth of Biodegradability Mike Manna, Founder and Managing Director, Organic Recycling Solutions 105

Chapter 8 Less Isn't Always More Chris Daly, Vice President, Environmental Sustainability, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, PepsiCo 121

Chapter 9 But More Isn't Always Better Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor, Packaging Digest 143

Chapter 10 The Forgotten Ones: Pre-consumer Waste Tony Dunnage, Group Director, Manufacturing Sustainability, Unilever 159

Chapter 11 Consumers Care KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, Founder and CEO, Sustainable Life Media, producers of Sustainable Brands 181

Chapter 12 Designing for the New Consumer: Abundance without Waste Raphael Bemporad Liz Schroeter Courtney, BBMG 193

Chapter 13 Changing the Paradigm to Enable and Inspire Responsible Consumption Virginia Helias, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Procter & Gamble 207

Chapter 14 Value for Business in the Circular Economy Lisa Jennings, Vice President, Global Hair Acceleration, Procter & Gamble 221

Chapter 15 The Future of Packaging Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO, TerraCycle 239

Glossary 243

Notes 258

Acknowledgments 279

Index 280

About the Author 297

About TerraCycle 299

Editorial Reviews

Reflections on The Future of Packaging
 
“Plastics came of age in the 1950s, changing manufacturing forever. By telling the story that leads us to today’s linear packaging model, I illustrate that designing into the circular systems that came before it can be a short journey back.”
— Attila Turos, former Lead, Future of Production Initiative, World Economic Forum
 
“In The Future of Packaging, we talk about the modern problem of waste, how packaging fits into that, and how we can design out of it. It is important to explain the forces that catalyzed the first formal recycling programs in the United States, defining the need to scale up on today’s systems.”
— Christine “Christie” Todd Whitman, President, The Whitman Strategy Group; former Governor of New Jersey; and former administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
 
“Moving away from the linear take-make-waste model is an ethical imperative. In my chapter, I talk about the fragmented global recycling system and how investing in it presents opportunity for innovation, jobs creation, education, and, above all, prosperity.”
— Jean-Marc Boursier, Group Senior Executive Vice President, Finance and Recycling & Recovery (Northern Europe), SUEZ
 
“Whether you are a packaging manufacturer, small business, local government, or consumer, this book will transform the issues we’ve avoided into ones we are motivated to tackle head-on. My chapter calls for a paradigm shift in producer responsibility, placing waste and materials management in the hands of the producer as an asset, not a burden.”
— Scott Cassel, founder and CEO, Product Stewardship Institute
 
"Almost everything is technically recyclable, so why do we have so much waste? Improving our recycling system will help us turn more waste into worth. When we view recycling in terms of supply and demand, it is much easier to see where system advancements are needed. We hope The Future of Packaging brings this to life and shows how each of us can do our part to keep our environment and oceans free from litter.” 
— Stephen Sikra, Associate Director, Corporate R&D, The Procter & Gamble Company 
 
“Nearly every packaging ‘innovation’ that has made products lighter, less expensive, and more convenient can’t be recycled through public programs . . . and is thrown away after one use. In this book, we deep dive into the lightweighting trend and ways to maximize value for packages through design.”
— Chris Daly, Vice President, Environmental Sustainability, Europe & Sub Saharan Africa, PepsiCo
 
“Packaging can be an important ally to help prevent waste, even for high-end products that often use excessive or nonrecyclable materials. My chapter has tips to help designers create premium yet sustainable packages—along with examples of brands that got it ‘just right.’”
— Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor, Packaging Digest
 
“Packaging design isn’t just about the package but the processes associated with manufacturing, transporting, and distributing it. In this book, I bring the often-unseen preconsumer waste stream to light.”
— Tony Dunnage, Group Director, Manufacturing Sustainability, Unilever
 
“The Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular is today’s handbook for designing out of a world that feeds people a skewed version of what they need to be prosperous and brands a narrow view of what they can do to be profitable . . . Consumers care about where their products come from and what happens after they are done with them. Brands and designers need to pay attention.”
— KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, founder and CEO, Sustainable Life Media and Sustainable Brands
 
“Consumers reward brands that make the responsible choice the easy one . . . Brands must today ask themselves, ‘How do we enable responsible consumption?’ The Future of Packaging is a resource for companies doing this heavy lifting.” 
— Virginie Helias, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Procter & Gamble
 
“Leading the change you wish to see in your company can be challenging. The Future of Packaging contains practical models and powerful examples to champion sustainable programs. In my chapter, I take you through how we stewarded circular initiatives at Procter & Gamble and my insights for applying these at a company of any size.”
— Lisa Jennings, Vice President, Global Hair Acceleration, Procter & Gamble

From the Publisher