Since 1997, communities across the country have marked America Recycles Day on Nov. 15. The American Beverage Association, Washington, D.C., used the occasion to reinforce that the beverage industry is committed to further minimizing its environmental footprint by reducing, reusing and recycling. The Aluminum Association, Arlington, Va., also noted its support of the day and reminded consumers to recycle all the aluminum they use in their everyday lives.
Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo Inc. made its second $500,000 donation from its Dream Machine recycling initiative to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) with Disabilities, a national program offering career training, education and job creation for post-9/11 U.S. veterans with disabilities. PepsiCo presented the check during a ceremony following the first quarter of the Veterans Day football game at Syracuse University, which is home to the Whitman School of Management and Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) that operates the EBV program.
Industry stakeholders work to increase recycling rates
October 14, 2011
The phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” that children are taught in elementary school is among the numerous messages designed to educate consumers about recycling efforts. But even with the many ways to inform people about recycling, associations, manufacturers and beverage companies continually work to spread the word about programs and initiatives.
Companies across the supply chain have embraced sustainability as an overarching term for better business practices. Through the years, corporate definitions have expanded beyond decreasing packaging waste and water usage to the introduction of functional products and employee wellness programs. Indeed, offering a standard definition of “sustainability,” not to mention its key issues, can be difficult.
Beverage companies are taking on new strategies in regard to the goals of their recycling initiatives. One would be hard pressed to find a beverage company not involved in recycling, but the industry continues to expand existing recycling programs. Craft brewer Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, Mo., had to expand its recycling efforts in order to become a zero-landfill facility in January. In 2009, Boulevard’s Founder and President John McDonald, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Krum and Technical Director Mike Utz became co-founders and principals of Ripple Glass, a glass recycling company, to help close the loop in the brewer’s glass bottle consumption.