Consumers interested in sustainable products

Albe Zakes

Vice President

Media Relation Terra Cycle

Terra Cycle, Trenton, New Jersey, is one of the fastest growing eco -friendly manufacturers of the world . Founded in 2001, it makes affordable eco friendly products from a wide range of different non- recyclable waste materials. The company makes 50 products available at major retailers like Walmart, Target, The Home Depot, OfficeMax, Petco and Whole Foods Market. Albe Zakes, Vice President, Media Relations, spoke to BE' Priyalina Basu about the innovative eco friendly enterprise.

Q) What is the annual turnover of the company?

A) In 2009, we made 7.6 million in revenue. In 2010, we project 15 million.

Q) How much trash do you recycle each year?

A) We collect roughly 15 million units per week at the moment and have collected close to 2 billion units of waste since 2007.

Q) What kind of trash do you mainly recycle?

A) We use food and other consumer goods packaging that is difficult to recycle. For example, used drink pouches, crisp bags, yoghurt containers, used writing instruments, glue bottles, granola bar wrappers etc.

Q) What technology do you use?

A) Fusing the materials, also densifying and pelletizing as well as direct reuse.

Q) What are your future plans and does it include making use of the wastes in India?

A) We plan to continue expanding the types of materials we can collect and upcycle (currently 32 different types of materials). We will continue to expand throughout the world. We are currently operating in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, and Ireland and are quickly moving into mainland Europe. Then we hope to start moving into the Asian markets and India!

Q) Has the demand for recycled products increased and does this reflect growing consumer awareness on good environ-ment practices?

A) Yes, we believe so. We have sold more products every year since our founding. I believe it represents two separate interests moving ‘closer’ together. The consumer has become more educated and thus interested in sustainable products; but also sustainable products are becoming more affordable, more effective and more available making it far easier for the consumer to make the switch.

Q) You have mentioned partnerships with consumer goods companies to find new ways of making use of waste. What are these ways and what lessons can be imbibed by India in this regard?

A) We collaborate with the consumer good manufacturers that make the product or the packaging we collect. They have an incentive to fund the collection of their packaging because it makes their product more sustainable and more attractive to an ever-growing segment of consumers.

In addition, the dollars are easy to come by: they simply buy slightly less advertising and use the dollars they save to fund our programmes. This concept could easily be replicated almost anywhere.