USA – The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of food and beverage PepsiCo Inc., in collaboration with The Recycling Partnership have raised US$25 million to accelerate their plastic recycling efforts in the US.
In July 2018, The PepsiCo Foundation and the The Recycling Partnership jointly launched an initiative dubbed ‘All In On Recycling challenge’ seeking to support a circular economy with investments in infrastructure and education.
As the largest ever industry-led residential recycling challenge in the United States, the All In On Recycling challenge seeks to make recycling easier for more than 25 million US families.
The initiative has identified of infrastructure, widely varying municipal recycling programs, and low awareness of proper recycling practices as major challenges that impend recycling efforts in the US.
Funds raised from the challenge are helping cities invest in new infrastructure, like curbside carts, which according to the to The Recycling Partnership, has proven to double the number of recyclables recovered.
Despite the initiative showing promising results, Simon Lowden, chief sustainability officer at PepsiCo said that stakeholders across the board must continually work together to create the scale of change needed to strengthen the recycling system.
“This is critical to reduce waste that ends up in our oceans and environments, to meet the growing demand for recycled content that powers the circular economy and support a more sustainable future,” Lowden added.
Over the past year, through the All In On Recycling challenge, The Recycling Partnership has made investments to improve recycling programs in Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas and New Jersey.
The Partnership is now looking to expand to North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee and others in the next year.
It’s estimated that the efforts to help Americans recycle more and recycle better will reach more than 19 million households within the next year.
“Developing a sustainable recycling system is critical to the future of our planet,” said Keefe Harrison, chief executive of The Recycling Partnership.
“The All In On Recycling challenge gives us the opportunity to come together as communities, regions, and states, global corporations, and as individuals, to change our path toward a healthier future.”
Rosa García Pineiro, VP of sustainability, Alcoa Corporation, and president of Alcoa Foundation, said: “As a founding partner of The Recycling Partnership, Alcoa Foundation has always believed in The Partnership’s mission to transform recycling for good.”
“We’re proud to support the All In On Recycling challenge, which calls on leading companies to join PepsiCo, Alcoa and others to help The Recycling Partnership drive change and make it easier for 25 million families across the country to recycle more and recycle better.”
The PepsiCo Foundation’s All In On Recycling challenge is part of PepsiCo’s commitment to build a waste free world focused on reducing the amount of plastics used, boosting recycling rates, and reinventing plastic packaging.
