If I’ve mentioned it as soon as, I’ve mentioned it 1,000,000 occasions: Recycling alone isn’t the round financial system. 

As soon as we agree on this, we will concentrate on modern options in materials and product design, safer chemistry, new enterprise fashions, remanufacturing, and refill and reuse. That is why the Circularity staff is all the time on the lookout for inventive upstream options and why we’re followers of Upstream Options.

Upstream is a nonprofit suppose/do tank that works to “spark modern options to plastic air pollution by serving to individuals, companies and communities shift from single-use to reuse,” in response to its web site. Its work spans coverage, enterprise engagement, group motion, analysis and media. For these of you (not like me) who don’t have already got too many podcasts to take heed to, Upstream additionally produces The Indisposable Podcast. I like to recommend you give it a pay attention.

As a result of the Circularity staff at GreenBiz is stuffed with fanboys/fangirls of Upstream’s work, we’re very excited to associate with the group this yr to host a screening of its third annual Reusies awards at Circularity 23. The Reusies have fun improvements in reuse by firms giant and small and by people and communities working to make reuse a actuality. Nominations for the award are open by means of Feb. 24, so be certain that to enter your favourite reuse options earlier than the deadline. 

To study extra, I reached out to Matt Prindiville, CEO and chief solutioneer at Upstream, to ask him some questions on Upstream’s work and the Reusies. The next change has been edited for size and readability. 

Jon Smieja: Let’s begin with an enormous query. Why reuse and never the 100-plus different matters you may work on in sustainability and the round financial system?

Matt Prindiville: 4 years in the past, [Upstream] did a panorama evaluation of the plastics and round financial system area, and our evaluation confirmed there have been three massive traits.

First, plastic air pollution was creating vital danger for client manufacturers. The general public concern and outcry had turn out to be a sport changer. However with all the eye paid to the issue, there wasn’t sufficient concentrate on how we clear up it at scale — and what have been the really transformational options versus ones that sounded good however didn’t maintain up beneath nearer inspection.

Second, China’s choice to now not settle for low-value combined recyclables upended the economics of recycling within the U.S. Cities that have been used to creating a bit of bit of cash on recycling low-value combined plastics have been all of a sudden having to pay some huge cash — greater than disposal — to have them hauled away.

And third, half measures and false options have been proliferating. With all the eye paid to single-use plastics, many firms began providing or selling different single-use merchandise and supplies as replacements. However once we regarded on the life-cycle assessments of those various supplies and merchandise, we realized that you just have been simply buying and selling one set of environmental issues for others. You may not have plastic within the atmosphere, however now you’ve acquired better local weather air pollution or one thing else.

By way of this exploration, we realized that the actual sport changer was packaging discount — getting individuals what they need with out all of the waste. So we went all-in.

Smieja: Inform us a bit extra about Upstream? What’s the imaginative and prescient of the group, and the way are you working to maneuver the needle on reuse?

Prindiville: At Upstream, we assist leaders ideate, speed up and scale round methods that create thriving communities and construct the reuse service infrastructure of tomorrow. Extra particularly, our imaginative and prescient is for 30 % of consumable items to be bought in reusable codecs within the U.S. and Canada by 2030. We all know that constructing and scaling a brand new reuse financial system would require a wholesale shifting of provide chains for consumable items and companies from the present single-use paradigm to new reuse service fashions. Our core roles are as conveners and bridge builders, content material creators and data curators, and options ideators and catalysts. Finally, our aim is to assist our rising group and the broader motion in getting reuse to scale. 

Smieja: Superb. Reuse is such a crucial piece of the round financial system puzzle. Okay, let’s get to the Reusies. 2023 would be the third annual awards. The place did the concept for a reuse awards present come from?

Prindiville: The concept got here to us again within the fall of 2020. My colleague Julie [Lamy] and I have been sitting exterior within the chilly on my again porch co-working at a distance. We have been lamenting about how onerous the reuse firms have been getting hit with the pandemic shutting down a whole lot of their operations. We talked about the necessity to uplift and assist elevate the profile of this rising sector, and Julie mentioned, “What about an awards present?” And I laughed and mentioned, we might name it “The Reusies” — simply making enjoyable. After one other good chortle and a few extra dialog, we realized that we had one thing right here, however we wanted a high-profile associate that would actually elevate the concept and get firms excited to take part. So we pitched Closed Loop Companions, and fortuitously for us, they mentioned sure. They’ve been wonderful companions in co-producing the occasion. That’s the place the concept got here from, nevertheless it’s actually been the unimaginable staff of occasion producers, videographers, and our hardworking employees which have made all of it attainable. It’s our love letter to the reuse motion. 

Smieja: I might love to listen to a bit a few previous winner or two. What are you on the lookout for in reuse improvements?

Prindiville: The largest factor we’re on the lookout for are concepts that may scale — particularly within the totally different sectors which might be most ripe — like meals service, beverage and client items. There are a variety of winners that we’re actually enthusiastic about like r.Cup within the meals service sector and The Rounds in enabling know-how.

With the company initiative award, we additionally need to acknowledge firms which might be making strides to prioritize and implement reuse. We need to assist the businesses which might be doing the sorts of issues that we would like others to duplicate. For instance, final yr’s finalists have been Coke for being the primary to make a serious company dedication that has an precise reuse/refill goal with a selected date; Pepsi’s SodaStream acquisition as a mirrored image of the corporate’s ambitions towards reuse options; and Kroger’s partnership with the CPG reuse/refill service Loop, which in the end received the award. Kroger is Loop’s first brick-and-mortar retail launch in america, piloting in 25 Fred Meyer shops within the Pacific Northwest. Loop has been the unique CPG innovator pulling in Fortune 500s, and in response to them, the Kroger partnership is their most impactful partnership so far.

Smieja: Final query for you, Matt. What improvements are you on the lookout for in Reuse that we’re presently lacking? Requested one other manner, what are you trying ahead to within the subsequent couple years on this area?

Prindiville: From our perspective, infrastructure unlocks every little thing and the massive strategic questions are round: 

1. Design. What does it seem like? What must occur to make it occur? What are the phases of growth?
2. Financing. How a lot does it price? Who pays for which half?

Companies have to collaborate with one another to construct the infrastructure for pooled reuse methods — many firms; few assortment and washing platforms — to work, and scale requires pooling funding to align stakeholders, capital, funding and coverage behind large-scale initiatives in cities and areas within the U.S.  

Thankfully, the panorama over the past a number of years has modified. First, most client manufacturers have signaled assist for prolonged producer duty and deposit return methods, and plenty of have now piloted reuse methods in meals service, beverage and client packaged items. Second, many NGOs and large-scale establishments have or are creating reuse initiatives. Third, there are massive alternatives on the state and federal ranges, and plenty of curiosity in metropolis coverage. Final, there are dozens of reuse service firms working all through North America — presumably nearing 100.

The ocean change is that the personal sector is now engaged. However we all know we’re working to co-create a future that doesn’t exist but. There must be ideation, experimentation and alignment round methods to get us there.