The Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular, Paperback

Description

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.

About the author

Tom Szaky is the founder of TerraCycle (www.terracycle.com), an international company with upwards of 50,000 followers, which he started during his freshman year at Princeton University. Tom has personally won more than 100 awards for entrepreneurship; he blogs for the New York Times, Treehugger, the Huffington Post, and a number of other major websites. Tom is also the star of the National Geographic Channel TV show Garbage Moguls.

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