Call2Recycle, Inc. releases white paper on how organizations can embrace the circular economy.
April 20, 2016 – Atlanta –Recycling can be seen as the defining strategy to reducing waste and minimizing the environmental impact, however, optimal solutions for waste management are far more subtle and complex. Call2Recycle, Inc., North America’s first and largest consumer battery stewardship organization, today released: “Shifting the Focus from End-of-Life Recycling to Continuous Product Lifecycles,” a white paper on how embracing the concepts of a circular economy can be a much more powerful way to address the issue of waste.
Recent market insights indicate that recycling cannot be the universal solution for managing waste. For certain products, recycling can have even a worse environmental impact than landfilling. The white paper looks at more holistic concepts for managing materials throughout the lifecycle of the product. Among these concepts is “the circular economy,” an idea popularized by the MacArthur Foundation’s work on the subject, which seeks to address environmental issues starting with the initial design of a product, among other considerations.
“It is important that we promote the conversation of how organizations pursue the tenets of a circular economy. Through this white paper we seek to elevate the conversation beyond recycling,” said Carl Smith, CEO and President of Call2Recycle, Inc. “For instance, while recycling batteries is one way to address the challenges presented by today’s increased use of mobile electronic products, choosing the right evaluation approach to how batteries are recycled is key to ensuring that we are part of the solution.”
Some of the ideas discussed on the white paper were discussed in an hour-long webcast organized jointly by GreenBiz and Call2Recycle. The webcast featured Call2Recycle’s president and CEO, Carl Smith, along with Energizer’s Director of Regulatory and Government Affairs, Marcus Boolish, and Betsy Dorn, Reclay Steward Edge’s (RSE USA) Recycling Expert and co-author of a new white paper. The white paper is available online at: www.call2recycle.org/continuouslifecycles
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Call2Recycle, Inc. (Call2Recycle) is North America’s premier product stewardship organization dedicated to minimizing the environmental impacts of products in the marketplace. Operating across Canada and the U.S., its marquee battery recycling program Call2Recycle® is the oldest and largest consumer battery stewardship program. Collecting and recycling batteries for retailers, municipalities, businesses and consumers through its network of close to 30,000 collection sites, over 100 million pounds (45 million kilograms) of batteries and cellphones have been diverted from the solid waste stream. Learn more at call2recycle.org or call2recycle.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Adacelis (Ada) Pérez
Call2Recycle, Inc.
(678) 218-4580
aperez@call2recycle.org
