Lonely Whale and NextWave Plastics Featured in Closing the Material Loop - How Innovators from the Public and Private Sector are Creating Value from Waste
AUSTIN, TX JUNE 11, 2019 - Lonely Whale and NextWave Plastics are pleased to be featured in a new publication from the Upcyclers Network, Closing the Material Loop-How Innovators from the Public and Private Sector are Creating Value from Waste.
The report features over 15 case studies contributed by corporate, non-profit, and public sector leaders who understand the economic and environmental imperative to valuing waste as a resource. By shining a spotlight on organizations and partnerships that have created successful programs and business models to recover and reuse materials, the report aims to inspire more communities and businesses to take a proactive role in utilizing their trash.
“We are so excited to be featured in this report and help other organizations see the value in using recovered materials.” said Kendall Starkman, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Lonely Whale. “Our NextWave Plastics member companies are committed to keeping plastic in the economy and out of the ocean, and are on track to divert 25,000 metric tons of ocean-bound plastic by the end of 2025 in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.1.”
Besides Lonely Whale and NextWave Plastics, featured public sector and nonprofit organizations include Cal Recycle, the City of Austin, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, Kent County, the City of Phoenix, the Southeast Recycling Development Council, the Resource Solutions Innovation Network, and the US Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Featured private sector organizations include Aquafil, the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Best Buy, Circular Solutions Advisors, Dell, Ecoculture Manufacturing Corp, Ecologic Brands, ECOR, ERI, HP, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Oxnard Pallet Company, UNIFI, Up Cycle it Now, and The Super Bowl.
“Given the recent negative media attention and market disruption around recycling, it’s more important now than ever to shine a light on solutions that are keeping our materials and resources in use,” says Gina Lee, Founder of the Upcyclers Network. “We have a real opportunity to support domestic manufacturers, create jobs, and lessen our environmental footprint if we can transform our perception of waste. This report provides real-life guidance on how to accomplish this.”
With global consumer spending expected to double by 2030, there is an urgent need to secure resources as well as develop new production models that fit within our planetary constraints.
Lonely Whale and NextWave Plastics are proud to support the development of a circular economy and hope to inspire other organizations to join in building a sustainable future.
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About Lonely Whale
Lonely Whale is an award-winning incubator for courageous ideas that drive impactful market-based change on behalf of our ocean. Founded in December 2015 by Adrian Grenier and Lucy Sumner, Lonely Whale is inspired by the power of community to create the change needed to ensure a healthy planet. Lonely Whale is working towards a new era of radical collaboration, facilitating the creation of innovative ideas that push the boundary on current trends in technology, media and advocacy that positively impact the health of our ocean. Lonely Whale’s work has been recognized by Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas, the Shorty Awards, and the ADDY Awards. Lonely Whale is a proud supporter of the UN Environment’s #CleanSeas campaign.
About NextWave Plastics
NextWave Plastics is a collaborative and open-source initiative convening leading technology and consumer-focused companies to develop the first global network of ocean-bound plastics supply chains. Since its launch, NextWave member companies have been developing their product use cases to demonstrate the viability of integrating ocean-bound plastics found in areas such as Indonesia, Chile, Philippines, Cameroon and Denmark, into their supply chains.
About the Upcyclers Network
The mission of the Upcyclers Network is to support the creation of a sustainable global economy. One where materials are kept in circulation and waste is seen as a resource.
Our vision is to promote demand for recycled, recovered, and discarded material by amplifying the impact of businesses and organizations that rely on waste as their feedstock. Together, we will challenge our current production model and support the transition to a circular economy.