Major companies, including Walmart, Target, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Amazon have all made commitments to implementing green and sustainable practices. Through collaboration with the Closed Loop Fund and the Recycling Partnership, these companies are working to meet the demand for products like recyclables and compostable cups. Target has introduced an eco-clothing line as one of their innovative green initiatives. Coca-Cola has pledged to collect at least one can or bottle and recycle it for every bottle or can they sell by 2030, thus reducing their environmental impact. With this number currently standing at around 120 billion bottles and cans sold a year, this means it would take every person on the planet to give two bottles a month to Coca-Cola in order to meet this quota. With Coca-Cola seeking to working in partnership with governments and recycling entities around the globe, they understand both the demand for corporations to become more environmentally sustainable, as well as the challenges they face in pursuit of this goal.
Starbucks has been working on its green initiatives by implementing a "bean-to-cup" method in their business, as well as cleverly recycling coffee grounds in the manufacturing of their tables. Starbucks continues to work to implement green measures through their partnership with the Earthwatch Institute, an environmental association.
These days many large corporations are making commitments to sustainability, seeking to get on the trend of making business greener and more sustainable. And it's not just for the benefit of the planet; Companies are realizing the that raw materials markets are volatile, and that while recycled materials tend to be more expensive for now, this may not always be the case. In short, wasteful practices tend to reflect poorly in the bottom line for a company, and they are seeking greener alternatives as a commitment to values, as well as their own profits.
Many Americans who have access to recycling don't even bother to use it, perhaps out of apathy or lack of consumer education on the issue. In different states and cities, recycling bins and cans can have differing symbols and uses in terms of what kind of recyclables they collect, making things hard for even informed recyclers. In addition, in many places recycling pickup is more expensive than trash pickup, making the economics of recycling difficult. It should be noted that Recycle Away has helped thousands of corporations, including some of those mentioned in this article, to create highly-effective sustainability and recycling programs.
With companies like Dunkin' Donuts, Proctor & Gamble, and McDonald's all making pledges to work towards offering sustainable packaging for their products, companies understand the need for more sustainable packaging due to the growing backlash against single-use packaging. Other major companies that are making strides in their green initiatives include Dell, Bank of America, Google, Honda, Tesla, and S.C. Johnson. Bank of America, for example, has cut their required use of paper by 32%, and started up an internal program for recycling within the company. This has resulted in 30,000 tons of paper being recycled on a yearly basis. By joining in their efforts, companies can work together in funding and developing new, sustainable technologies for businesses to utilize in their packaging and other products.