Meet the Innovators of the Reuse Movement
The 2022 Reusies® Finalists
As co-presenters of The Reusies 2022 (along with Closed Loop Partners), we at Upstream are tingling with anticipation for the virtual awards show on September 29 (save your spot today!). And in lead-up to the big reveal of this year’s winners, we want to introduce you to all of the inspirational finalists.
The Reusies celebrates the pioneers, the trailblazers, the innovators, and game-changing heroes who are developing a better way than throw-away, advancing systemic change, and co-creating a world where we can get what we need and want without all the waste. The 2022 honors to be awarded during the show include Activist of the Year, Reuse Community of the Year, Most Innovative Reuse Company (in 4 sectors), and Corporate Initiative of the Year.
ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Individual changemakers and heroes are championing reduce, refill and reuse solutions in their communities. Our Activist of the Year celebrates the voices at the forefront of this movement.
Alejandra Warren. After noticing that many marginalized communities were being systematically excluded from important conversations about reuse, Alejandra co-founded Plastic Free Future, a non-profit dedicated to promoting reusable alternatives, education and ways to get involved in the reuse movement. Her work has contributed significantly to the policy victories of Reusable San Mateo County in California.
Jacqueline Omania A third grade teacher in California’s Berkeley Unified School District, Jacqueline’s been educating her students about reuse for many years and helped pass the groundbreaking Disposable Free Dining Ordinance in Berkeley – with her students providing some of the most powerful voices. For the last 6 years, her students have also succeeded in being a zero waste classroom.
Yayoi Koizumi leads one of the newest in a growing national network of community reuse coalitions, Zero Waste Ithaca, which is showing inspirational potential for impact in the state of New York. Her initiative “Ithaca Reduces | BYO” asks businesses to display a sticker to indicate they welcome customers to Bring Your Own containers, bottles, utensils, bags etc. – which is an important first step in the transition to reuse, especially in New York where there are no laws supporting BYO and some that ban it outright.
REUSE COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
In the face of an increasingly urgent global waste challenge and climate crisis, community groups, organizations, and coalitions across North America are moving reuse strategies, initiatives, and/or policies forward more than ever before. Our Reuse Community of the Year award recognizes those leading important grassroots movements.
Human-I-T was nominated for their reuse efforts that are serving a different mission – of reducing e-waste and providing equitable access to technology by providing devices, internet access, digital skills training, and tech support for communities left on the wrong side of the digital divide. By restoring and resharing used electronics, Human-I-T helps businesses and organizations do good for the planet by diverting waste from landfills.
ReThink Disposable has proven again and again that reuse saves businesses money, 100 percent of the time for onsite dining. A program of Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund, they prevent waste before it starts by working with frontline food operators, local governments, businesses, institutions and consumers to minimize single-use disposable packaging and prioritize reusables in food service.
The Ecology Center created the first model reusable foodware policy that helped launch a movement and is shaping a wide range of other policies. They were also the first to bring a reuse solution to a community by introducing the Vessel brand reusable cup system to Berkeley. Their recent foodware reduction ordinance is currently being rolled out, affecting over 600 local businesses and driving innovation in the reuse space, from start-ups to major fast-food companies like Starbucks and McDonalds.
MOST INNOVATIVE REUSE COMPANY FINALISTS
More businesses are providing services that keep reusables circulating in our economy, and we’re seeing solutions advancing across a range of sectors: Food & Beverage, Consumer Packaged Goods, Fashion & Apparel, and Enabling Technologies. Our “Most Innovative Reuse Company” award highlights a few of the leaders in the space.
Food & Beverage
Reuse models in this sector are helping add circularity to events/venues, take-out/delivery, bottled beverages, fountain and beverage services, and coffee.
Dispatch Goods is a women-owned reusable takeout service provider that makes it easy for your food to be delivered in reusable packaging, whether you're a restaurant, caterer, or meal delivery service. Dispatch partners with enterprise food delivery services like Imperfect Foods as well as with restaurants – collecting, washing, and resupplying foodware and containers for them and their customers.
Just Salad has the longest-running reusable packaging program in the restaurant industry, offering reusable bowls for their salads since the company was founded in 2006. They’ve demonstrated how reuse can be integrated into a growth business and are continuously innovating around this model with new programs like "BringBack" where customers can choose to receive their online pickup order in a Reusable Bowl.
r.Cup was the first national reuse company in North America and one of the first movers on reusable cups in the country, securing big partnerships and investors from event companies and musicians with the likes of U2, the Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, and Jack Johnson. They were recently selected for one of the biggest reuse projects in the country by the City of Seattle.
Enabling Technologies
Companies building technology systems are helping create infrastructure to support reusable solutions, introducing opportunities for gamification and tracking of reuse all the way from robotics to reverse logistics.
Fill it Forward creates custom reusables that connect to an app which allows users to track their environmental impact and trigger charitable donations with each scan. Their unique tag model enables customers to even tag their own reusables - like a cup or tote bag - to encourage reuse of what you already have. Trusted charitable partners receive funding for developing clean water infrastructure, nutritious food programs, and reforestation projects that help communities in need.
Topanga.io supports the transition to a circular consumption model by providing the tools needed for brands and universities to switch from single-use to reusable packaging. Starting with bespoke service design, they provide clients with a one-stop-shop network of packaging manufacturers, dishwashers and logistics companies and software for tracking impact.
The Rounds is revolutionizing the "15-min delivery" concept (that is harmful for the environment) with a "psychic home manager" that manages the inventory of everyday essentials in your home, learns what customers need, refills personalized amounts based on your household’s usage, and delivers those products (weekly – by electric bicycle) in reusable containers with zero packaging waste.
Fashion & Apparel
Businesses in the fashion space are advancing repair and resell, reused clothing marketplaces, and fashion rental.
Fabscrap engages local volunteers and is tackling the fashion waste challenge in New York City. A one-stop textile reuse and recycling resource, they are working to end commercial textile “waste” and maximize the value of unused fabric. Their system collects excess or unused fabric from fashion companies, and makes it (anonymously) available at thrift prices to students, artists, and creators via warehouse shops and an online store.
Poshmark is a leading social marketplace for new and secondhand styles for women, men, kids, pets, home, and more. Beyond cultivating a community of secondhand sellers and keeping items in circulation and out of landfills, the platform creates significant economic opportunity for both casual sellers and career resellers.
Thrilling is a BIPOC-owned company with a mission to rewrite the thrifting and secondhand shopping narrative, putting marginalized voices at the forefront. Not only have they helped digitize local, independent thrift stores across the US (competing with the likes of Etsy), but they're providing additional sources of revenue for vintage store owners while also providing a second lease on life for clothing.
Consumer Packaged Goods
Reuse within consumer packaged goods spans a range of products today – including personal care products (health and beauty), sundries and cleaning products (laundry, cleaning, dishwashing, etc.), and general packing/e-commerce.
Algramo has enabled global brands - like Unilever, Nestle, Walmart, and Colgate - to create smart reusable systems which focus on selling just the product and eliminating the need for single-use packaging. Algramo began in Santiago, Chile and is continuously striving to address the social side of reuse, prioritizing affordability and accessibility. Their solution enables individuals to buy exact amounts of product at bulk prices and offers refill without the need for complex and expensive reverse logistics systems.
GOATOTE is a reusable bag system that allows you to check out shopping bags and return them when you are finished to convenient stand-alone kiosks. Their systems took off in select Walmart, Target and CVS Health stores during the Beyond the Bag Pilots in the summer of 2021. And now, they are offering their solutions and expanding in select stores in New Jersey since the state’s plastic bag ban has come into effect.
Returnity designs, manufactures and implements reusable packaging and circular logistics systems, replacing single-use packaging in shipping. With a client portfolio which includes Walmart, Estée Lauder, New Balance, Rent the Runway and others, Returnity has demonstrated proof of concept in the fast-evolving space of e-commerce and delivery.
CORPORATE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Many Fortune 500 companies are demonstrating excellence in piloting and implementing reusable packaging and reuse services in North America, such as a major food and beverage corporation or Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) company expanding and/or prioritizing its reuse and refill line. Our Corporate Initiative of the Year award celebrates the steps companies are taking to pave the way for reuse at scale.
Pepsico’s acquisition/expansion of SodaStream. PepsiCo’s purchase and expansion of SodaStream led to their nomination for revolutionizing the way beverages can be made and consumed at home or in the office - in reusable bottles. PepsiCo champions SodaStream as a future consumption model – firstly as "an innovative platform that almost entirely avoids the need for beverage packaging" and secondly as a system that offers consumers a multitude of personalized options for their beverages.
The Coca-Cola Pledge. Coca-Cola is nominated for pledging to serve 25% of their beverages in reusable packaging by 2030. Coke’s is the first corporate commitment of this scale that has an actual reuse/refill target with a specific date. The fact that Coca-Cola recognized that recycling and deposit-return systems weren’t enough is a dramatic shift in the traditional mindset.
Kroger/Loop Partnership. Kroger is the first U.S. grocery retailer to partner with the reuse/refill company Loop. At 25 participating Kroger/Fred Meyer stores around the Pacific Northwest, customers can now purchase refillable products and return empty containers at Loop-branded displays and collection bins. This initiative is a leading example of how to offer a wide variety of products in reusable and refillable containers at large grocery chains with multiple locations.
Who will win?!
Well, in our eyes, all of these finalists - and all champions of reuse everywhere - are winners ; ). But the official results will be announced at the virtual awards show on September 29th at 7pm ET / 4pm PT. Be sure to save your spot today. General admission viewing is free, or you can amp up your experience and celebrate your reuse heroes with friends and colleagues in a VIP Suite viewing experience. See you on the 29th!
