PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SUEZ is partnering with TerraCycle and acquiring 30% of its activities in Europe to develop innovative collection and recycling programs in Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, the UK and Sweden. This partnership brings together TerraCycle's collection programs, which focus on community engagement, and SUEZ's expertise in waste recycling and recovery. It will offer individuals, businesses and municipalities new solutions for recycling waste that was previously not recyclable in order to transform it into new secondary resources.
TerraCycle is an internationally recognized company that develops selective collection systems for the recycling of more than 100 specific hard-to-recycle waste streams (disposable items, flexible packaging, office supplies, beauty products, oral care, used coffee capsules and cigarette butts) currently not handled by traditional recycling channels. Active in 20 countries, TerraCycle partners with mass market companies, brands and municipalities to implement recycling programs tailored to these post-consumer products and their packaging.
Nearly 60 million collectors are already working with TerraCycle, either through:
- collection programs set by voluntary citizens, "sponsored" by companies or municipalities (collectors register on TerraCycle's website and are awarded points that are converted into donations for the organizations of their choice),
- or recycling services paid by companies such as "Zero Waste Boxes."
Through this partnership, SUEZ is expanding its range of services in Europe with innovative voluntary collection methods and additional recycling channels for all its customers, particularly for products that need complex packaging and therefore require very specific collection and sorting solutions. All the waste collected will be reused or recycled into new products thanks to SUEZ's recycling expertise.
"We are delighted to embark on this innovative partnership with TerraCycle. Its aim is to recycle more and more waste, even the most complex, by relying on the commitment of everyone – including citizens, municipalities and businesses – wishing to transform waste into new resources for an even more circular and more virtuous economy in Europe," says Jean-Marc Boursier, SUEZ Deputy CEO for the Recycling and Recovery business in Europe.
"Our programs are among the most innovative for promoting recycling. The partnership will expand SUEZ’s public-facing recycling opportunities, while speeding up TerraCycle’s development in Europe. With SUEZ's expertise, TerraCycle will offer more customized recycling solutions tailored to various waste streams," explains Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle.
SUEZ
We are at the dawn of the resource revolution. In a world facing high demographic growth, runaway urbanisation and the shortage of natural resources, securing, optimising and renewing resources is essential to our future. SUEZ (Paris: SEV, Brussels: SEVB) supplies drinking water to 92 million people, delivers waste water treatment services to 65 million, collects waste produced by almost 34 million, recovers 16 million tonnes of waste each year and produces 7 TWh of local and renewable energy. With 82,536 employees, SUEZ, which is present on all five continents, is a key player in the circular economy for sustainable management of resources. SUEZ generated total revenues of €15.1 billion in 2015.
TerraCycle
Founded in 2001, TerraCycle, Inc., is the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, ranging from used chip bags to coffee capsules to cigarette butts. The waste is collected through free, national, brand-funded recycling programs, as well as various consumer and government-funded models. The collected waste is reused, upcycled or recycled into a variety of affordable, sustainable consumer products and industrial applications. Each year, across 20 countries, TerraCycle collects and repurposes billions of pieces of waste, donating millions of dollars to schools and charities in the process. TerraCycle is the subject of a half-hour comedy, ‘Human Resources,’ on Pivot TV in the United States. Season three will air Fall 2016.
