Corporate giants get some help as they rethink plastics use - Plastics Recycling Update

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A new tool takes companies through a series of steps to identify ways to use less plastic. | Trong Nguyen / Shutterstock

A digital tool developed by The Recycling Partnership and consulting firm Systemiq turns research into strategy for major brand owners and other companies.

Plastic IQ “takes companies through a series of steps to identify ways to use less plastic, promote better packaging and contribute to a better system,” the project backers stated in a May 5 release.

Geared for large companies, the platform offers “real-world actions users can take to strengthen their sustainability goals, respond to the expectations of their customers and stakeholders, and implement cost-saving opportunities,” the release added.

Plastic IQ is built around industry research on plastic waste, according to the release. It allows companies to enter information about their own operations and generate personalized plans.

The modeling within Plastic IQ can communicate tradeoffs in different waste reduction strategies. It can also show companies “how outside forces, such as policy or technology changes, may impact their efforts to reduce plastic waste,” the release stated.

The Recycling Partnership, a national corporate-backed organization focused on advancing the residential recycling system, said the tool will help reduce plastic waste and do so with “science, speed and collaboration.”

“Driven by data and free for all to use, it provides decision makers at U.S. companies with a common tool to advance real-time solutions,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “By connecting the dots between goals, actions, and measurement, we believe Plastic IQ will accelerate the pace of meaningful change.”

The tool has drawn a handful of corporate customers so far, including Colgate-Palmolive, Grove Collaborative, Happy Family Organics, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg Company, Mondelēz International, Nestlé USA, Unilever and Walmart.

Walmart also provided support in the tool’s creation.