On September 30th, Upstream and Closed Loop Partners held their first-ever national reuse awards ceremony complete with an invigorating panel discussion, inspiring award winners, and a VIP after-party.
Host, Danni Washington, TV personality and science communicator, was joined by panelists:
Bridget Croke, Managing Director at Closed Loop Partners;
Matt Prindiville, CEO and Chief Solutioneer at Upstream;
Benjamin Von Wong, Artist and Activist, and;
Elizabeth Segran, Senior Staff Writer for Fast Company
The Reusies began as just an idea thought of by a solution-forward NGO.
A.k.a – the team behind the event’s fruition. And like most great ideas, it resolved a collective need. The sustainability industry needed a way to recognize its “reuse heroes,” especially those making moves in activism, reuse, and community. With the work yet to be done in sustainability at the forefront of everyone’s mind, Upstream saw the significant progress made and wanted to showcase it. Pulling resources and people together, Upstream sparked the beginning of what’s possible with an award ceremony for reuse.
We, here at LimeLoop, believe it’s important to highlight this progress, as well; even seemingly small victories are worth celebrating, and the history behind society’s climate-forward evolution is worth mentioning. Prindiville touches upon this when he says:
“When I was a kid, there was only one bin; it was the trash bin. And then we got the recycling bin a little while later. And we got the composting bin. And in the future we’re going to have the reuse bin.”
We, too, believe in that future. It is possible. In time, and so long as we, as in all of us, including you, too, continue to explore and persevere in sustainability. LimeLoop sees events, such as The Reusies, as reasons to remain engaged in changing the policy, the product, and the culture to move us closer towards that reuse bin.
As Prindiville pointed out in the panel discussion (segments of which may be found on YouTube), policy is a key factor in driving change. During WWII, convenience wasn’t prioritized. Supporting the war was, which demanded collective effort and bred a collective purpose. After the war, however, people were left asking, “what do we do now?” It was then, society adopted and promoted disposability. Disposable products, such as dinnerware, became mainstream as post-war life unfurled.
But we’ve spread ourselves too thin. Now it’s time to face the consequences – once again, we’re left asking, “what do we do now?” But it isn’t all doom and gloom. Croke said in the panel discussion:
“What we realize is that actually because of that challenge we’re creating one of the biggest investment opportunities, I think, of our lifetime, to completely transform the way supply chains work.
The challenge Croke alludes to is the “visibility around the issue of plastics and material and marine debris taking over what we see in the media everyday.” There’s an urgency around these issues, and brands are responding.
Croke believes the revenue opportunities in transforming packaging from a “cost center” for brands to, rather, an elevation of customer experiences adds value to sustainability, reuse, and circularity.
Segran adds, “I think one of the most interesting things about this whole mess we find ourselves in is that I don’t think we really enjoy throw-away culture that much.”And we’d say, she’s right. Where’s the enjoyment in breaking down cardboard boxes each week for recycling? Where’s the enjoyment in drinking coffee from a paper cup or eating dinner from a plastic take-out container? Quite frankly we deserve better. And we can provide better.
“At the end of the day, I think, this kind of social change happens as a result of seeing others who believe in the same things that you do,” says Von Wong.
Cultural consumer behavior changes when we engage with the change rather than react to it.
Von Wong, who uses his art as awareness and education to engage with people at different stages in their reuse or sustainability journey, points out that we all need to ask ourselves, perhaps not what we do now, but what kind of world we want to live in.
Collectively, as these panelists and the award winners have demonstrated, we have the power to change the world. LimeLoop believes one way to do so is to ship with reusable packaging, which indeed changes the way supply chains work and the way customers experience ecommerce.
Named Honorable Mention for The Most Innovative Reuse Company, our passion for sustainability and circularity was reignited. LimeLoop is proud and grateful to have mixed and mingled with some of the VIPs – Very Important Protectors – of our sustainable future.
Vanessa Tiongson, Upstream’s Marketing and Communications Director, sums it up best when asked about next steps:
“These solutions are happening now. This isn’t a crazy fever dream. It’s going to take each and every one of us, whether you’re a big or small influencer or just one person with a couple friends; it’s up to us to talk and spread the word – to inspire each other’s experiences. We’ve just scratched the surface.”