Official Event Program

Presented by Upstream and Closed Loop Partners

 

Welcome!

 

Thank you for attending the The Reusies® 2022.

We’re so glad you’re joining us as we celebrate all of the reuse heroes who are building a better way than throw-away - and especially, the winners of tonight’s awards in the categories of Activist of the Year, Reuse Community of the Year, Most Innovative Reuse Company (in 4 sectors), and Corporate Initiative of the Year.

The evening’s show is brought to you on a state-of-the-art viewing platform called Looped. If you need any help navigating or logging in, check out their FAQs here.

 

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Tonight’s Show

Thursday, September 29, 2022
7-8 pm ET / 4-5pm PT

 

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Welcome and introductions

Finalist bios and winner announcements:

Activist of the Year

Reuse Community of the Year

Most Innovative Reuse Company

  • Consumer Packaged Goods

  • Enabling Technologies

  • Fashion & Apparel

  • Food & Beverage

Corporate Initiative of the Year

Learn about the award presenters & host

Gibson Guitar Giveaway

Closing Remarks

VIP Suites will remain open for 10 minutes at the end of the program for wrap-up and farewells among guests.

Special thanks to our VIPs

Linda Corrado

Ashley & Rob Craig

Lauren Daniluk

Dorlon & Dylan Simonds

 

…And our amazing panel of judges, partners, and presenters!

 

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The Reusies 2022 partners:

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Meet the finalists.

 

  • Yayoi Koizumi

    Yayoi is the volunteer leader of 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

 

  • The Ecology Center

    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.

  • Human-I-T

    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

    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.

 

  • Algramo

    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

    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

    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.

 

  • Fill it Forward

    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

    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

    The Rounds is revolutionizing the "15-minute 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.

 

  • FABSCRAP

    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

    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

    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.

 

  • Dispatch Goods

    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

    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

    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.

  • PepsiCo/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

    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.

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The Presenters.

 

The Judges.

Suz Okie

Director of Design Strategy & Senior Analyst, Circular Economy, GreenBiz Group

Podcast feature: Unlearning the past to build a circular future

 

Cam Pascual

Senior Program Officer, Plastic and Waste, WWF

Podcast feature coming soon - subscribe today!

Tonight’s Giveaway

Anyone who registered to attend The Reusies before 9/20/22 was automatically entered to win a Gibson Hummingbird Guitar, valued at $3,999 and generously donated by Gibson Gives.* Stay tuned to find out the randomly selected winner at the end of tonight’s award presentations!

Terms and conditions apply

 

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The Reusies is produced and underwritten by Upstream, a 501(c) non-profit organization, with support from Closed Loop Partners and this evening’s VIPs. Your donations ensure The Reusies, “the Oscars of the reuse movement”, can continue as an annual event, accelerating the transition to a new reuse economy.

Upstream sparks solutions to plastic pollution. But for us, the problem isn't just single-use plastic - it’s “single-use” itself. It's the throw-away economy at the root of plastic pollution and a host of other problems. So we’re building a movement to make throw-away go away by helping policymakers, businesses, community leaders, and individuals ideate and accelerate the transition from single-use to reuse.

 

Get Involved.

Has The Reusies inspired you to do more in the reuse community? Join us!

 

Community Coalitions

Upstream seeds and supports community coalitions to develop reuse policies and infrastucture. Join - or start - a coalition in your area today!

National Reuse Network

The National Reuse Network is a movement of activists and innovators creating a world without toxic, single-use food and beverage packaging. Join leaders across the US working to promote reuse and reduce single-use food and beverage packaging.

Become a Solutioneer

Join Upstream’s community of reuse revolutionaries. Sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn – and subscribe to The Indisposable Podcast.

 

Opportunities for Reuse Entrepreneurs

Closed Loop Partners

Are you a Reuse entrepreneur looking to partner with investors? Connect with Closed Loop Partners to explore the possibilities. And read our latest report on reusable bag systems, Beyond the Plastic Bag.

Chart Reuse

Chart Reuse™ is a first-in-industry foodware reuse analytics platform. Schedule a demo to see how your business can chart a profitable course to a greener future.

Credits

 

Many thanks to The Reusies creative and production team: