Preserve is an American sustainable

consumer good A final good or consumer good is a final product ready for sale that is used by the consumer to satisfy current wants or needs, unlike a intermediate good, which is used to produce other goods. A microwave oven or a bicycle is a final good, but ...

s company that creates recyclable household products from recycled No.5

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins a ...

plastic. The company was founded in 1996 by Eric Hudson, a Babson alum, and it is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Preserve uses recycled and post consumer plastic to create all of its products from toothbrushes and razors to kitchenware.

History

Preserve's parent company, Recycline, was founded in 1996 by Eric Hudson. Hudson collaborated with dentists and industrial designers to design the Preserve toothbrush (the company's first product), which was launched in March 1997. The company's line has since expanded to include other products such as kitchen tools and tableware.

Products

Preserve razor handles are produced from recycled plastics, 65% of which come from yogurt containers. Preserve also produces and sells mixing bowls, cutting boards, measuring cups, food storage containers and colanders - all made from recycled materials. Preserve's products are

made in the USA A Made in USA mark is a country of origin label affixed to homegrown, American-made products that indicates the product is "all or virtually all" domestically produced, manufactured and assembled in the United States of America. The label is reg ...

, BPA free, microwave safe, not tested on animals, and sold nationally in stores such as

Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market IP, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon, is an upscale American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A US ...

Trader Joe's Trader Joe's is an American chain of grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. The chain has over 569 stores across the United States. The first Trader Joe's store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, Californi ...

, Hannaford, The TJX Companies, and

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

Process

Preserve sources the plastic used to make their products from both individuals looking to recycle and companies collecting #5 plastic. The company uses the recycled polypropylene plastic - most notably sourced from yogurt and hummus containers - to create

eco-friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...

, well-designed household products. So far, Preserve has reused over 100 tons of recycled materials.

Gimme 5

To further encourage the recycling of No. 5 plastic, Preserve initiated the Gimme 5 Program in 2009 - a nationwide program run in conjunction with

. Gimme 5 is a partnership between Preserve and various like-minded companies such as

Stonyfield Farm Stonyfield Farm, also simply called Stonyfield, is an organic yogurt maker and dairy company located in Londonderry, New Hampshire, United States. Stonyfield Farm was founded by Samuel Kaymen in 1983, on a 19th-century farmstead in Wilton, New H ...

and

Berry Plastics Berry Global, Inc is a Fortune 500 global manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, it has over 265+ facilities across the globe and more than 46,000+ employees, With $13 billion in revenues in ...

. Gimme 5 collection bins are set up in over 200 Whole Foods Markets, nationwide. These bins serve to collect these companies’ #5 plastic containers, as well as Brita pitcher and water bottle filters and Plum Organics caps. Consumers can drop off their clean, rigid plastics stamped with a “5” at any Gimme 5 station nationwide. Berry Plastics, Whole Foods and Preserve manage all of the collection and recycling. As a result of the program, Whole Foods recycled nearly 300,000 pounds of No. 5 plastics in 2012. Approximately 10-20% of the No. 5 materials used in Preserve products came from the Gimme 5 program. A partnership with

Recyclebank Recyclebank is a company based in New York City that promotes recycling and environmental awareness. It provides a rewards program for various goods. A Certified B Corporation, Recyclebank is headquartered in New York City. History In 2001, N ...

also allows consumers to earn points for their recycling efforts. As of 2022, Preserve's Gimme 5 program has closed down. Their testimony as to why can be found below "Gimme 5 Overview" on their online store.

References

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