Business Leaders Honored for Commitment to Recycling

Alexandria, VA - To recognize their commitment to recycling as national advocates and leaders, the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) honored Aveda™; McDonald's; and Mac Bridger, the CEO of Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings, with its Recycling Works Recognition Award. The awards were presented in December, 2001.

"These honorees demonstrate every day that waste prevention and recycling are good business practices," said Kate Krebs, NRC's acting executive director. "We applaud their vision and leadership in proving that recycling really does work."

Aveda, the Minneapolis-based manufacturer of flower- and plant-based hair, skin, body, Pure-Fume™ aroma and makeup products, works with its suppliers to develop and use environmentally preferable packaging materials for its products, building materials for its retail stores and printed materials for its marketing campaigns. Aveda was the first in its industry to use 50 percent post-consumer HDPE in its hair care bottles and is currently working to increase that to nearly 60 percent. Aveda also recycles over 95 percent of its manufacturing waste and has implemented many waste prevention measures, including the creation of a line of 100% reusable compacts made of 80 percent post-consumer recycled aluminum.

In 1990, McDonald's started a revolution in its industry by partnering with the Environmental Defense Fund to reduce waste. Since then, the company has implemented scores of waste prevention and recycling measures, from introducing brown, unbleached, recycled carry out bags, to eliminating the polystyrene sandwich container. It has also reduced the size of its napkins and the thickness of its cups and switched from cardboard to paper wraps for its hash browns. During the 1990s, McDonald's eliminated 150,000 tons of packaging, recycled 1 million tons of corrugated cardboard, and purchased more than $3 billion worth of recycled products.

Mac Bridger is president and chief executive officer of Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings, Inc., a nationally recognized supplier of six-foot roll goods and modular tile products. Mr. Bridger has actively promoted environmental initiatives and the principles of sustainability both within the company and among the building and business communities. During his tenure, Collins & Aikman has become a leader among corporations pursuing the "triple bottom line" of social, environmental, and economic performance. For example, Collins & Aikman has developed a technology to "closed loop" recycle its own products back into themselves and has diverted 100% of its manufacturing waste from disposal, sending zero manufacturing waste to landfill or incineration since 1974.

Sponsorship opportunities for the Recycling Works Recognition Awards are as follows: Premier Sponsor-$10,000, Event Sponsor-$5,000, Table Sponsor-$2,500, Individual - $300.