Recycline Marks Partnership Milestones With Special-Edition Toothbrush; Stonyfield Farm CEO Promotes 2007 Farm Bill

As of last October, when GoodBiz113 featured Recycline's innovative partnership with Stonyfield Farm, the world's leading producer of organic yogurt ["Recycline-Stonyfield Farm Partnership Milks Resources to Benefit the Environment, Consumers and Each Other"], just more than 1 million yogurt cups had been recycled into Recycline's eco-friendly Preserve® brand of consumer products [e.g., toothbrushes, razors].

This morning, Recycline announced that it's given new life to more than 2 million Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. The company is marking that milestone -- and the five-year anniversary of its recycling partnership, and shared commitment to educating consumers about healthy product choices and preserving the environment -- by introducing a special-edition toothbrush. This toothbrush -- in Stonyfield Farm's signature rich-blue hue, no less -- features a unique insert about the partnership of these forward-thinking New England companies, and is being sold at retail stores throughout 2007.

Recycline uses recycled plastics to manufacture some of its its Preserve® brand products. Since Stonyfield Farm uses polypropylene [#5] plastic for some of its yogurt-cup material, the recycling partnership with Recycline is a natural fit.

“Sourcing recycled materials for a consumer product -- instead of using virgin resources -- is a great way to support natural-resource conservation and reduce dependence on foreign fuels,” states Recycline’s president and founder Eric Hudson. “Many people don’t realize that, since plastics are made with valuable resources like natural gas and oil, using recycled materials is one very important step in reducing our reliance on foreign oil and gas.

“Using recycled materials also reduces the cost to our environment caused by the exploration, mining, reprocessing and transportation of these precious resources. In fact, the Natural Resources Defense Council reports that making products from recycled plastics vs. non-recycled plastics reduces pollution and energy usage by 70%-80%."

Preserve® Brand Expands
Recycline’s Preserve brand includes the Preserve® Toothbrush, the Preserve® Jr Toothbrush, the Preserve® Razor, Preserve® Tongue Cleaners, and Preserve® Flavored Toothpicks made from sustainably harvested and locally grown white birch wood. In 2005, Recycline expanded into the kitchenware market with the launch of its Preserve Tableware line, which includes Preserve® Plateware, Preserve® Cutlery and Preserve® Tumblers -- all of which are reusable and recyclable plates, forks, knives, spoons and cups made from recycled plastic and offered in stylish colors.

The Preserve® Razor Triple is the latest addition to the Preserve brand. This new razor is the first environment-friendly alternative for high-performance shaving products.

Handles of Recycline’s products are made from 100% recycled plastics -- much of which comes from recycled Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. And the recycling story doesn’t end there, as the handles are also completely recyclable through community recycling programs that accept #5 plastics, or by using Recycline’s unique postage-paid recycling mailer [enclosed with products]. All returned Preserve products and packaging are then recycled into plastic lumber, which is used to make picnic tables, decks, boardwalks and other durable products.

Recycline’s mission is to help consumers conserve – to develop products with improved function that are also responsible to the Earth. The Preserve brand’s key message is, “Preserve your Health, Preserve the Earth.”

Stonyfield Farm Takes the Lead -- Environmentally, Socially and Politically
Stonyfield Farm donates 10% of its profits to environmental causes. It was America’s first manufacturer to offset 100 percent of its CO2 emissions from its facility energy use, and recently installed the largest solar array in New Hampshire to help power its production plant -- all efforts to reduce global warming.

Through recycling initiatives, Stonyfield Farm has kept more than 10 million pounds of waste out of landfills and incinerators. As a result, the company is widely known as a national leader in environmentally and socially sound business practices.

"Stonyfield Farm has been educating consumers on key environmental issues and motivating them to take action for over 20 years," says Gary Hirshberg [pictured above], president and CEO [AKA CE-Yo] of Stonyfield Farm. “Our ongoing partnership with Recycline has made possible the recycling of more than 2 million yogurt cups into useful, new planet-friendly products like the Preserve® toothbrushes and, now, the Preserve Razor Triple. This project demonstrates what companies can do to take responsibility for their products -- from design to disposal."

Celebrating its 24th year, Stonyfield Farm is the world’s leading organic yogurt maker, and produces all-natural and organic yogurt, smoothies, cultured soy, frozen yogurt, ice cream, milk and the new Shift™ energy drink. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet.

Hirshberg: Farm Bill Affects Us All
Stonyfield Farm was the nation’s first dairy processor to pay farmers not to treat cows with the synthetic bovine growth hormone rBST, and is universally respected for its strong partnerships with regional family farmers. In fact, just last week, Hirshberg issued a heartfelt plea to citizens/voters and elected officials to support the 2007 Farm Bill that both houses of the 110th Congress are considering:

"You may have heard that Congress is now reshaping our nation’s Farm Bill in preparation for its September renewal," Hirshberg wrote in his company's "Moosletter" to Stonyfield customers, employees, friends, etc. "But you may not know how profoundly it could affect your life and the lives of future generations.

"I’m especially concerned about the impact the new Farm Bill will have on our nation’s family farms. The U.S. is currently losing farmland to development at a rate of two acres per minute! And, as they say, asphalt is the final crop; once you lose farmland to development, you almost never get it back.

"Our local sources of fruits, vegetables and dairy are at risk. According to Environmental Defense, more than 80% of our fruits and vegetables, and more than 60% of our dairy products, are produced in areas threatened by sprawl. Our communities are losing wildlife habitat, and scenic and cultural landscapes. And all at a rate of more than a million acres per year!

"Small to medium-sized farms make up 40% of U.S. farm and ranch land. Yet our current Farm Bill sends about 73% of all farm subsidies to the largest 10% of farms in the country. With the new Farm Bill, we could fix this inequity and do much more to help smaller farms survive.

"A proposed part of the 2007 Farm Bill -- the Healthy Farms, Fuels and Food Act -- is bipartisan legislation that could give family farmers access to the conservation, renewable energy, and other programs that send about $20 billion in subsidies to U.S. farmers each year. It would also provide financial assistance to help family farmers make the costly transition to organic production methods.

"Last week, I met with Sen. Tom Harkin [D-Iowa], who chairs the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and will, thus, be the principal architect and leader of the 2007 Farm Bill’s drafting and passage. Sen. Harkin emphatically stressed to me the important role that Stonyfield consumers could play by letting Congress know where they stand. Particularly, with a very significant election coming up in 2008, senators and Congress people are acutely sensitive to constituents’ calls and e-mails.

"Congress renews the Farm Bill only once every five to seven years, so this opportunity won’t come again soon. Now’s the time to let your Congressperson know that you support the Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act. To learn more about this legislation and how you can support it, click here."

Next Steps
Both Recycline and Stonyfield Farm serve the estimated 63 million U.S. consumers who strongly consider the environmental impact of their purchasing decisions, and the retailers that sell natural products to these consumers. The companies' products are available nationwide in thousands of natural health food stores and supermarket chains.
To learn more about Recycline and the Preserve brand, please visit http://www.recycline.com/, or call 1-888-354-7296.

For more information about Stonyfield Farm, its products and initiatives, visit http://www.stonyfield.com/AboutUs, or call 1-800-PRO-COWS.

Contact your senators and representatives.
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Recycline-Stonyfield Farm Partnership Milks Resources to Benefit the Environment, Consumers and Each Other

The Company
Recycline, Inc.
681 Main St.
Waltham, MA 02451

Toll-free: [888] 354-7296

Phone: [781] 893-1032

Fax: [781] 893-1036
E-mail: info@recycline.com
Web: http://www.recycline.com/

Founded: 1996
Employees: 5 full-time, 3 part-time, 1 student intern

Contact: Eric Hudson, President & CEO eh@recycline.com

The Business
Recycline provides high-quality, leading-edge recycled-content and recyclable consumer goods throughout the U.S., Canada and U.K. Its growing product line includes the Preserve® and Preserve Jr Toothbrushes; Preserve Tongue Cleaner; Preserve Razor Recyclable; Preserve Replacement Blades; Preserve Tableware; and Preserve Flavored Toothpicks.

Recently, the company introduced the Special Edition Stonyfield Farm Preserve Toothbrush, to celebrate the five-year anniversary of its recycling partnership with Stonyfield Farm, the world's largest organic yogurt maker and the No. 3 brand -- organic and otherwise -- in the U.S. And, just in time to meet holiday stocking-stuffer needs, there's Recycline's new Preserve Razor Triple.

The Buzz
Consumers and groups in the "green" community have embraced Recycline since its first of roughly 3.5 million Preserve toothbrushes hit a handful of natural-food stores 10 years ago. Since the company added razors to its product line in 2004, more than 500,000 razors have been sold.

Today, you'll find Recycline's products in 4,000-plus natural-food stores and mainstream supermarkets [e.g., Whole Foods Market [NASDAQ: WFMI], Wild Oats, Trader Joe's]; online at Amazon.com, and at Recycline's own online store; and in 100 select Target stores [NYSE: TGT], where the design-savvy, big-box retailer is testing sales of Recycline's innovative Preserve Jr Toothbrush.

Among Recycline's countless accolades is its seal of approval as a Co-op America Green Business, and membership in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Leadership Club, a prestigious rank within the EPA's Green Power Partnership. The honor recognizes Recycline's commitment to supporting the U.S. recycling industry in its business practices, and through the company's volunteer, professional and community actions. For example, besides making products from 100% recycled plastic that are also recyclable in communities with #5 plastics recycling, Recycline buys wind power to cover 100% of its total electricity consumption.

In addition to being eco-friendly, Recycline is also very kind to critters. In fact, the company's no animal testing policy has won high praise from the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, which maintains the personal-products industry's Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals. Further, sales of Recycline's Preserve Jr Toothbrush help support the National Wildlife Federation [NWF], whose far-reaching aims to protect and restore the environment have inspired Recycline's product-design and educational efforts to simultaneously teach kids and adults about endangered species, oral hygiene, and the importance of recycling.

The Catalyst
It's tempting to presume that President and CEO Eric Hudson was initially inspired to launch Recycline after having seen "The Graduate" -- the 1967 hit movie in which Dustin Hoffman's character, Benjamin Braddock, is assured that the future is in...wait for it..."plastics." Not true.

"My brothers have often kidded me about it," said Hudson. "I was a bit too young to have the concept in mind when I first viewed it. I think I was too busy ogling over Mrs. Robinson to be thinking of business or plastics."

Nope, the real impetus for Hudson -- who, by the way, drives a Volkswagen Jetta fueled by used french-fry grease from Wendy's -- was his perceived need to stimulate the use of recycled materials in order to assist community recycling efforts. He deemed that increased consumption of products made from recycled materials would propel those efforts.

The Partner
Stonyfield Farm, a strategic partner with Groupe Danone [NYSE: DA], is based in Londonderry, N.H., and is a kindred spirit in the sustainable-business realm. The company has contributed more than 1 million yogurt cups to Recycline's recycled-plastics manufacturing process, which saves Recycline more than $20,000 per year in recycled-plastic purchases [mostly, in the form of used toys and grocery carts]. Stonyfield also helps to synergistically promote Recycline's products and practices.

The Strategy
Hudson believed that high-quality and innovative goods made from recycled materials were necessary to win consumer interest. Beyond that, he believed, those products also needed to be recyclable. Oh, and they should also be staple items; i.e., consumed on a regular basis.

The Process
Recycline's first product was the Preserve toothbrush, with nylon bristles and a 100% recycled-plastic, curved, ergonomic handle that helps users brush at a dentist-prescribed 45-degree angle. The brushes come with [or you can request] postage-paid mailers, and the company recycles returned toothbrushes and packaging into plastic lumber that's used to make picnic tables, decks, boardwalks, park benches and other durable products.

Since its launch 10 years ago, Recycline has added other oft-used personal-care products -- including a tongue scraper, razor and flavored toothpicks. Its line of sturdy, reusable and dishwasher-safe tableware -- including tumblers, plates and cutlery in bold and bright pear green, blue, red and lilac purple -- has also taken off.

In 2000, Stonyfield Farm stepped in to begin supplying thousands of used yogurt cups per month to Recycline's plastic recycling process. Stonyfield has also promoted Preserve toothbrushes via prominent placement on the covers of more than 20 million Stonyfield Farm yogurt lids, which are seen by consumers in all 50 U.S. states and several international locations [e.g., Hong Kong]. In exchange, Recycline seizes every opportunity to trumpet Stonyfield's generous, ongoing supply of yogurt cups.

"The purpose of this partnership is to show consumers, as well as other companies, what can be done in terms of planet-friendly practices," explained Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield's president and CEO. "At the time we started the relationship, Recycline was just getting off the ground, and we felt it was a good way to support a smart, growing, environmentally friendly company. We started from the ground up, too, and know what it's like to get a company off the ground."

The Upshot
Hudson and Hirshberg are both quite candid about the power of optimizing their synergies as much as possible. "People love a story," said Hudson. "Companies working together create a story, and when they join together to reuse or recycle on one side what another cannot use, it's great.

"From a marketing perspective, we not only have similar ideals, but we try to reach many of the same consumers. By partnering with like-minded companies, we are able to communicate our message to more consumers and a broader audience. It also enables both partners to capitalize on the 'power' of both brands."

Case in point: When Stonyfield printed the story of Preserve toothbrushes on its yogurt lids, it demonstrated Stonyfield's environmental stewardship to their customers.

"We know that innovative, environment-friendly practices are not only good for the planet -- they're good for the bottom line, as well," said Hirshberg. "Recycline has proved that -- as has Stonyfield. In the past 10 years, through improved efficiency, Stonyfield Farm has saved over $1.7MM and 46 million kWh -- enough energy to power 4,500 homes for a year -- and prevented over 14,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere."

"Simply put, by helping each other, we achieve a greater reward to one another than we could have with the same effort focused on ourselves," noted Hudson. "From a grander viewpoint, in order to have an effect on the impact that we as a people have had on our earth -- through the industrial revolution and beyond -- people have got to join together, and companies have got to join together, to reverse the harm that we have caused."

The bottom line? "Many consumers are looking to spend their money in ways that help the planet, and support companies that are doing the same," said Hirshberg. "Companies like Recycline and Stonyfield gain respect and loyalty from our consumers, helping us to grow faster than our competition."

The Financials
In 1997, Recycline's first full year of selling product, sales were approximately $60,000. Today, the privately held company generates several million dollars in sales -- thanks, mostly, to the Preserve toothbrush, Preserve tableware and Preserve razor, each of which ranks No. 1 in their category in the $50 billion natural-products channel.

The Takeaway
Reflecting on his entrepreneurial adventures, what would Hudson advise other would-be small-biz owners to do? "Be ready to run a business," he replied flat-out. "Though it is our passion -- and that speaks miles to measure enthusiasm -- in the end, it has to be a successful, well-run business in order to survive."

What, if anything, would Hudson do differently in launching Recycline? "Nothing really comes to mind," he said. "There were not a lot of grand plans that mapped roads we went down and then regretted...We've explored a few opportunities that we have since moved away from, but I never really regretted this process. It is all part of evolution. Now, we know what to expect if we go down a similar path we once veered from."

And Hirshberg? "I don't think we'd do anything differently," he said. "This partnership has been mutually beneficial and easy to manage. We love working with Recycline and have been thrilled to see them thrive and grow since we bagan our relationship."

As for lessons learned along the way, Hirshberg is -- no surprise, here -- totally in sync with Hudson. "We've learned that there is strength in numbers -- at least when it comes to like-minded folks, groups or companies," he said. "If you've ever gone cross-country skiing after a fresh snow, you know that blazing a trail is challenging. But if you bring a friend along and take turns leading the way, it's easier on both -- not to mention, more fun. That's an analogy I would apply here. For an innovative company to lead the way, it takes perseverance and collaboration.

"Also, as environmentally friendly companies, we share common ideals and add strength to our environmental efforts and messages through partnerships. We all share the planet, and companies like Stonyfield and Recycline understand that there must be a wide-ranging, coordinated effort to develop and implement energy-saving, waste-reducing initiatives. The more the merrier, as far as we're concerned."

While studies have found Monday to be the most frequent day for the occurrence of fatal heart attacks [mostly, due to stress about facing another week of reporting to jobs that people dread], the notion is far removed for Hudson. "I love coming to work every day," he beams. "Really. I am energized by Recycline's team, and I think we're all energized by what we are doing. Every day, we have an influence on what Recycline will be. I think we all feel good about being part of forming an innovative, resourceful, pioneering consumer-products company that seeks to be as environment-friendly as possible in every step that we take.

"From the start, combining my personal commitments and beliefs with my professional life has been a wonderful thing. The largest thing I am personally committed to is the health of our planet, what we humans are doing to it, and what we can do to reduce our impact on it."

And to think that brand of eco-consciousness-in-action all starts and ends -- and then starts again -- with plastics...
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A Traveler's Guide to Going Green! Green Hotels, Tips for Responsible Travel, Reducing Your Carbon Footprint, and More on Expedia.com.