What is "TerraCycle" that produces huge profits from waste in "mottainai spirit"?

ByShena Tschofen

Recycling company established in the United States in 2001 "TerraCycle (Tera cycle)"Is a startup that grew to become a base in 21 countries in 13 years. Together with 115 employees in total in 2014, we have raised total revenue of 20 million dollars (about 2,344 million yen). Tom Zacky, the founder of TerraCycle, talks about the business model that "Tom Zucky's representative director finds" unnecessary things "and reuses it for" effective things "to create profits.

BBC News - Waste not, want not - making money from rubbish
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31036601

TerraCycle generally deals with waste that is difficult to recycle, and has found how to reuse things like "cigarette butts," "coffee capsule dumps", "biscuit wrappers". These wastes are treated as materials and materials in TerraCycle,McVitie's (Mactivity),Johnson & Johnson,KencoIt will be sold to affiliated manufacturers like. Manufacturers who obtained cheap materials can produce recycled products such as inexpensive bags, benches and trash cans from these materials.


Mr. Zucky, a 33-year-old who founded TerraCycle, is always a good-looking young entrepreneur, whose hair is smooth and jeans in Parker. Furthermore, in order to practice the concept of the company "to abandon the concept of throwing", he said he is wearing the same jeans every day for two years except when he is washing at the weekend. Although he was born in communist Hungary, he exiled to a foreign country with his parents at the age of 4, and moved to Canada at the age of ten. Mr. Zucky says that in the country of Hungary and Canada, experienced the difference between the two economic regimes, the company's business model was born.


"In HungaryTV receiverI need a license to get it, "he says. At that time in Hungary I could not simply buy a TV at an electricity shop, and after about a year applying for a license I got a monochrome TV with only national broadcasting channels. Mr. Zachke, who went to Canada, was shocked by the fact that it was possible to watch multiple channels on color television in any apartment. The bilateral gap brought Mr. Zucky "a concept of waste".

Mr. Zucky, a 19-year-old student at Princeton University, dropped out of college and established TerraCycle in 2002 to realize his own ideas. Initially we put organic fertilizer made from insect bites in a reusable soda bottle as a product. With just five years since its establishment, sales amounted to about 3 million dollars (about 350 million yen) to 4 million dollars (about 468 million yen), but due to losses, Mr. Zucky "I noticed the approach was wrong."

At that time, TerraCycle first proposed the product and was looking for waste that could be a material. Mr. Zacky has canceled this and shifted to the method of "processing waste that can not be reused" which has been continuing until now. Without this change it was impossible to create huge profits. Mr. Zucky is a practicalist, "Some businessmen do their best for the world with outlook of profit, others gain huge profits in negative business, I do good things I want to gain many benefits. "

TerraCycle is also active in Japan based in Japan. The userBriggate (withdrawal) programBy registering it, you can ship your own personal waste by cash on delivery. The user is given a "Terra Cycle Point" according to the weight of the waste, and it is a program which can be exchanged as a donation for 1 point = 1 yen to school and NPO.


Article writing Currently in Japan, used cosmeticsMayberin New YorkBear and collect it "Makeup Brigade"And the cigarette butts and cigarette box inside paper and wrapping paperAmerican SpiritCollectively collecting "Cigarette Butt BrigadeIs underway.


If you are interested in recycling, you can see TerraCycle program details from the following page.

TerraCycle | Ideas for recycling
http://www.terracycle.co.jp/ja