Kraft Foods Named Official Food Sponsor of RecycleBank

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RecycleBank™, a rewards program that motivates people to recycle, announced today that Kraft Foods has signed on as the “Official Food Sponsor of RecycleBank.” This partnership will enable both companies to work together to educate consumers about the importance of recycling and improving recycling rates. Currently, only 33 percent of the waste Americans generate is recycled, yet most Americans have access to some form of recycling.

RecycleBank aims to partner with companies that are corporate leaders in environmental efforts. The “official sponsorship” status is given to one industry leader per category and Kraft was chosen because of its approach to sustainability and the packaging initiatives the company has in place. In addition to sustainable sourcing of material and reducing product packaging, Kraft is looking to improve recycling rates so that less packaging finds its way to landfills.

“We’re addressing packaging sustainability from start to finish and seeking to make recycling easier for our consumers,” said Roger Zellner, director of sustainability research, development and quality, Kraft Foods. “Kraft’s partnership with RecycleBank is a key component of that effort. RecycleBank’s unique recycling model not only simplifies the recycling process, but also rewards consumers for their efforts. In the end, we believe if the consumer benefits from recycling, the environment will win.”

Currently, RecycleBank is in more than 35 municipalities throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Jersey with plans for nationwide expansion this year. RecycleBank households have diverted almost 36 million tons of recyclables from landfills. This is amazing, considering the average American generates 4.5 pounds of trash daily.

RecycleBank motivates households and communities to recycle by rewarding RecycleBank Points to households for their recycling efforts. Every household receives a cart embedded with an RFID (radio frequency identification) chip. Through the single-stream recycling process, all materials are placed into the cart for curbside pickup. Recycling trucks retrofitted with RecycleBank technology read the RFID chip and record the amount the household recycles. The weight and participation is then translated into RecycleBank Points which households can view and redeem on the RecycleBank Web site. These Points can be used with more than 400 national and local RecycleBank Reward Partners, such as Kraft. Kraft brands offering rewards include DiGiorno pizza, Yuban coffee, Kraft Grated Parmesan cheese and Kraft Salad Dressings.

“RecycleBank provides its reward partners with an outlet to directly reach consumers and to promote environmental efforts,” said Ron Gonen, co-founder and CEO of RecycleBank. “Partnering with RecycleBank gives companies like Kraft an opportunity to strengthen its holistic marketing efforts while helping to ensure a more sustainable future.”

About RecycleBank

RecycleBank is a rewards program that motivates people to recycle. It does this by quickly and easily measuring the amount of material each home recycles and then converting that activity into RecycleBank Points that can be used at hundreds of local and national rewards partners. RecycleBank is simple to implement, market-driven and proven to work, saving municipalities’ money and rewarding citizens for their environmental stewardship. RRE Ventures and Sigma Partners are the largest institutional shareholder group and Ron Gonen, the co-founder and CEO is the largest individual shareholder. Visit www.recyclebank.com for more information.