In a first-of-its kind partnership that provides a local solution toward the global crisis of plastic waste, SC Johnson is teaming up with the Milwaukee Brewers to create a new market and new recycling model for one of the biggest sources of waste at their ballpark – the more than 1 million plastic cups used each season.
Starting with the 2020 season, fans at Miller Park will be able to place plastic drink cups branded with the SC Johnson logo in specially designed receptacles to separate them from other waste. SC Johnson will collect the cups and use the recycled plastic in Scrubbing Bubbles bottles.
This is the first U.S. professional sports team to link a waste stream to a specific product, closing the recycling loop and tackling one of the biggest barriers to plastic recycling in the U.S. and globally – the lack of markets for recycled material. Today, only 13 percent of plastic packaging in the U.S. is recycled, and much of what is placed into mixed recycling bins is not recyclable at all.
Read Next: Upcycled Food Association Seeks to Mainstream Upcycling
“We all need to work together to help close the plastic recycling loop, and I hope this first-of-its-kind initiative with the Brewers will serve as a model for other major league teams, companies and even other sports leagues,” says Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson.
SC Johnson’s partnership with the Brewers is one of many actions the company has taken to tackle plastic waste focusing on three separate fronts: reducing plastics in its products, reusing recycled plastic and creating compostable plastics.
SC Johnson and the Brewers will continue to partner throughout the 2020 season, with additional promotions including organized “Clean Up Days” and philanthropic contributions with select players for heightened education and awareness. Further, for each save recorded by a Brewers pitcher, SC Johnson and the Brewers will make a donation to the “Players for the Planet” initiative, which works to reduce ocean plastic.
“The Green Sports Alliance commends the Milwaukee Brewers MLB leadership team and SC Johnson for demonstrating the power of collaboration in creating a closed loop business model that decreases landfill waste,” says Green Sports Alliance Executive Director Roger McClendon. “This sets a great example for sports and business industries to pause and evaluate the traditional mindset of the ‘make, take, consume, and throw away pattern,’ and move toward a zero waste circular economy.”
