Macy's ‘Re-Gifts’ PVC Cards with Earthworks System
SOLON, Ohio, Feb. 2, 2012 – Earthworks System LLC has partnered with Macy's Inc. to provide a recyclable gift card program for the retailer's customers, the first major department store to offer such a program.
The Earthworks System Recyclable identifier will be imprinted on Macy's gift cards to indicate it is made of Earthworks System approved recyclable material. Store locations will collect spent gift cards for their return to Earthworks where they will be reprocessed into printable sheet and re-sold to printers to make new cards.
"The Earthworks System for plastic card recycling complements Macy's sustainable business philosophy," said Earthworks President Rodd Gilbert. "Our partnership will provide an environmental solution for the significant number of plastic cards it distributes every year."
Earthworks manufactures and markets 100 percent recycled and recyclable PVC sheet material for plastic card applications. The company recovers used cards and recycles them into sheet material that is virtually indistinguishable in performance from virgin PVC. Earthworks’ PVC plastic is used in gift cards, ID cards, hotel key cards, and signage. Over the past four years providing this service, Earthworks has recycled gift cards from Starbucks, The Gap, Ace Hardware, and CVS, key cards from Marriott Hotels, and membership cards from AARP and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
According to Radiant Systems, gift cards have been the number one item on Americans’ holiday wish lists since 2007. During the 2010 holiday season, consumers spent $23.6 billion on gift cards, at an average of $40 per card, with the majority of gift card recipients spending more than the value of the card they received. About 3 billion new gift cards are put into circulation each year.
For more information, visit www.earthworkssystem.com.
The vinyl industry has a history of supporting recycling, and this effort continues as companies expand existing programs and explore new opportunities to recover vinyl products at the end of their useful life.
The Vinyl Institute maintains a database of vinyl recycling companies that can be searched by state or Canadian province, type of material, and processing capabilities.
VI also maintains a list of manufacturers that are producing a variety of products made from recycled vinyl, which can be searched by company name, state or Canadian province.
The Vinyl Institute represents the leading manufacturers involved in the production of PVC vinyl in the United States, and promotes the value of PVC and vinyl products to society.
For more information, contact:
Jeffrey B. Palmer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Vinyl Institute
571-970-3327
jpalmer@vinylinfo.org
Also go to: www.vinylindesign.com, www.vinylnewsservice.net, and www.vinylinfo.org.