Tag: 3BL

November 20, 2025 /3BL/ – Charity Navigator, America’s top independent nonprofit evaluator, has awarded Direct Relief an overall 100% charity rating for 2025. The recognition marks Direct Relief’s 15th consecutive Four-Star rating, underscoring sustained excellence, accountability, and measurable impact in advancing its humanitarian mission.

Direct Relief is one of just four organizations nationwide included on Charity Navigator’s Best Highly Rated Charities list, which recognizes nonprofits with perfect scores across all of Charity Navigator’s rating metrics.

“These organizations are highly impactful in their given cause area, are fiscally responsible and transparent, and follow leadership and organizational culture best practices,” Charity Navigator notes. “We applaud these charities for being highly impactful and outperforming other organizations performing similar work.”

In addition, Charity Navigator named Direct Relief one of the Best Humanitarian Relief Charities for 2025, highlighting responses to  Hurricane Melissa, the Los Angeles fires, and the humanitarian crises in Sudan and Ukraine. The designation recognizes organizations Charity Navigator deems “extraordinarily effective at what they do.”

Charity Navigator also included Direct Relief on its 2025 list of Household Name Charities, a group of organizations that, as the site explains, “became household names partly because of their exceptional financial management, no easy feat considering the scope and size of their operations. Donors should feel confident that these highly rated national institutions will put their donations to good use.”

Direct Relief’s Charity Navigator Ratings

Direct Relief earned a 100% rating in each of Charity Navigator’s four “beacons”—Accountability & Finance, Leadership & Adaptability, Culture & Community, and Impact & Measurement—and received the highest possible score in every subcategory, from “program expense ratio” to “program planning & design” to “external focus on mobilizing mission.”

Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator, recognized Direct Relief’s performance, stating: “We are delighted to provide Direct Relief with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence. The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that Direct Relief can accomplish in the years ahead.”

Humanitarian Impact in 2025

In 2025, Direct Relief made significant strides in advancing its global humanitarian mission, including:

• Delivering Lifesaving Medicines: In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Direct Relief distributed 308 million defined daily doses of medicine to more than 2,636 healthcare facilities across 91 countries and all 50 U.S. states. In total, Direct Relief donated pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and supplies with a wholesale value of $1.9 billion and provided $69 million in grants to healthcare providers around the world.
• Hurricane Responses: Following Hurricane Melissa, Direct Relief dispatched a 757 charter plane carrying 16 tons of medicine and medical supplies to Jamaica, adding to the large quantities of medical supplies already prepositioned in the region prior to landfall, which helped ensure health providers were equipped immediately after the storm.
• Los Angeles Wildfire Response: Direct Relief’s response began within hours of the first spark, with an initial focus on lifesaving support, including deploying prescription medications to shelters, field medic backpacks to first responders, and more than 140,000 N95 respirators to protect residents and emergency personnel from smoke.
• Aid to Ukraine:  Direct Relief has surpassed more than $2 billion in medical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the war began in 2022, making it one of the largest private philanthropic supporters of the country’s health system.
• The Largest Charitable Medicine Program in the U.S.: To help address the lack of affordable prescription medicine in the United States, Direct Relief provides needed medications to nonprofit health centers and clinics that collectively serve about one in 11 people in the country. In its 2025 fiscal year, Direct Relief’s assistance to the U.S. exceeded $300 million.
• Supporting Healthy Mothers: Direct Relief supports health organizations worldwide that provide critically needed maternal and neonatal services throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. In its 2025 fiscal year, Direct Relief’s support of midwives helped enable more than 45,000 safe births in 17 countries.

Stewardship and Financial Transparency

Direct Relief is committed to maximizing the impact of every donation, ensuring funds are used responsibly and effectively to support those in need:

• 100% Allocation of Donor-Designated Funds: Every contribution earmarked for specific programs or emergencies is applied exclusively to those purposes, giving donors full assurance that their intent is honored.
• Independently Funded Operations:  Direct Relief operates solely on private charitable contributions, declining government funding to maintain independence and focus on its mission.
• Leveraging In-Kind Contributions: Strategic partnerships with businesses and organizations amplify the impact of donations. Contributions of medicine and medical supplies, valued at their wholesale cost, constitute the majority of Direct Relief’s revenue, allowing cash donations to reach further and support more people.

Additional Nonprofit Recognition

In 2025, Direct Relief received additional independent recognition for humanitarian impact, transparency, and financial stewardship, including:

• Seoul Peace Prize: One of the world’s most distinguished honors for humanitarian achievement, awarded in recognition of Direct Relief’s role in advancing global health and supporting communities affected by disasters and conflict.
• Platinum Transparency Seal from Candid: Signaling the highest level of openness about finances, programs, and results, and enabling donors to see clearly how resources are used.
• A+ Rating from CharityWatch: Along with inclusion on its list of top charities, reflecting exceptional program efficiency, low overhead, and disciplined use of donor funds.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass., November 20, 2025 /3BL/ – From shifting consumer trust to the rise of individual impact, 2025 has been a turning point for sustainability communications. Through bold, data-driven research, 3BL explored how public sentiment, corporate action, and storytelling intersect to shape reputation and real-world outcomes.

Across the four reports released this year, 3BL captured the pulse of the moment. Revealing why staying silent on sustainability is riskier than ever, how personal conviction is driving the next wave of change, and what it takes for brands to earn genuine trust in a skeptical world.

The Big Thing Americans Agree On 

The study, conducted in January 2025, sheds light on shifting consumer expectations and the growing role of sustainability in shaping purchasing decisions and brand loyalty.

• 73% of Americans believe their purchasing decisions can influence corporate behavior on social and environmental issues.
• While 65% of Gen Z and 64% of millennials lead in prioritizing sustainability, the study found that only 5% of Gen X and Baby Boomers consider sustainability completely unimportant.

Download here.

2025 is the Year of the Individual 

There is a striking trend shaping the sustainability and social impact landscape in 2025: the growing role of individual action.

• Political and Generational Shifts: Republicans (22%) favor business-led impact, while Democrats (25%) lean on government. Gen Z trusts institutions, while Baby Boomers (38%) believe in individual action but show skepticism (26%).
• Business Priorities: Consumers expect action on employee well-being (56%), sustainable packaging (54%), and ecosystem restoration (49%).

Download here. 

Say Less, Risk More: Sustainability Silence Is Undermining Trust

This report draws on media analysis and original polling to expose a growing crisis of confidence in corporate sustainability claims. The findings signal a clear warning: greenhushing may feel safe, but it’s undermining public trust and putting market share on the line.

• A Decline in Corporate Voice: Media mentions of top U.S. companies tied to sustainability topics dropped nearly 10% in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
• Trust Is Slipping: Nearly a quarter (23%) of consumers now say they “rarely” or “almost never” trust what companies say about their sustainability goals, up from just 15% in December 2023.

Download here. 

Sustainable Companies Make More Money, But Does Anyone Trust Them? 

This research shows that companies recognized among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens aren’t just doing good, they’re performing better in the market too. From January 2022 to July 2025, these companies’ annual returns were 2.2% higher than the S&P 500.

Even more impressive, repeat honorees generated a cumulative return of 106%, compared to just 37% for the S&P 500. Excluding outliers, the portfolio still delivered 40% cumulative returns versus the S&P’s 36.6%

Download here. 

About 3BL 
3BL is the leading sustainability and social impact communications partner, connecting organizations’ stories of purpose and progress with the audiences who matter most.

3BL partners with over 1,500 companies – from global corporations and mid-sized enterprises to NGOs and nonprofits – to elevate their reputations as players in the world of responsible business. We do this through unrivaled news and content distribution, bespoke storytelling support, and our digital media division, TriplePundit.

Learn more at 3BL.com

To support generational sustainability, we must build a pipeline that equips Southwire to tackle the challenges of today — and those to come. This work is crucial, with researchers estimating that up to 3.8 million manufacturing roles will need to be filled by 2033, and warning that nearly half could remain vacant due to gaps in skilled applicants.

We are addressing this gap by working with educational partners to broaden our recruitment efforts and reach while expanding programs that build critical skills in manufacturing and beyond. In 2024 we maintained partnerships with University of West Georgia (UWG), Auburn University’s 100 Women Strong and Engineering Academic Excellence programs, Georgia Tech’s Office of Minority Educational Development and the Atlanta University Center Consortium. We also zeroed in on early career and student-focused programs, such as internship and apprenticeship opportunities.

BRINGING OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM INTO THE FUTURE

Southwire hosted one of its largest internship cohorts in 2024. We updated the program to include more structure for interns, as well as in-person opportunities to spend time with their peers and Southwire team members. All interns came together for in-person onboarding to kick off the program and returned for an in-person offboarding event. We also provided each intern with a mentor, prompted managers to develop more clearly defined projects and created more touchpoints for interns and managers to connect. Outside of our regular programming, we provided interns with access to virtual learning opportunities to build targeted knowledge and skills.

Yello, a leading provider of early talent acquisition software solutions, recognized Southwire as one of its Top 100 Internship Programs of 2024.

CREATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF BUSINESS LEADERS

University of West Georgia (UWG) has been a long-time Southwire talent partner. Together, we host the Southwire Business Leadership Program (SBLP), where UWG students can spend a year gaining firsthand work experience. Next, they begin a two-semester internship that allows them to create a multiyear strategic plan to address a business opportunity or need. All SBLP participants present their plans to Southwire’s executive leadership team, cultivating strong presentation skills and gaining visibility with senior leaders.

Over 60% of SBLP participants over the past two years were offered positions at Southwire.

BUILDING A PIPELINE FOR MAINTENANCE CAREERS

Participants in our two-year Southwire Maintenance Apprenticeship complete on-the-job training alongside classroom instruction, preparing them for potential full-time Southwire roles. Apprentices can choose between two tracks created for maintenance or electrical technician positions. Opportunities are open to outside applicants, such as students from West Georgia Technical College and Southwire team members looking to transition into new roles.

Southwire proudly supports the University of Georgia’s Society of Women Engineers chapter, helping to expand the pool of engineering talent we recruit.

UPGRADING OUR FINANCE ROTATIONAL PROGRAM

The Finance Rotational program employs new recent graduates into the three-year rotational program. During this time, the new graduates learn various finance functions within the Southwire business to include operations, corporate and commercial. In 2024, we broadened our scope of participation to expand the program efficiencies through onboarding, development of cohorts, recruiting and committee sponsorship.

To learn more about Southwire’s accomplishments in 2024, read our full sustainability report: https://southwire.com/sustainability.

Originally published on Waste Dive

Carton recycling isn’t just waste diversion. It’s a growing part of the circular economy that keeps materials in use and out of landfills. Some cartons become high-quality fiber for paper goods, while others are transformed into durable building materials that replace virgin resources.

When cartons reach a paper mill, they’re prized for their long, strong fibers. Jason Pelz, VP of Sustainability for Tetra Pak in the U.S. and Canada, says that quality makes them a dependable part of a mill’s feedstock mix.

“Cartons carry some of the best fiber in the recycling stream,” he explains. “At many mills, the yield matches or exceeds other materials.”

Click here to read more on Waste Dive

At WK Kellogg Co, we believe that doing good is good for business.

Today marks an important milestone as we launch our 2024 Sustainable Business Report highlighting progress toward the three pillars of our sustainable business strategy – Feeding Happiness: Make Eating Well Easy, Help Kids Be Their Best and Better Our Communities.

In 2024, that progress included:

• Delivering 42+ million servings of food to those in need in the U.S. and Canada
• Providing 5.2 billion servings of fiber through Kellogg’s® cereals – a nutrient many people don’t get enough of
• Supporting millions of kids through Mission Tiger™ and Feeding Reading®
• Donating $1.1 million to hunger-relief and community initiatives
• Achieving 98% recyclable or recycle-ready packaging
• Employees volunteering 4,450+ hours at more than 300 organizations

Our founder believed in the power of food to nurture children, families and communities. More than a century later, that vision inspires us to create a sustainable future rooted in nourishing people and the planet.

Explore our 2024 Sustainable Business Report here: https://www.wkkellogg.com/our-impact

BETHESDA, Md., November 20, 2025 /3BL/ – Tandem Global announces the release of a new white paper, Safeguarding Our Future: Corporate Responsibility in Building Climate-Resilient Communities, available for download today.

As climate-related disasters intensify, the need for proactive resilience planning has become critical. Global disaster relief costs now exceed $200 billion annually, while floods, droughts, and extreme weather continue to disrupt lives and infrastructure. The World Health Organization projects that climate change could cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050, underscoring the urgency of coordinated action.

This white paper highlights how corporations can play a vital role in strengthening community resilience. By leveraging their resources, global reach, and influence, businesses can help safeguard natural resources, enhance infrastructure, and support vulnerable populations. Through innovative strategies and partnerships, corporate leaders are demonstrating that resilience is not just a moral imperative; it’s a foundation for long-term stability and shared prosperity.

Featured case studies include:

• BASF, Riverview Earth Day Planting: Riverview, MI
• Bridgestone Americas, Bridgestone Neumaticos de Monterrey: NL, Mexico
• Cemex, Atotonilco: Cerro Jardín + Xoyatla + Coayuca: Hidalgo, Mexico
• DTE Energy, Downtown Detroit Headquarters Complex: Detroit, MI
• Exelon, Gwynedd ROW Stewardship Program: North Wales, PA
• General Motors, Restoration and Conservation of Ecosystems, Bogotá, Colombia
• WM, Twin Creeks Landfill: Ontario, Canada

About Tandem Global

Tandem Global (formerly Wildlife Habitat Council and World Environment Center), provides the know-how and the network to move business and the environment forward, together. Across sectors and at all levels of its member organizations, Tandem Global works to facilitate long-term and lasting impact on all aspects of our natural world. It connects leading thinking with practical solutions that positively impact climate, nature, and water. From field operations to boardrooms and beyond, corporate leaders turn to Tandem Global for impact strategies and resilient solutions that can support a better future. Tandem Global is headquartered in Bethesda, MD, USA, with locations across the U.S., in Latin America and Munich, Germany. For more information visit tandemglobal.org.

Name: Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen | Environmental Sustainability Senior Manager

Company:  PepsiCo, Inc.

Connect with Mary Beth on LinkedIn

Welcome to our series aimed at spotlighting the individual leaders within BIER member companies and stakeholder organizations. Learn how these practitioners and their companies are addressing pressing challenges around water, energy, agriculture, climate change, and what inspires each of them to advance environmental sustainability in the beverage sector and collectively, overall.

Briefly describe your role and responsibilities and how long you have worked with your company.

I joined PepsiCo in 2022 and work within our Global Sustainability Office, specifically focused on water stewardship. My role includes leading our watershed health initiatives, those tied to our supply chain supporting our Restore and Protect targets, and those tied to operations, including replenishment efforts and our Alliance for Water Stewardship goal. I also lead our water risk assessment process, which evaluates both our company-owned manufacturing facilities and those of our franchise bottlers.

It’s a unique and rewarding role, especially because it allows me to drive impact at both the facility and watershed levels, and contribute to programs that have the potential to strengthen ecosystems, communities, and agricultural resilience worldwide.

How has the company’s sustainability program evolved over the years, and what are your specific priorities for 2025?

PepsiCo has been engaged in sustainability efforts for many years. Our first water stewardship goals were set in 2006, and in 2008, we became a signatory to the CEO Water Mandate. Since then, our program has grown in both ambition and scope, evolving in response to our progress and experience. Today, we follow an impact-driven strategy called PepsiCo Positive, which includes goals for 2025 and 2030.

One goal I’m especially excited to work on is spreading the adoption of regenerative agriculture, restorative, or protective practices across 10 million acres of land supporting key crops and ingredients by 2030. I support this through watershed health initiatives in water-stressed basins worldwide. Specifically, this year, I aim to expand one project, launch two new projects, and lay the groundwork for a total of 10 projects globally. This watershed health program aims to have a portfolio of initiatives carefully selected to deliver meaningful, scalable, and lasting watershed-level impact.

This geographic focus is intentional: we want to prioritize depth of impact. Each project will be designed to scale to watershed-level, driving holistic impact, addressing not only water stress and quality challenges but also improving biodiversity, strengthening climate resilience, and fostering socioeconomic improvements.

What excites me most is the opportunity to design each project with this holistic aim to start with water and then consider how to positively impact biodiversity, climate resilience, and community well-being. This is not just about metrics, it’s about creating deeply rooted change that can be felt at the local level and sustained over time.

How do you feel being a BIER member will help you successfully address the key areas you are addressing in 2025? 

It starts with BIER’s convening ability. I’ve already had the opportunity to discuss our watershed health program with other members and explore partnership opportunities, including scaling an existing initiative in India. BIER’s ability to bring people together is instrumental in making this happen.

Beyond this program, having a pre-competitive forum to discuss project objectives and challenges with peers, people who share a similar drive for impact, is invaluable. Tackling systemic challenges requires open dialogue and collaboration. BIER creates the space for this kind of collaboration and helps facilitate tangible, impactful outcomes.

Being able to have those honest conversations with peers who share both the urgency and vision for impact helps break down barriers to action. BIER doesn’t just convene, it can be a catalyst for trust, shared learning, and momentum.

Name one of the practical solutions or best practices you learned in working with BIER and its members and why it was important to you and/ or your company.

I would highlight the Charco Bendito initiative in Mexico as a best practice. It’s a great example of how BIER leverages its convening power to facilitate collective action among peers and competitors alike.

The project identified geographic alignment as a common barrier to collaboration and then aligned on a project scope that delivers multiple quantifiable benefits. That alignment, first geographically and then in scope, is often the hurdle that prevents collaboration. But, through BIER, we were able to overcome that. For me, it represents what’s possible when industry competitors come together because of a shared ambition to create positive action in the places where we operate.

One of PepsiCo’s franchise bottlers is supporting this initiative. The ability to identify shared challenges and facilitate alignment toward a collective initiative demonstrates BIER’s unique value in creating scalable sustainability solutions.

Share a recent accomplishment of your company’s sustainability initiatives/achievements you are most proud of and why.

I’m incredibly proud of our watershed health program, especially our first initiative, which was launched in India. It’s a unique and innovative approach to project implementation focused on agricultural landscapes, working with non-PepsiCo growers – something new for us. It required internal education and a shift in perspective, recognizing that even when we’re doing all we can within our own supply chain, the broader watershed still presents an opportunity to engage in collaborative action. This was a step into the unknown, and it was grounded in trust and innovation.

With our implementing partner, we created a circular water model that captures, treats, and reuses water within the village, aiming for water security at the community level. We also engaged local farmers to improve irrigation efficiency and introduce new practices. These changes resulted in 80 million liters of water recharged and increased income for those farmers. What made this even more meaningful was that adoption didn’t stop there.

These farms also served as demonstration farms, showcasing the new practices for others to learn from. One of the most exciting outcomes is how this project has inspired independent adoption of these practices beyond our initial scope. Notably, farmers are taking ownership of these practices because they’ve seen them work on these demonstration farms. That kind of peer-to-peer learning is incredibly powerful; it creates agency. It’s an example of ripple-effect impact, driving holistic change in watershed health, agricultural livelihoods, and community resilience.

Additionally, we’ve successfully leveraged local financing, including government and community support. In year two, we’re expanding the project to include agricultural enterprise creation, such as nurseries and vermicomposting. This helps the benefits of this program continue to ripple through families and communities, creating more opportunities alongside environmental resilience. This initiative has not only been a learning opportunity but a true source of pride. 

If you had one superpower that could be used to radically accelerate and scale sustainable best practices, which one would it be, and how would you use it? 

My superpower would be the ability not only to see the future, but to show others the future. I would use it to galvanize engagement, shorten timelines to collective action, and scale initiatives more effectively.

It would provide clarity on which solutions and activities deliver the most impact at the landscape level, and where globally those efforts should be prioritized. This would help determine scale, location, and timing, ensuring maximum impact.

Ultimately, this power would bring stakeholders together with clarity and confidence that their efforts are driving change, up front, rather than waiting years to see results. That kind of clarity, the ability to know your actions are truly making a difference, is what every sustainability practitioner hopes for. 

The LG x ShowerUp Program started from a simple yet powerful idea: outfit a truck with laundry services, mobile showers, and toiletries to provide critical relief to unhoused populations in Huntsville, Alabama, where LG has been leading corporate citizen since the 1970s.

By joining forces with respected non-profit ShowerUp, LG Electronics USA has helped provide unhoused populations in Huntsville and now also in Nashville, Tennessee, with safe space to escape extreme weather or a place to freshen up and wash their clothes before school or a job interview. To date, the program has provided more than 10,000 wash cycles and 80,000 showers to individuals in need.

This program is a success not only for the lives it touches daily, but for the broader message it sends – that systemic challenges like housing insecurity can be met with strategic, compassionate, and lasting solutions when businesses and communities work together. For this reason, the LG x ShowerUp Program is expanding further in November (National Homelessness Awareness Month) to Wichita, Kansas.

“We understand the power access to shower or clean clothes can have – the confidence and sense of wellbeing it can create. The assistance from LG helps open doors to housing and job opportunities for the unhoused population, in addition to the overall positive impact it can make on the surrounding community,” says ShowerUP CEO Paul Schmitz.

From a corporate volunteer perspective, LG employees have also donated their time and technical expertise onsite during the truck’s deployment. Ultimately, the partnership has deepened LG’s local relationships and bolstered our standing as a community-first organization, according to LG Electronics USA’s Corporate Marketing Director Jeannie Lee.

“At LG, we are proud of the role we play, alongside a cast of public and private partners, in creating a Better Life for All,” she says. “Through our three strategic impact pillars – mental & physical health, environmental health, and community health – we take an integrated approach to health and wellbeing built on the belief that we can help people move toward a healthier, happier place.”

Learn about how you can get involved at https://showerup.org/

Originally published by TriplePundit

By Andrew Kaminsky

Around a billion tires are discarded globally each year. The world depends on tires for mobility, but without recovery and recycling programs, they can create major waste management problems. Their size and non-biodegradability means tires take up a lot of space in landfills, and if they’re illegally dumped, they can disrupt ecosystems, become a breeding ground for mosquitoes or even pose a fire hazard.

Given the environmental and public health implications, jurisdictions around the world have put laws on the books to incentivize tire recovery and recycling.

Among those legislative models is extended producer responsibility, or EPR, which requires producers to manage tire recovery and recycling. EPR laws have been around for decades in European countries and provinces across Canada, and the lessons learned along the way create a roadmap others can follow to ensure transparency and proper management that keeps tires out of the environment.

From the Wild West to best-in-class: Ontario’s lesson in traceability

Ontario, Canada’s largest province by population, first established EPR for tires back in 2018. The early days were a bit like the Wild West, recalls Steve Meldrum, CEO of eTracks, a not-for-profit established to help tire producers meet the needs of the new EPR laws.

Verified tire collection was not a strict requirement, leading to a glut of what Meldrum dubs “ghost tires.” Service providers could inflate tire recovery loads — and thus their paychecks — by driving over the same scale multiple times, and the collection depots that accept those loads often recorded exaggerated figures.

But it didn’t take long for Ontario leaders to spot the problem and introduce a stricter system requiring each individual producer and auto dealer to be responsible for the tires they bring into the province. Producers became responsible for recycling the tires they sold into the market a few years later at the end of their life.

This level of value chain scrutiny requires a complete tracking system that can definitively say where tires have been collected, the verified weights delivered to recycling depots, and the weight of recycled material sold onward for use in its next life.

That’s why eTracks developed the eSustainable Recovery Platform (eSRP). Rolled out in 2022, the tire tracking platform includes geotagging of every transaction, photos of tire pick-up and drop-off, and artificial intelligence capabilities that flag any weight discrepancies or inconsistencies with photographs.

“Ontario’s regulations are about as detailed as any regulation on the planet, so we figured if we build it for that, we can always turn things off for people who don’t need all the functions,” Meldrum says.

Dusting off the ledger book for the future of tire traceability

With a network of over 6,000 tire collection sites (dealerships, repair shops, transfer stations, etc.) in Ontario, eTracks can collect and trace tires across the province, which spans an area 1.5 times the size of Texas.

Haulers pick up the tires from collection sites, with QR code enabled documentation, and bring them to recycling depots. There, the hauler and recycling processor both electronically document the drop-off. The processor documents the amount of usable material retrieved after processing and inputs where the processed material has been sold as raw material for new products.

Though the industry hasn’t developed the ability to make a new tire from a scrap tire, popular end markets for tires include molded rubber products like athletic mats, sports flooring, flatbed truck liners, rubber-modified asphalt and artificial turf infill.

eTracks now tracks and traces about 13 million tires per year using the eSRP system. Producers that need to meet Ontario’s EPR requirements pay a fee to eTracks to manage the whole process, providing an auditable account of tire recovery, transportation, processing and onward sale of tire “crumbs.”

It’s a long way from the mostly paper record-keeping typical of the early days of EPR in the province. Tire stakeholders from mom-and-pop auto shops to small recyclers often used little more than ledgers, clipboards and dusty filing cabinets to keep tabs on tire transactions.

While some still try to meet EPR requirements this way, Meldrum says it simply doesn’t make sense for large companies with thousands of tons of tire recycling obligations to try to manage their systems on paper or in a spreadsheet.

“Paper management is untraceable, unauditable and really expensive,” Meldrum explains. “What do you do if you lose a clipboard that represents 20,000 tires? It’s just time consuming and completely unreliable.”

With the eTracks system, tires are tracked every step of the way. “We can take a rubber mat sold at Home Depot and more or less trace it back to where the used tires that made the product were collected,” Meldrum says.

EPR for tires takes hold in the United States

Building on success in Ontario, eTracks is now expanding its services into other Canadian provinces and gaining momentum in the United States.

Though eTracks’ platform can be used in jurisdictions that don’t have EPR, growing interest in EPR legislation among U.S. states could help pave the way for broader use. Connecticut passed the first U.S. tire EPR law in 2023, and Virginia and Vermont followed shortly after.

Conservationists, state lawmakers and local waste management authorities are welcoming the change. “For too long, the burden of unwanted tires not managed by the retail system, including illegally dumped tires, has fallen on local governments,” said Jennifer Heaton-Jones, executive director of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority serving western Connecticut, in a statement. “We now look forward to the support and partnership with manufacturers who will share the responsibility of end-of-life management of all scrap tires.”

Featured image credit: Pablo Merchán Montes/Unsplash

Read more from this series

About This Content

This content was created in partnership with eTracks. TriplePundit maintains editorial independence and works with partners to create valuable content that aligns with our mission of solution-oriented journalism.

Medtronic, a global leader in healthcare technology, today announced the Medtronic Spark Scholarship, a program to remove financial barriers for talented students pursuing health tech and related careers.

The scholarship is a core part of Medtronic Spark, a global 10-year initiative to propel 1 million students from low-income households into health tech careers. By 2030, the global shortfall of health workers is predicted to reach 11 million.

Scholarship recipients are eligible for financial support to meet education expenses — renewable for up to four years — and career-building experiences, which may include Medtronic mentorship, coaching, and networking support. There is also an opportunity for additional funding for unexpected episodic hardships during the scholarship period.

A survey conducted by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found that over half of current, former, and prospective students (53%) cited financial aid or scholarships as important factors in their decision to continue or enroll in a postsecondary program.

Additionally, a global study of 700,000+ respondents by the World Economic Forum found that young people’s highest priority is obtaining the education, skills and competencies to allow them to enter the workforce and build successful careers.

“This global program is designed to inspire the next generation of health tech leaders. By helping bridge financial barriers and providing ongoing support, it enables talented students to thrive. From their first day of college to launching their careers, this program aims to open doors and empower students on their path to a brighter future in health tech,” said Sally Saba, president of Medtronic Foundation.

Medtronic will award up to 100 new scholarships each year to students residing in 70+ eligible countries. Applications close on Jan. 30, 2026. Visit iie.org/medtronicsparkscholarship to learn more.

About Medtronic
Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Galway, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people across more than 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic, visit www.Medtronic.com and follow on LinkedIn.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic’s periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Contacts:

Jane Di Leo
Public Relations
jane.e.dileo@medtronic.com

Ryan Weispfenning
Investor Relations
+1-763-505-4626