Two years ago, I walked into upper management’s office, with all the courage I had, and asked if I could run with a crazy idea. I found an online community called the United States Materials Marketplace that helps companies identify opportunities to minimize waste. The initiative would require less than five minutes a day, if that.
After presenting my idea, he replied with the best sentence I’ve heard in my life, “As long as you do not fall behind with your other tasks, of course, you can.” I mean, how could you say “no” to a sustainability initiative proposed by someone named April Greene? That name is full of environmental goodness.
Now, as a member of the Materials Marketplace, Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations is able to share more than just electronics recycling expertise, suggesting creative solutions for a variety of waste products around the world. Each day I receive emails from other members asking for advice on what to do with a specific material or unused consumable item from their processes. Working together, we’re able to come up with creative solutions to reuse or recover these items. These connections also expand across industries, allowing sustainability professionals to share innovative practices for a greener tomorrow.
For Dynamic, the benefits of the Materials Marketplace have reached far beyond what I originally envisioned. Just one of the partnerships we’ve developed is on track to save over $25,000 per year – on one single consumable item. This connection all started with a simple email from one passionate sustainability professional to another, asking, “What type of glass are you looking for?”
The Materials Marketplace supports Dynamic’s mission and sustainability initiatives by helping me find items that deserve a second life, or that often have some of their first life left in them. At Dynamic, sustainability isn’t just something we do; it’s who we are. It leads to efficiency, social accountability, profit, resources, stewardship, and teamwork.
And all it took was five minutes.
April Greene is the environmental, health, and safety specialist and sustainability committee chairperson at Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations.
