Canadian Retailer - Fall 2015 - 20

partner message cALL2recYcLe cAnAdA inc.

go green

Back to school with new technology and new attitudes
this back-to-school season, millions of students are

heading to the classroom carrying new mobile devices
containing batteries-all of which can be recycled. It is
the perfect time of year to educate young people about
proper recycling to protect the environment.
According to The 2015 Canadian Smartphone Market Catalyst study, 68 per cent of Canadians own a
smartphone. And a survey of more than 5,400 Canadian kids in grades 4 through 11 by MediaSmarts
shows that nearly 90 per cent of the oldest students
said they had their own cellphone, while a quarter of
nine- and 10-year-old students had their own device.
As technology advances and new equipment is released, our youth will replace their old gadgets with
new ones causing exponential growth in the number
of devices in the marketplace. If kids in the fourth
grade have personal mobile devices now, think about
how many they will have used and disposed of by the
time they are old enough to drive. How about the number they will use during the course of their lifetime?

what will happen to all those old devices?

Delphine Lagourgue, Regional Director, Call2Recycle, presents
the Sustainability Award to Leigh Pearson, Director of Facilities,
Environment and Procurement, Staples Canada.

It's more important than ever to educate younger generations
about how to properly recycle rechargeable batteries found in
mobile devices. These products should not end up in landfills,
where reusable materials are wasted and could potentially harm
the environment.
Through Call2Recycle Canada, Inc., a battery product stewardship organization, retailers are able to offer a convenient, no-cost
option for recycling rechargeable batteries and cellphones. Students can also drop off their single-use batteries from products
such as alarm clocks, calculators, games and remote controls.
Staples Canada has launched its own Battery Recycling Program with Call2Recycle to help divert waste and toxins from
landfill. Read more about the program at www.call2recycle.ca/
staples. Since partnering with Call2Recycle® in 2007 to collect
and recycle batteries (rechargeable and alkaline), Staples has
grown its battery and cellphone recycling program to more than
300 stores. Collecting 129,887 kg, the retailer has surpassed its
goal of collecting 100,000 kg of batteries in 2014.
"We've made a lot of progress and achieved many of our sustainability goals," said Pete Gibel, senior vice president of merchandising at Staples Canada and chair of the Staples Canada
Environmental Committee. "We continue to challenge our customers and ourselves to have a positive impact on the environment. We are very pleased to have been awarded the Leader in
Sustainability Award from Call2Recycle in 2014."
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canadian retailer | FALL 2015

Once deposited in the collection box, these
batteries and cellphones are transported to an
approved processing facility where the battery
components are broken down into raw material, from which they are reborn into useful new
products such as new batteries and stainless
steel products like golf clubs and silverware.
"Over the years, we've seen significant increases in the number of cellphones, tablets
and other mobile devices in the hands of our
youth," said Joe Zenobio, executive director
of Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. "Teaching them
how to safely and properly recycle their old rechargeable batteries is great for the environment. We are thankful to our partners such
as Staples for working with us to achieve sustainability objectives."
To find out more about Call2Recycle and the
programs that it can help retailers develop, visit
www.call2recycle.ca or call 1-888-224-9764
to find a battery recycling location near you.

http://www.call2recycle.org http://www.call2recycle.ca/ http://www.call2recycle.ca

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Fall 2015