The EKOCYCLE Brand Takes Sustainable Living and Recycling to the
Next Level; Anchor Partners Include Beats by Dr. Dre® and New Era®
Global musical artist and producer will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company
are collaborating with other iconic brands to inspire a global movement
with the launch of EKOCYCLE™ – a stand-alone brand initiative
dedicated to helping encourage recycling behavior and sustainability
among consumers through aspirational, yet attainable lifestyle products
made in part from recycled material.
Global musical artist and producer will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company are collaborating with other iconic brands to inspire a global movement with the launch of EKOCYCLE™.a stand-alone brand initiative dedicated to helping encourage recycling behavior and sustainability among consumers through aspirational, yet attainable lifestyle products made in part from recycled material --- L to R: will.i.am and Bea Perez, Chief Sustainability Officer, The Coca-Cola Company. (Photo: Business Wire)
The EKOCYCLE brand initiative was developed to educate consumers about
everyday recycling choices and empower their purchasing decisions as
part of a social change movement. The initiative supports recycling by
helping consumers recognize that items they consider waste today may be
a part of a lifestyle product they can use tomorrow. With a dedication
to supporting a more sustainable environment, the EKOCYCLE brand
initiative will identify products such as assorted plastic bottles and
aluminum cans that can be repurposed into recycled content for
fashionable and valuable lifestyle products. It will also encourage
demand and use of recycled materials, and reinforce the importance of
recycling finished products.
“With the EKOCYCLE brand, I’m on a mission to educate and inspire
consumers around the globe to seek out more sustainable lifestyle
choices that will ultimately play a part in the movement toward a world
with zero waste,” said global musical artist and producer, will.i.am.
“By making products that contain recycled materials more attractive to
both businesses and consumers, everyone can do their part to keep the
cycle going to turn discarded waste into cool, new items. The Coca-Cola
Company shares this vision and together working with local communities
worldwide we will showcase the greater value of recycling, as well as
selecting products that feature recycled materials.”
Beats by Dr. Dre® and New Era® are the first brand partners to join the
EKOCYCLE brand initiative in its mission to inspire and educate
individuals and communities to live a more sustainable lifestyle. As a
part of the partnership, these collaborative efforts will produce
on-trend products made partially from recycled materials. Additional
EKOCYCLE brand collaborations will be announced later this year.
“The EKOCYCLE brand initiative is a platform that aligns with our vision
of zero waste and our focus on sustainability,” said Bea Perez, vice
president and chief sustainability officer, The Coca-Cola Company.
“Together with will.i.am, we will promote recycling in a unique way with
other well-known brands to create lifestyle products that consumers
worldwide desire. Today’s generation of young consumers represents an
active force and the EKOCYCLE brand aims to be a driver in rallying
their support and efforts around a global sustainability movement.”
The Coca-Cola Company will donate its portion of licensing profits from
the EKOCYCLE brand initiative to support additional recycling and
community improvement organizations.
The Coca-Cola Company will make a minimum $1 million financial
commitment over the next five years. This donation is in addition to,
and separate from, the charitable commitments of 1 percent of operating
profits made through The Coca-Cola Foundation.
Earth911®, host of the largest recycling directory in the U.S. with more
than 1.5 million ways to recycle, will provide an interactive and
searchable recycling directory for consumers accessible at EKOCYCLE.com.
“Recycling is one of the easiest sustainable actions consumers can take,
but without real-time access to local options, people are often left
confused and frustrated,” said Raquel Fagan, vice president of media for
Earth911. “The EKOCYCLE brand initiative takes a forward-thinking
approach and demonstrates how companies can play a role in eliminating
this confusion and empowering consumers.”
On August 1, the EKOCYCLE brand will premiere its first :60 television
commercial that will air in the U.S. market during the telecast of the
Summer Olympic Games. A full-scale marketing, advertising and online
campaign will follow.
Consumers can purchase Beats by Dr. Dre® headphones beginning fall of
2012. Other EKOCYCLE products, including New Era® hats, will be
available early 2013.
To learn more about the EKOCYCLE brand initiative visit EKOCYCLE.com.
Note to Editors:
Visuals and footage of EKOCYCLE products and will.i.am can be viewed
at:
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/dynamic/press_center/2012/07/ekocycle.html
About will.i.am
A multi-faceted entertainer, creative innovator and philanthropist,
will.i.am is best known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas, who have
sold 31 million albums and 58 million singles worldwide. will.i.am
recently released two songs from his upcoming solo cd, #willpower on
Interscope Records. The first two singles from the cd released in 2012
are: “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever),” featuring Mick Jagger and Jennifer
Lopez, and number one hit song in the UK, “This is Love” featuring Eva
Simons. As a producer, will.i.am has also worked with some of the music
industry’s biggest names including Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Usher,
Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, David Guetta, and film composer Hans
Zimmer. Recognized and honored by numerous industry organizations,
will.i.am is the recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, a Latin Grammy
Award, an Emmy Award, two NAACP Image Awards, the BMI President’s Award
and a 2008 Webby Award. will.i.am's i.am angel foundation (www.iamangelfoundation.org)
supports young people through programs focused on education,
after-school tutoring and activities that build STEM (science,
technology, engineering, math) and financial literacy skills.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The
Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage
company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still
brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's
portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta,
Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply,
Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling
beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through
the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than
200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a
day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities,
our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental
footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work
environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of
the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners,
we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than
700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com
or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo.
About Beats by Dr. Dre®
Established in 2008 as the brainchild of legendary artist and producer
Dr. Dre and Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records Jimmy Iovine,
Beats Electronics is the parent company of the Beats by Dr. Dre®
line of high-quality headphones, BeatsAudio™ HD-sound systems, and the
MOG digital music service. The company’s mission is to build quality
music experiences for all elements of the digital music
ecosystem—including headphones, devices and services—so that fans can
hear music the way artists intended it to sound in the studio. This
includes partnerships with computer manufacturer HP, automotive
manufacturer Chrysler Group and mobile phone manufacturer HTC Mobile.
Led by CEO Jimmy lovine and President & COO Luke Wood, Beats Electronics
is based in Santa Monica, CA. For more information, please visit http://beatsbydre.com.
About New Era®
New Era is an international lifestyle brand with an authentic sports
heritage that dates back over 90 years. The brand is best known for
being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the
official cap for the National Football League. New Era is the brand of
choice not only for its headwear collections, but also for its
accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is
worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the
most interesting people around the globe. New Era encourages people to
“FLY YOUR OWN FLAG®” - to truly express their personal style and
individuality through its products. The Company is headquartered in
Buffalo, N.Y. and operates facilities in Canada, Europe, Brazil, Japan
and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.neweracap.com.
About Earth911®
Earth911 gathers, distributes and analyzes localized recycling
information to assist manufacturers, organizations and consumers with
product end-of-life solutions. Working to increase the recycling and
disposal of consumer goods since 1991, Earth911’s services enhance and
support companies’ responsible waste initiatives. The Earth911 Recycling
Directory is the largest and most accurate in the nation, with more than
1.5 million ways to recycle more than 300 types of materials. Follow
@Earth911 and like Earth911 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/earth911,
or visit earth911.com
to learn more.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50361121〈en
