Ad Council and Keep America Beautiful Announce Partnership with FreshDirect to Coincide with America Recycles Day, Nov. 15

STAMFORD, Conn., Nov. 13, 2013 /3BL Media/ – The Ad Council and Keep America Beautiful are partnering with popular online grocer, FreshDirect, to feature messaging from their national I Want to Be Recycled public service advertising (PSA) campaign on all FreshDirect delivery boxes. The collaboration, announced in advance of America Recycles Day (Nov. 15), is a part of ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the benefits of recycling and encourage recycling to become a daily social norm.

Beginning this week and continuing year-round, the new FreshDirect cardboard delivery boxes featuring messaging from the PSA campaign will be delivered throughout the greater New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware metro areas, as well as the greater Philadelphia, Penn., area. The boxes include the line, “I want to be a cereal box. Recycle Me.” They also direct customers to visit IWantToBeRecycled.org, where they can access a localized search tool to find curbside locations or recycling centers in their area and receive more information on how and what to recycle.

“Research shows that people identify the simple act of recycling as their most visible contribution to a better environment,” said Brenda Pulley, senior vice president, recycling, Keep America Beautiful. “Through our partnership with Fresh Direct, we will increase our reach to encourage people to recycle more often.”

“FreshDirect’s delivery boxes are an ideal placement for our campaign messages, allowing us to encourage customers to imagine the future possibilities of the packaging, at the same moment they make the decision to recycle it,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “FreshDirect’s support will go a long way in continuing our efforts with Keep America Beautiful to create a more sustainable environment.”

First launched nationwide in July 2013, the I Want to be Recycled campaign was developed by the creators of the iconic anti-littering campaign featuring the Crying Indian. Created pro bono by San Francisco-based ad agency Pereira & O’Dell, the campaign shows how recyclable materials can be given another life and become something new if someone chooses to recycle. Television, radio, outdoor and digital media PSAs are supported by a comprehensive public relations and social media program on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube.

“Helping to reduce our carbon footprint and create awareness around recycling is extremely important to all of us at FreshDirect, and we couldn’t be happier to be teaming up with Keep America Beautiful to help recycle our way to a healthier planet,” said Jason Ackerman, CEO of FreshDirect. “We have made a number of strides to be a sustainably-minded company, and including the Keep America Beautiful recycling campaign on our boxes is one more step in the right direction.”

The partnership is the most recent step in FreshDirect’s ongoing environmental efforts. FreshDirect boxes are 100 percent recyclable and made with more than 85 percent post-consumer waste. The packaging is certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) program, and carry the SFI label acknowledging that the boxes use fiber only from responsible and legal sources. Other sustainability tactics include offering customers $2 off delivery fees if they choose a “green” delivery time slot, resulting in fewer truck delivery trips and a smaller environmental footprint. Additionally, FreshDirect has pledged to convert to a 100 percent green transportation fleet over the next five years.

America Recycles Day, which is a national program from Keep America Beautiful, is the only nationally-recognized day of action dedicated to increasing recycling in the United States. To participate in America Recycles Day, there are a number of actions consumers can take, including:

• Take the “I Recycle” pledge today at americarecyclesday.org and state what you pledge to recycle more. Ten people who make the pledge will win a park bench made from recycled content.
• Make your “I Recycle” pledge go even further through the America Recycles Day Thunderclap, which will post a synchronized message of support on the Facebook or Twitter accounts of all our supporters at the exact same time on America Recycles Day. All it takes is one click!
• Visit IWantToBeRecycled.org to find the nearest recycling center to you, and learn the facts about what materials can be recycled and what they can become in their new lives.

FreshDirect
FreshDirect is a leading online grocer in the U.S., delivering premium quality fresh-from-the-farm foods and brand-name groceries to customers in the greater New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware metro areas and greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. With a more than 2,500-member workforce that is still growing, FreshDirect places an emphasis on nutritious, delicious meals and convenient services that allow customers more time to live healthy lives. FreshDirect aspires to be a valued corporate partner in all communities in which it serves. For more information, visit www.freshdirect.com. Follow FreshDirect on Twitter: @freshdirect and on Facebook: facebook.com/FreshDirect.

Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations including state recycling organizations, we work with millions of volunteers to take action in their communities. Keep America Beautiful offers solutions that create clean, beautiful public places, reduce waste and increase recycling, generate positive impact on local economies and inspire generations of environmental stewards. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. For more information, visit kab.org and follow @kabtweet on Twitter.

The Ad Council
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has affected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit Adcouncil.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or view our PSAs on YouTube.