FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2014
SANOFI TEAMS UP WITH MY ECO FOR GROUNDBREAKING EARTH DAY RESOLUTION: TIME TO MAKE A LIFESTYLE CHANGE.
JOIN REUSE GROUP NOW.
New App Available in iTunes. No More Excuses.
Easy and Fun Way to Shop with Reusable Bags
(Montclair, NJ) DID YOU REMEMBER YOUR REUSABLE BAG TODAY? WHY NOT?? Americans use 100 billion plastic bags per year – enough to blanket the earth several times. It’s time to change the way we shop. It’s time to remember reusable bags.
Millions of consumers have purchased reusable bags but less than 3% are reusing them. Why not? MY ECO has eliminated the excuses by providing technology to help you remember to bring your bags. The EPA considers reuse more important than recycling, since reuse uses no additional energy or natural resources.
Earth Day reminds us how critical it is to protect our planet everyday. Sanofi and MY ECO’s collective mission is to bring reuse to the forefront of consumer behavior 365 days a year. Sanofi North American employees have an opportunity to break the disposable habit and keep approximately 20 million single use plastic bags out of the waste stream.
Sanofi and MY ECO are trailblazing REAL CHANGE one reuse at a time. Empowering employees to join a Reuse Group, Sanofi has partnered with MY ECO to tap into new tools and technology to increase reuse, by making it easy and fun and with measurable results. Sanofi was looking for an employee engagement opportunity for their locations in North America with an environmental focus. As part of the program, Sanofi is offering prizes to reward employee reuse goals.
“I wanted a new initiative that our employees across the nation, including our parent company and affiliates could get excited about, but also highlight our focus on environmental sustainability beyond Earth Day. MY ECO offers a unique program that has easy access, a competitive spirit, and an activity that makes you feel good. The MY ECO Reuse Program combines all the attributes that we look for in bringing employees together,” says Morgan Harriman, Recycling & Environmental Stewardship, Genzyme, a Sanofi Company.
MY ECO founder Kristen Brown has a personal connection to the cause. Her father, Gordon Dancy, patented one of the first versions of the plastic grocery bag. His invention helped coin the iconic question “Paper or plastic?”, which changed consumer behavior and revolutionized the grocery bag industry. Thirty years later, we are once again in need of behavior change at the supermarket. We now know that both paper and plastic disposable bags harm the environment. The average household uses 1,000 disposable bags per year. Clearly, it is time to make a change.
The MY ECO Reuse App offers a simple registration process to get started. First, download the app to your iPhone or Android smartphone. After creating an account, Sanofi employees can join a Reuse Group that enables eco-minded shoppers to work together, encourage each other, and share the satisfaction in making a difference with reusable bags. With technology rooted in behavioral science, the smartphone app combines guilt-free reminders, team camaraderie, and the excitement of immediate results – all in the palm of your hand.
The MY ECO Reuse App sends a calendar alert on your designated shopping day to remind you to bring your reusable bags. The App uses geo-tracking technology to notify you when you get to the store to be sure you remember to bring your reusable bags inside. Upon check-out, simply key in your total dollars spent shopping (or scan the MY ECO QR code at Partner Retailers) to enter your results.
With the exclusive MY ECO Scorecard, users can measure and celebrate personal reuse success in real time. The Scorecard keeps a running tab of the quantity of bags you’ve saved from landfills, calculating your personal total and the totals of those within your community against your set reuse goals. The Scorecard also tracks your reuse alongside other eco-responsible individuals in different Reuse Groups so you can see the power of collective action.
The MY ECO Shopping Bag Sets were created to make using reusable bags easy, efficient and fun. For more information go to: www.getmyeco.com to buy your reusable bag NOW and JOIN the movement.
ABOUT SANOFI:
Sanofi is a global healthcare leader focused on patients’ needs engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of innovative therapeutic solutions. Sanofi has core strengths in healthcare, with 7 growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and rare diseases.
ABOUT MY ECO:
MY ECO is a sustainability business that uses technology to measure and influence consumer reuse behavior. The MY ECO approach helps consumers break the disposable-bag habit through positive reinforcement, social engagement and financial incentives; and by creating a collaborative relationship between consumers and retailers to benefit non-profit organizations. MY ECO was founded in 2010 by Kristen Brown, a former U.S. EPA consultant and the daughter of Gordon Dancy, who developed one of the first high-density plastic grocery bags. MY ECO strives to abate the 100 billion disposable bags used in the U.S. every year.
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