Page 13 from: May 2008

N E W S For daily free global recycling news, visit

Basking in the catwalk spotlight of
a Tokyo fashion show alongside a Yen
5 million (US$ 48 000) sable coat from
Russia, a cape made from polyester is
being billed as ‘ecological’. The cape, a
bolero and several other creations of
Japanese designer Chie Imai use real
chinchilla and mink from fur farms but
the fabric is recycled polyester pro-
duced by Japanese plastics and phar-
maceutical specialist Teijin Ltd.
‘We have not compromised quality –

and tying in ecology with fur is such a
fascinating concept,’ Ms Imai told The
Associated Press. She is the latest
designer to use synthetic materials
with fur despite complaints from ani-
mal rights activists that the term ‘eco-
logical’ is a ploy to distract people from
the mistreatment of animals. The mink
bolero is selling for Yen 1.2 million
(US$ 12 000) while the chinchilla cape
has a Yen 8.4 million (US$ 84 000)
price tag.
Annually, Teijin produces some 7000
tonnes of recycled polyester from used
polyester clothing, according to com-
pany spokesman Yoshihito Usami. Old
clothing is fi rst broken down into frag-
ments as small as a grain of rice prior
to treatment with chemicals and heat
to remove colouring, buttons, zips and
other foreign objects to produce the
basic ingredient for polyester, dimethyl
terephthalate, or DMT, he explains. This
is then made into thread that gets
spun into polyester fabric. Most of Tei-
jin’s recycled fabric is used for work
clothes and uniforms rather than for
exclusive fashion garments.
www.royalchie.com

May 2008 013

The largest refuse haulier in
the USA is suing German software pro-
vider SAP, claiming the waste and recy-
cling software package it bought to be
‘a complete failure.’
Houston-based Waste Management is
alleging that SAP sold it revenue man-
agement software that was inadequate
and untested, and is accusing the pro-
vider of fraud and false representa-
tions. The company, which boasts more
than 22 million commercial and resi-
dential customers, is seeking to recover
more than US$ 100 million in expens-
es, plus unspecifi ed punitive damages.
According to the lawsuit, SAP claimed its
waste and recycling software was a
‘tested, proven, out-of-the-box solution’
that could be rapidly implemented with-
out the need for any customisation.
These representations were false, alleges
the court fi ling, because a ‘US version’ of
the software had never been tested at a

US company. Before 2005, it said, the
software had been licensed to ‘a limited
number’ of small European fi rms.
Despite SAP’s claims that the software
would save ‘hundreds of millions of dol-
lars in increased effi ciencies and revenue’,
it was ‘nothing more than beta software
– software still in development and utter-
ly incapable of running the operations of
an American waste and recycling com-
pany’, according to the lawsuit. Waste
Management is contending that SAP
presented ‘fake mock-up simulations’
although the demonstrations were repre-
sented to be the actual software.
SAP is the world’s largest business
software company with an Americas
division that employs more than 2000
people in Delaware County. As regards
the lawsuit, a spokesman has stated:
‘As a matter of policy, SAP does not
comment on litigation.’
www.wm.com

SAP sued over recycling
software

RecycleBank, the US Internet-
based rewards programme that moti-
vates households to recycle, says it has
secured US$ 30 million in Series B
funding from the following US venture
capital fi rms: Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfi eld
and Byers (KPCB); RRE Ventures; Sigma
Partners; and The Westly Group. The
funding will be used to expand opera-
tions in the USA, Europe and beyond
over the next 24 months.
KPCB and The Westly Group are new
investors in RecycleBank. The former
has been an early investor in more
than 300 information technology and
biotech fi rms over the last 30 years,
including Sun Microsystems, Google
and Amazon.com. Former US Vice Pres-
ident Al Gore recently joined the fi rm
as a partner. Trae Vassallo, also a part-
ner at KPCB, comments: ‘80% of all
garbage is recyclable, yet the average
residential recycling rate is less than

20%. By simply measuring the amount
of recycling and rewarding recyclers
with real value, RecycleBank has more
than doubled recycling rates in every
community that’s deployed the pro-
gramme to date. We’ve been searching
hard for companies that provide real
benefi ts to consumers through being
green and we were delighted to fi nd
RecycleBank.’
Steve Westly, Managing Partner of The
Westly Group, adds: ‘I truly believe that
while most people are focusing on bio-
fuels and solar, recycling is on the cut-
ting edge of clean technology – and
RecycleBank is the future of recycling.’
RRE Ventures and Sigma Parthers were
part of RecycleBank’s round of Series A
funding announced in May last year
which enabled the organisation to
expand quickly throughout the north-
east of the USA.
www.recyclebank.com

RecycleBank’s multi-
million expansion fund

Recycled polyester in
fashion

A model shows a cape of polyester sewn with
chinchilla that’s being billed as “ecological fur”.

A new look for Recyc
ling International

You have probably already
noticed that the layout o

f Recycling Interna-

tional is different. After ten
years, we decided that it wa

s time for a face-lift.

Not that the old design was
bad, far from that! But just

as a man sometimes

decides that it’s time to buy
a new car or, more frequent

ly, a woman decides

it’s time for some new shoe
s, we decided that our tenth

anniversary was a

good moment to give our
selves a

new look. Huge thanks mu
st go to

staff at Inpladi, our layou
t studio

based in Cuijck, the Net
herlands,

who have done a magnifi ce
nt job in

restyling the magazine. P
articular

credit must go to Charlot
te Haan

who devotes most of her
time to

Recycling International and
who is

largely responsible for t
he new

design.

Graphic designer Charlotte
Haan of Inpladi is largely

responsible for Recycling In
ternational’s new look.

RI_082_NEWS.indd 5 14-05-2008 16:24:26