APRIL 2024ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS REVIEW8 OPINIONIN MYWALKING THE SUSTAINABILITY WALK: THE CASE FOR EPRBy Brian King, EVP Marketing, Product Management and Sustainability, Advanced Drainage Systems A number of experiences over the last year have me thinking even more than normal about how businesses that produce goods need to be thinking about those goods' next lives, a concept known as circularity. And I'm not the only one thinking about this. Last year, trade shows across the country included panels on recycling, sustainability and circularity -- the idea that everything that gets created should have a second life, a third and so on. I was honored to serve on several of those, and I left inspired by the ideas my colleagues shared and the focus the industry is placing on circularity. Our company, Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS), is a leading manufacturer of storm water and onsite septic wastewater management products and solutions for commercial, residential, infrastructure and agricultural applications. At our core, though, we are in the water business: Our products protect and manage water, which we like to say is the world's most precious resource. Protecting water also means thinking critically about how sustainability in manufacturing should influence our business practices. Throughout the year, on panels and in internal discussions about creating more sustainable products, a few key points became apparent: 1) We need to increase access to and awareness of recycling. That includes educating consumers about what can and cannot be recycled and increasing the amount of `used' material available to be recycled. The need is there; the system is not keeping up.Brian King
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