Brief history of the Terra Cycle
Terra Cycle is a small business in the United States. Its headquarters are in New Jersey. Terra Cycle was started in 2001 by its chief executive officer Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer. The first idea was to take part in a business plan contest and later the idea was transformed into an investment.
This business specialises in the manufacture of products from unused or used consumer materials that is, their raw materials are either used or unused products that have already been manufactured. This enterprise leading idea is to reusing waste materials that otherwise were hard to recycle previously (Croston, 2009).
Introduction
This study aims at looking at the Terra Cycle investment and how its founders seized the opportunity of drastically changing the notion that garbage is unusable and from this they found the company that has evolved into being a mogul of recycling and up-cycling waste products that at one point may have been perceived as impossible.
The study will have to identify the organisation culture in place and how it has been applied to ensure that this company is ran effectively and efficiently consequently making it iconic in its area of operation in the globe.
Terra Cycle acquisition of new ideas
The company on its initiation was prompted by the opportunity of making fertiliser from organic substances by having worms do the processing. However, in the process of operation, the company had to change by incorporating new ideas so that the business would grow and remain relevant in the business world.
The company had realised that the opportunities brought about by environmental and fiscal factors affecting the companies operation were forcing the business to expand its trash collection capacities and the number of products that were being manufactured was massive.
The founders had realised that the initial basis that they had established the business was just by the tiny fraction of possibility that the business was being presented with (Chapter 9 change and innovation).
Terra Cycle corporate culture
Terra Cycle employs team work from all its employees. This is vivid from the culture that has been employed in the company. The company has employed a culture that is deemed to depict relaxation of all the employees.
The corporate management holds that when employees are left to be themselves without the presence of hard bureaucratic systems, they are able to work while more relaxed. This makes them capable of working for longer hours and under strenuous conditions. This is culture is evident from the art cultural design of the corporate office design. For instance, in one of the offices is a mini golf that is surrounded by graphics, up-cycled tables among other artist works.
The organisation does not possess any dressing code for all its employees as long along it is purported to be appropriate. All things are meant to enhance employees’ easiness at work. They are supposed to be comfortable and serene in their work and this should motivate them to be more productive, effective and efficient (No Name: Chapter 9 change and innovation).
In order that the company can promote and encourage team spirit in its employees the organisation has creatively incorporated young, creative and energetic employees as its driving force in the market. It has promoted social interaction of its employees and the society by organising social cohesion activities such as a weekly rocking event and monthly parties for its employees. This is meant to boast the employees trust in their employer and their ability to deal with the challenges that are faced by the organisation Clow & Baack, 2011).
The life cycle of terra products
Terra Cycle runs its waste collection and recycling in over ten countries in the world. The recycling process involves the identification of the non-recyclable post and pre-consumer waste products from the usage of products. It is after the identification of the raw materials that the next step of collection and sorting is embarked on. The materials are collected and the recycling process henceforth begins. The waste materials are processed into new products that are of economic value (Finkbeiner, 2011).
Conclusion
It is evident that the Terra Cycle cycling programme is noble and it has helped in the eradication of waste materials in the globe by coming up with genius ways of solving this societal menace. It is eminent with the tremendous growth and work of the Terra Cycle Company that has been heartedly endorsed by the public.
The execution of its mandate have been met with such eager as more and more corporate are emerging with Terra Cycle by offering its products a chance to sell alongside other established product and as a result opening more opportunities for the company to expand its market borders. It should however be noted that despite the creativity that has been initiated by Terra recyclers, it does not go without blemish.
It has been noted that the remuneration of the persons who take the agony of collecting, cleaning and grading the recycling materials do not get absolute compensatory of their time and dedication. Another drawback is some of the major companies have up-cycling facilities in their mother company and this denies companies such as Terra Cycle the chance to recycle the voluminous waste products they generated.
References
Clow, K., E. & Baack, D. (2011). Cases in Marketing Management. New York: Sage.
Croston, G. (2009). Starting green: an ecopreneur’s toolkit for starting a green business from business plan to profits. Entrepreneur Press.
Finkbeiner, M.(2011). Towards Life Cycle Sustainability Management. Springer.
No Name (2011).Chapter 9 Change and Innovation @ Terra Cycle Web.