Sustainability project - NEED HELP!

I am in the process of gathering information on certain material recycling possibilities that deal directly with the products the company I work for designs. I want to present a very informed solution to material waste, but I need your help in finding this info. Can any of you with experience in the following throw me a bone?

  • Dealing with Carbon credits - obtaining and selling
  • Recycling leather - where and who
  • Recycling steel - where and who
  • Recycling fabrics - where and who
  • Pitching green initiatives to management.
  • Customer-returned waste initiatives (like car batteries for example)

I have done some investigation into the matter, but I thought I might find some great stuff by tapping the collective mind here at Core. This is a personal endeavor that came out of the self doubt that many designers here have expressed from contributing to landfills. Hopefully I can come closer to closing the loop on the product life cycle at my work, I just need to be able to sell it too. Thanks!

no one has tried to ‘greenify’ design at their current job?

You don’t say where your company is based - therefore there’s no point in recommending recycling places if they are half a world away and transporting the materials there would cost more in fuel and resulting carbon footprint than the gains in recycling.

The majority of materials mentioned are easily recycled, you’re not dealing with plastics, so a simple internet search to find local recycling initiatives will solve half your problems. (also where recycling is concerned - local is always better)

The steel -depends on the grade and composition, but again a local forge will be able to help. generally the closer the better. - who supplies the stuff to you and would they take it back for reprocessing? That way they could deliver new and take away old, saving fuel.

With the leather my advice would be to come up with a complimentary product to your current business and turn the used leather into that - or find a local furniture manufacturer etc who’s happy to take it off your hands - again you don’t mention volumes - always handy when trying to calculate the viability of a recycling initiative.

Pitching green initiatives to management…prove it will increase their revenue/save money and become a marketing point (if not a usp) gaining increased loyalty from existing customers and winning you new ones. That’s the only way they’ll listen.