TerraCycle CEO receives book award

The Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2019), written by Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of Trenton, New Jersey-based TerraCycle, received an Outstanding Book of the Year gold medal and the “Most Likely to Save the Planet” award from the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

According to a news release from TerraCycle, Szaky’s fourth book is designed to be a primer on packaging design for the circular economy. It integrates perspectives from the author and 15 innovators in sustainability—including government leaders, corporate risk takers and international waste management experts—to create a guide that can help everyone from a small startup to a large corporation move toward a future of innovation and growth with less waste.

Topics in the book include the evolution of plastic and recommendations and “watch-outs” for producing and consuming in the circular economy. For instance, biodegradable and bio-based plastics may not be as “green” or sustainable as marketed, black plastics are typically nonrecyclable, and though lighter in weight, packaging such as pouches and cartons take a heavy toll on the planet. TerraCycle reports that the topics discussed in the book designed to empower champions for change and a more sustainable future.

The 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards was the 23rd iteration of the annual contest originally launched in 1996. Since then, the “IPPY” Awards have increased the recognition of deserving yet frequently overlooked works produced by independent authors and publishers. As the first and only awards contest that exclusively invites independents to compete, more than 5,000 “IPPYs” have been awarded to authors and publishers worldwide. 

“I am honored and humbled to accept the IPPY from The Independent Publisher Book Awards,” Szaky says. “It was a privilege to co-author this book with the best minds in the global packaging movement and it’s nice to see not only recognition for our efforts, but also raised awareness for the global waste crisis in general.”