Fortune - USA (2021-10 & 2021-11)

Each year, consum-
ers and corpora-
tions use about
300 million tons
of plastic, most of
which ends up in
landfills. Gemini,
which special-
izes in sourcing
and distributing
recycled goods, is
working on fishing
more plastic out of
landfills. In 2020, it
began partnering
with scrap dealers
in India, providing
them with equip-
ment and training
to help them safely
separate recy-
clables from trash.
The project proved
profitable within
three months of in-
ception, and Gem-
ini says its teams
have recycled more
than 4,000 tons of
plastic waste from
sites within about
30 miles of India’s
coast, reducing
plastic leakage into
the oceans.

Oceangoing ships

rely on particularly

dirty fuels—which

makes Maersk,

the world’s largest

container-shipping

company, a key

player in the race to

net zero. By 2024,

Maersk will launch

eight ships that rely

in part on biofuels,

putting them on

track for carbon

neutrality. Maersk

is also advising 200

of its customers,

including high-

volume shippers

like Amazon and

Levi Strauss, on re-

ducing their carbon

footprints.

Providing COVID

testing to enable

workplaces to

reopen has been a

logistical headache

for businesses, es-

pecially small ones.

In January, con-

sultancy Genpact

launched a Rapid

Action Consortium

to help companies

in Canada set up

testing regimes and

pool resources to

keep costs down.

Genpact expanded

the approach to the

U.S. in April; it has

helped more than

500 employers

administer some

650,000 tests.

As consumers grow

more concerned

about the sustain-

ability of fashion,

“re-commerce”

vendors that sell

vintage clothing

have proliferated.

ThredUp, one of the

biggest, works with

retailers like Gap,

Abercrombie &

Fitch, and Walmart

to involve them in

the secondhand

market, as sellers

or gatherers of

used apparel. The

result: Recycled

clothes reach the

market faster and

gain wider accep-

tance.

NO. 44

Gemini Corp.
Salvaging plastic
from the landfill
wasteland.
ANTWERP,
BELGIUM

NO. 46

Maersk

Seeking a green

route for cargo

shipping.

COPENHAGEN,

DENMARK

NO. 45

Genpact

Helping business

solve the COVID-

test conundrum.

NEW YORK CITY

NO. 47

ThredUp

Curbing clothing

waste with a

vintage approach.

OAKLAND

When COVID-19

sparked demand

for better air filtra-

tion, Carrier was

poised to help.

Healthy-building

tech is a central

focus for the HVAC-

systems maker.

Among the prod-

ucts it introduced:

Portable equipment

designed to con-

tain and remove

air potentially con-

taminated by viral

particles—giving

health care provid-

ers the means to

turn any space

into an infectious

disease isolation

room.

NO. 49

Carrier

Clearing the air

amid pandemic

anxiety.

PALM BEACH

GARDENS, FLA.

From 2005 to

2020, the cosmet-

ics giant reduced

CO 2 emissions

in its factories

and distribution

centers by 81%,

with the help of

on-site solar panels

and better energy

efficiency. L’Oréal

is now setting a far

higher bar: It says

that by 2025, it will

produce only reus-

able, recyclable, or

compostable plas-

tic packaging—and

that by then, far

sooner than most

companies have

pledged, it will be

carbon neutral.

NO. 48

L’Oréal

Stripping CO 2 out

of the cosmetics

supply chain.

CLICHY, FRANCE

TRASH TO TREASURE

Scrap dealers use a baling

machine to package plastic

for resale and recycling.

COURTESY OF GEMINI CORP