The Green Impact Report Quick take: Quick take: Caroline Vanderlip reveals how to tackle the trillion-unit packaging waste crisis by making reuse as convenient as disposal—and why the built environment holds the key to scaling circular economy solutions.
Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion
Caroline Vanderlip is a high-energy senior executive who pivoted from building digital media empires (including launching CNBC) to revolutionizing the circular economy.
Four years ago, she discovered the burgeoning concept of moving the world away from single-use toward reuse—and it came to define her life’s work as founder of Re:Dish.
With a background spanning journalism at Stanford, media innovation at NBC, and EdTech ventures, Caroline combines strategic vision with operational expertise to make reuse an everyday reality for corporate clients like Barclays Bank.
Breaking Ground on Better Building
In this episode, Caroline revolutionizes traditional waste management approaches:
Key Insight #1: The Built Environment is the Reuse Bottleneck
The Challenge: Buildings lack space and infrastructure for dish rooms needed to make reuse feasible at $150+ per square foot
The Solution: Outsource reuse operations just like laundry and linens—centralized washing, sanitizing, and tracking systems
ROI: Eliminates the need for expensive in-building dishwashing infrastructure while enabling massive waste diversion levels
Key Insight #2: Closed Environments Beat Consumer Behavior Change
The Challenge: “Open-loop” consumer reuse programs struggle with adoption and logistics
The Solution: Target “closed environments” like corporate cafeterias, K-12 schools, and campuses where you can influence groups collectively
ROI: Complete system transformation—Barclays switched all single-use cups and containers to reusables across NYC, New Jersey, and Delaware locations
Key Insight #3: Data-Driven Sustainability Sells to Decision Makers
The Challenge: Companies need concrete metrics to justify sustainability investments and track progress
The Solution: Lifecycle assessments on every product plus real-time tracking of waste diversion, carbon savings, and water conservation
ROI: Clients receive comprehensive data showing exactly how much carbon wasn’t emitted and how much water was saved through their reuse program
Sustainable Soundbite
Your Green Building Action Plan
Transform your next project with these steps:
This Week: Audit your building’s single-use packaging consumption in cafeterias, break rooms, and meeting spaces
This Quarter: Calculate the potential waste diversion and carbon savings (and hauler cost savings!) from switching to a reusable system
This Year: Pilot a closed-loop reuse program in one building to demonstrate ROI and scalability for your portfolio
Connect & Learn More
- 🔗 Connect with Caroline Vanderlip: LinkedIn
- 🗒️ Read the transcript: Full Episode Transcript
- 📚 Recommended reading: Richard Nixon: A Life, by John Farrell
- 🌿 Learn about Re:Dish’s reuse solutions: Re:Dish
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