Tom and Tony meet with David Greenberg at L'Oreal to discuss ways of expanding their partnership in collecting and recycling cosmetic waste. Business development with Japan has stalled, and Tom stresses the importance of creating a ...See moreTom and Tony meet with David Greenberg at L'Oreal to discuss ways of expanding their partnership in collecting and recycling cosmetic waste. Business development with Japan has stalled, and Tom stresses the importance of creating a successful case study with L'Oreal Japan to expand business throughout Asia. Tom tells Tony and Rick to pack their bags for a last minute trip to Japan. The team lands in Japan and meets with Eric, TerraCycle Japan's general manager, and Rick's Japanese R&D counterpart, Kana, to discuss a game plan for the L'Oreal Japan meeting. Eric and Kana explain the makeup culture of Japan, specifically "kawaii," a popular trend that emphasizes looking cute. While Tom sees the sights of Tokyo, Eric and Tony survey consumers about their cosmetic waste. Tony feels defeated after hearing that consumers rarely properly dispose of their old cosmetic products. Back at the hotel, Kana and Rick test various Japanese cosmetic packaging to identify their plastics. Results show a mixture of plastics, which poses a problem for processing. Eric and Tony de-stress at a bathhouse and discuss incentivizing consumers to recycle by offering free samples. Kana and Rick enlist Stephen's help in finding material processors in Japan. Back at the Japan office, Tony and Eric rummage through Kana's cosmetics bag for insight. They discover that makeup expires, and hope this will convince consumers to recycle their makeup. Rick visits plastic shops to research products that plastics can be turned into. Stephen and Kana successfully find a local processor while Tony works around the clock to finalize the presentation. The team presents their ideas for incentives and recycled "kawaii" products to L'Oreal Japan. The L'Oreal Japan execs are pleased with what this could mean for their brand value and want to move forward with the recycling initiative.
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