The Following Content Has Been Provided by:Roger Simmermaker

When you find products used by consumers and businesses that support American jobs and are also environmentally friendly, that is definitely something to look into. At www.terravive.com, you’ll learn about an impressive American-owned company that has accomplished both.

I have personally experienced and evaluated many Terravive products, including their cutlery, takeout containers, bags, straws, and deli containers, as well as cups, lids, and straws. And I can tell you that from my experience, that if you have a Terravive product, you have one that is high quality, American-made, and great for the environment.

Terravive has 16 manufacturing locations in the United States that support three large distribution centers in North Carolina, Texas, and California. The company supports approximately 1,000 workers, including both union and non-union staff.

The company is a woman-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned business.

You can find Terravive products in regional retail stores, but what’s even more interesting is that they can also be found in places we often don’t think about. These include restaurants, cafeterias, and food-service kiosks at various corporate headquarters, government buildings, universities, and sports stadiums, as well as cafeterias in big-box store headquarters like Target. They can also be found at Virginia Tech cafeterias, coffee stands, and kiosks.

I typically write about companies that are made available at the direct-to-consumer level. Still, I get feedback from my :”Buy American Mention of the Week” articles from business owners, too. It is a potential big win for the Buy American movement if we can get not just consumers, but also businesses and governments, on board with buying American-made products. Terravive has successfully expanded its reach beyond standard retail, and American manufacturing is in a better position today because of it.

Terravive products perform just like the typical plastic ones you’re probably used to, but they break down in any environment (rivers, seawater, lakes, waterways, oceans, landfills, industrial composters, and even your backyard) in less than six months. Compare that to traditional plastic products, which can take years or even decades to break down. With Terravive, there is no environmental contamination, no harm to marine life, and there are no unwanted chemicals.

Since Terravive products are 100% manufactured in the United States, it is not affected by import tariffs and avoids uncertainty and unpredictability through secure supply chains, stable pricing, and rapid responses to its customers and end-users. The folks at Terravive can quickly react and ramp up production with their manufacturing capacity.

All raw materials used by Terravive are produced, grown, and sourced in the USA. The conversion and manufacturing of that raw material into finished products is also done in the USA. From a high-level sustainability perspective, Terravive produces zero carbon emissions in international freight.

A 2022 Forbes article detailed how China decided to quit accepting exports of American (and European) recyclables. Even when they were, a lot of it was routinely dumped in the country’s poor provinces or the ocean anyway.

Last year, America sent over 35,000 tons of plastic to Malaysia for recycling, according to a nonprofit organization that analyzes plastic waste issues. But last week, according to a New York Times article, Malaysia said “no more.”

These would be non-issues if we used American-made, biodegradable products like those produced by Terravive. Then we wouldn’t be needlessly exporting our trash for recycling across one ocean or another.

So if you are a business owner, or someone who makes decisions within your business for the types of products offered by Terravive, here is your chance to pivot away from harmful imports and do what’s best for the economy, our workers, and our surrounding environment.

Terravive has made it possible to be business-focused, eco-focused, and U.S. manufacturing-focused, all at the same time. Regardless of which of these is your primary motivation (or perhaps all three), what Terravive is doing is definitely something America needs, both now and in the future.