In 2021, Live Thrive launched the CHaRM Corporate Challenge, an initiative that encourages corporations and their employees to recycle more in the weeks leading up to Earth Day. During its five-year run, the program has resulted in 554,890 pounds of materials collected. Now Live Thrive is ready to do even more to inspire corporations and their employees to take more sustainable actions.

Beginning this year, the CHaRM Corporate Challenge will extend across six months – from Nov. 1, 2025 to April 24, 2026, celebrating America Recycles Day on Nov. 15 and Earth Day on April 22 along the way. During that period, employees from participating companies can bring their materials to either CHaRM location (Atlanta or DeKalb) to have them recycled, reused, or reengineered and counted toward their company’s total weight and attendance.

But dropping off items like plastic, mattresses, electronics and Styrofoam at a CHaRM facility is only one piece of the program.

As part of the CHaRM Corporate Challenge, Live Thrive will host lunch and learn events on-site (or virtually if requested) with participating company offices and facilities. All companies will receive an informational packet to share with employees providing details about the array of materials collected at Live Thrive’s CHaRM facilities, what happens to those materials after they are dropped off, tips for recycling and more.

The expanded initiative puts the focus where Live Thrive wants it – on education. Each month, new topics will be shared with participants, allowing them to deepen their understanding of sustainability in a way that can benefit their lives and extend to the people they interact with outside of work too.

CHaRM Corporate Challenge monthly educational topics may include composting, food waste and cooking grease; types of plastic;  the importance of safely disposing of paint and chemicals; or how recycling impacts the local circular economy.

“We started the CHaRM Corporate Challenge to reach more people and encourage them to recycle beyond single-stream efforts – that’s what you take to the curb,” said Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe, Live Thrive executive director and founder. “Now, we want to help those individuals take charge of their environmental impact by providing the knowledge that will enable them to make better, more sustainable decisions not just on Earth Day  but every day.”

The 2025 CHaRM Corporate Challenge welcomed more than 450 employees from the  participating companies — Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, Cox Enterprises Inc, Delta Air Lines, EY, Interface, Monarch Private Capital, Novelis, Oldcastle Infrastructure, Printpack and The Home Depot Foundation.

Live Thrive is currently accepting sign-ups and inquiries from corporations and companies with metro Atlanta headquarters or offices. More information is available at https://livethrive.org/charm-corporate-challenge/.