2 years ago - Plastic credits are poised to generate the momentum necessary to launch a circular plastic economy and give brands the opportunity to act. In order for brands to take action, they will need to follow these four priorities …
3 years ago - Unilever UK solves the problem of rejection of black plastic; while Berkeley Lab’s new circular plastic can be recycled again and again into new materials of any color, shape or form.
4 years ago - Hidden killers caused by food production are making healthy eating impossible for people around the world, according to a new report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
4 years ago - The global plastics value chain has banded together to advance solutions to plastic waste in the environment.
4 years ago - Businesses and manufacturers will pay the full cost of recycling or disposing of their packaging waste, under a major new government strategy unveiled late last month by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
4 years ago - This week, more momentum on the anti-plastic front: Unilever will develop a crowdsourced, plastic-free laundry solution to combat single-use sachets; while Stora Enso and Sulapac are developing renewable drinking straws. Unilever to invest €100K in crowdsourced alternative to plastic packaging CPG giant Unilever has announced that it will invest €100,000 in a new, plastic-free laundry tablet — a crowdsourced innovation that has the potential to replace single-use sachets of laundry powder, a popular format for laundry detergents in the developing world that is problematic in terms of plastic waste.
4 years ago - NOTE: This article was updated on October 30, 2018 at 11:45am ET. A Global Commitment to eradicate plastic waste and pollution at the source has been signed by 250 organisations including many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs. For some signatories, the Global Commitment is just one facet of their plan to overhaul their approach to plastic. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), in collaboration with UN Environment, and was officially unveiled at the Our Ocean Conference in Bali today.
4 years ago - This week, building on news that HP, Inc and IKEA joined a global consortium working to develop the first global network of ocean-bound plastics supply chains, the public and private sector made further strides on creating a circular economy for packaging around the world.
4 years ago - Building on their individual efforts and those under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF)’s New Plastics Economy initiative, dozens of businesses have made their commitment to the new UK Plastics Pact.
4 years ago - Food waste is the single largest waste stream lost to disposal and is the leading cause of methane emissions from landfills. While many communities have successfully implemented curbside organics collection, the non-residential sector loses more than 70 percent of food waste to disposal, according to the Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO).
5 years ago - The construction industry is the world’s largest consumer of raw materials, and after they’re built, buildings can use a substantial amount of energy to keep us comfortable. Reducing the environmental impacts of buildings – particularly through their materials and energy intensity – has become a priority for startups and large companies alike.
5 years ago - The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative has published a statement calling for a ban on oxo-degradable plastic packaging, as evidence emerges linking the material to the mounting microplastics problem.
5 years ago - Veolia North America and the Wharton School’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) have released a report detailing the demonstrated success and future potential for public-private partnerships (P3s) to provide sustainable solutions for the nation’s infrastructure needs.
5 years ago - A coalition of businesses, international organizations and NGOs have banded together to put an end to the social and environmental impacts driving the growing trade in batteries for smartphones, gadgets, electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems. Launched at the World Economic Forum Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2017, the Global Battery Alliance aims to create a responsible value chain for the battery market powering the technology and clean energy revolution.
5 years ago - Ahead of Climate Week NYC 2017, which runs from September 18–24, a surge of global companies announced their commitment to the Science Based Targets Initiative, driving the number of businesses committed to setting science-based emissions reductions targets upwards of 300. This year, more than 90 new companies have joined, demonstrating the private sector's commitment to aligning its efforts to tackle climate change with the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius.
5 years ago - The unveiling of new research across industries has revealed that existing tools and collaborative research could hold the key to driving forward the shift to a more circular economy.
5 years ago - The problem of marine plastics continues to be a top priority across the globe, spurring even more businesses and organizations to dig in their heels and find create new solutions to the growing issue. Continuing its efforts to keep plastics out of the ocean, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has teamed up with The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit to launch a $2 million New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize.
5 years ago - World-leading chemical company, BASF today announced its membership of the Circular Economy 100 (CE100). As the latest corporate member of the programme, BASF embarks on a three-year partnership to bring about opportunities for a circular economy within new business models and new solutions. BASF 'creates chemistry for a viable future'. In combining economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, it enables its customers and its entire value chain to meet the current and future needs of society. Through science and innovation, BASF investigates techniques for decreasing material use while keeping function and durability at its highest utility.
6 years ago - In an effort to further reduce its carbon footprint, Southern Water is turning to sewage to boost renewables generation. At present, the water and sewage company generates 17 percent of its electricity demand from 16 combined heat and power (CPH) sites, with total renewable electricity generation currently totaling 48.3GWh. With new Veolia combined heat and power (CPH) engines installed at its treatment facilities in Hampshire and Kent, Southern Water will be well equipped to expand its renewables portfolio.
6 years ago - Due to their functional properties and low cost, plastics have become an integral part of our global economy and have seen their production increase twenty-fold over the past half-century. Despite their indisputable benefits, plastics have significant economic and environmental drawbacks. By 2050, it is estimated there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. These negative impacts are sources of concern for business and government, who are recognizing the need to rethink the global plastic system.