PRESS RELEASE -
HEINEKEN today announced its 'Drop the C' programme for renewable energy. With 'Drop the C' the company aims to grow its share of renewable thermal energy and electricity in production from the current level of 14% to 70% by 2030. HEINEKEN wants to drive a real change towards renewable energy and will therefore not purchase unbundled certificates to meet its reduction targets. In addition, new emission goals will be set for distribution and cooling and, for the first time, also for packaging. The brewer commits to set science based targets for these areas in the next two years.
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As increasing emphasis is being placed on circularity, the concept of planned obsolescence is being called into question. While it has long been criticized by consumers, brands and governments are finally beginning to recognize that the short-term strategy has no place in the low-carbon economy — and are taking action to promote transparency and resource efficiency.
PRESS RELEASE -
General Motors is taking its composting program – one of its most successful examples of circular economy – to a whole new level at its global headquarters located in the Renaissance Center (GMRENCEN) in Detroit.
What started as a compost collection program with select restaurants at the RENCEN has now expanded to include participation from all floors and occupants of the complex. Through this expansion, the automaker hopes to reduce its environmental impact and contribute to the city’s revitalization.
PRESS RELEASE -
Today, Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water, the world's leading bottled water brand, is announcing the introduction of a 700-mL bottle made from 100 percent food grade recycled plastic*, known as rPET. The new package is available starting this month on retail store shelves in North America.
“Nestlé Waters North America is the original bottled water company in the U.S., and environmental sustainability is an integral part of our company’s purpose and heritage,” said Antonio Sciuto, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Nestlé Waters North America. “This new bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic for our namesake brand is the latest way we’re satisfying consumer demand for healthy hydration on-the-go and inspiring consumers to recycle.”
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Heineken has unveiled a new sustainability strategy that will see the brewer increase renewable energy production, set science-based targets across distribution, cooling and packaging, and pilot an internal carbon pricing scheme.
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The closed-loop conversation is often one that focuses on e-waste, fashion and single-use plastics, but LEGO Group and Antwerp-based design furniture brand ecoBirdy are aiming to change that by bringing the concept of circularity and sustainability to the toy front.
Supported by the EU’s program for the competitiveness of SMEs (COSME), ecoBirdy has launched its first collection of design furniture for kids made entirely from recycled plastic toys. The launch follows two years of research exploring how to sustainably recycle plastic toys.
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Resource scarcity and the rise of the circular economy are inspiring businesses, industry associations and governments to develop new ways to recover precious and critical raw materials (CRMs) from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The Urban Mine Platform, a database of valuable materials for “urban mining,” is the public and private sectors’ latest attempt to take on the challenge.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
At the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, WEF, the Forum of Young Global Leaders and Accenture revealed the winners of the 2018 Circulars. The awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made notable contributions to the circular economy.
The fourth annual awards ceremony showcased advances from the private and public sectors that drive innovation and growth while reducing dependence on scarce natural resources.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), whose members include REI, Iron Mountain, Patagonia, The North Face and Timberland, is producing a new film series that shares the stories of outdo
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Beverage giants Coca-Cola and Evian and global packaging company Amcor have announced new efforts that will fundamentally reshape their approaches to packaging. By 2030, Coca-Cola says it will collect and recycle 100 percent of its packaging; Evian has pledged to produce all of its plastic bottles from 100 percent rPET by 2025; and all of Amcor’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable by 2025.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Today, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), with the support of Wendy Schmidt, lead philanthropic partner of the foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative, awarded a total of $1 million to five new recyclable and compostable packaging solutions that are helping stop plastics from becoming waste.
COLLABORATION -
The circular economy continues to gain steam as key players in the sustainability sphere join forces to unlock new opportunities to create positive impacts.
First, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) have partnered to drive momentum towards a circular economy.
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Circular design principles continue to infiltrate the fashion industry as fast fashion giants and emerging labels alike turn their attention to sustainable activewear.
Despite recent criticism over its decision to send its discarded clothing to Swedish incinerators, H&M continues to stride forward on its mission to accelerate the circular fashion movement.
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For decades, China has been an open door for foreign waste, importing recycled material from around the world to help feed its manufacturing boom. In 2016, the country imported 7.3 million metric tonnes of waste plastics from developed countries. However, this is all about to change. Last year, the country notified the World Trade Organization of its intention to ban the import of 24 types of solid waste material by the end of 2017 — including unsorted paper and plastics.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The global apparel sector is becoming more open to a circular economy both on a technical and a business model level. The latter is of particular importance, as it implies a shift from ownership to use so that materials and apparel are provided as a service, not a product to be rapidly discarded. These new business models are fundamental for the systemic change of the sector and will result in better use of materials and support better working conditions.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Two years after adopting the Circular Economy Package, the European Commission, Parliament and Council have reached an agreement on waste-processing legislation to pave the way for a circular future for Europe. Agreements were reached on four legislative proposals addressing waste, packaging waste, landfill and electronic waste.
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Circularity is slowing making its way into the fashion industry, aiming to transform one of the most polluting sectors into a shining example of sustainability, but it still has a long way to go before it can truly shed its bad reputation. Technology has been an important driver of change, allowing brands to improve efficiencies and reduce impacts, but the sharing of resources and best practices is proving to be just as critical in nudging the industry forward towards a circular future.
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In today’s digitally dependent world, e-waste management is a critical issue that requires urgent attention from both the public and private sector.
PRESS RELEASE -
The vision for the circular economy is to decouple economic growth from the use of global resources. Naturally, circularity raises multiple questions for industry, including waste management, consumer behavior, corporate responsibility and decarbonization. The challenge is to move from a circular economy vision to a viable and sustainable business model. While circularity provides a framework to potentially reduce corporate environmental footprints, it takes sound measurement with a Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) methodology to guide companies to prioritize and analyze the effectiveness of their efforts. The prize? Purposeful business aligned with the limits of the planet.