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Stories About Plastics

Found 644 stories. Page 29 of 33.

Report: The Future of Plastics Can (and Should) Be Circular
Report: The Future of Plastics Can (and Should) Be Circular

THE NEXT ECONOMY - Plastic packaging is not only an environmental problem, it is economically wasteful, too. Most plastic packaging is only used once, leading to 95 percent of the value of plastic packaging – worth $80-120 billion annually – being tossed and lost to the economy.

Coming to a Marina Near You: The Seabin Ocean Trash Collector
Coming to a Marina Near You: The Seabin Ocean Trash Collector

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - The ocean may be “big,” and “blue,” but it is also, unfortunately, full of garbage. It has been estimated that there are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world’s oceans and 10,000 times more in the deep sea. Plastic and fibers have been found in a quarter of fish sold in markets in the US and Indonesia. Abandoned fishing gear often still traps and kills fish and sea mammals.

COP21: adidas, Parley Unveil Latest Innovation, Call on Industry to Collaborate on Sustainable Solutions
COP21: adidas, Parley Unveil Latest Innovation, Call on Industry to Collaborate on Sustainable Solutions

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Today, at the “Parley Talks” at COP21, adidas and Parley for the Oceans showcased their latest footwear concept, the 3D-printed Ocean Plastic shoe midsole, to demonstrate how the industry can rethink design and contribute to stop ocean plastic pollution.

Waste, Bioplastics and Edible Packaging Solutions Shine as Carlsberg Green Ideas Finalists
Waste, Bioplastics and Edible Packaging Solutions Shine as Carlsberg Green Ideas Finalists

CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - In September and October, Carlsberg Group accepted submissions for its "Cheers to Green Ideas" competition, hosted in partnership with think tank Sustainia. The competition asked people and organizations from around the world to submit their ideas about how to make Carlsberg more sustainable.

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Adidas Kicks Microbeads to the Curb
Adidas Kicks Microbeads to the Curb

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Athletics brand adidas will end the use of microbeads in its body care products by January 1, 2016. With the help of its license partner Coty, adidas has outpaced body care industry giants in eliminating the plastic beads from their products.

The Plastic Bank: How 'Social Plastic' Is Giving Value to Waste, Improving Lives Around the World
The Plastic Bank: How 'Social Plastic' Is Giving Value to Waste, Improving Lives Around the World

WASTE NOT - At SB ’14 San Diego, the Plastic Disclosure Project, the UN Environment Program and Trucost unveiled the fist-ever assessment of plastic use in business, along with the business case for dealing with its global impacts: Among the sobering figures, the report calculated the total natural capital cost of pl

Trending: UK Grocers Turning Waste into Packaging
Trending: UK Grocers Turning Waste into Packaging

CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - British grocery chains Tesco and Waitrose have added a new facet to their waste-mitigation efforts by launching upcycled packaging.Beginning this month, Tesco shoppers could get their groceries in recycled plastic bags made from back-of-store waste plastic, such as pallet and multi-pack wrapping. Recycling firm Eurokey is collecting and sorting Tesco’s plastic waste, and plastics recycler Papier-Mettier is processing it and turning it into single-use carrier bags.

7 Reasons Why Recycling Is Not a Waste: A Response to 'The Reign of Recycling'
7 Reasons Why Recycling Is Not a Waste: A Response to 'The Reign of Recycling'

WASTE NOT - Recycling in the United States is an economically unsustainable trend — or at least that’s what New York Times writer John Tierney recently argued in his opinion piece, “The Reign of Recycling," published in the October 4th Sunday Review.

Loliware’s Edible Drinkware Attracts $600K Deal on ‘Shark Tank’
Loliware’s Edible Drinkware Attracts $600K Deal on ‘Shark Tank’

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Frustrated by the amount of disposable packaging discarded at events and the amount of time it takes for disposable cups (including biobased plastics) to degrade, Chelsea Briganti and Leigh Ann Tucker created a “biodegredible” – biodegradable and edible – cup. Last week, the women pitched their startup, Loliware, on the ABC show “Shark Tank” and secured a $600,000 deal for 25 percent of their company.

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Ocean Conservancy Plan Could Cut Ocean Plastic Waste 45% by 2025, 100% by 2035
Ocean Conservancy Plan Could Cut Ocean Plastic Waste 45% by 2025, 100% by 2035

WASTE NOT - Ocean Conservancy on Wednesday released a report that proposes a four-point solution to cutting ocean plastic waste by 45 percent by 2025 with the ultimate goal of eradicating the issue by 2035. Stemming the Tide: Land-based strategies for a plastic-free ocean is a first-of-its-kind, solutions-oriented report in partnership with the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment that outlines specific, land-based solutions for plastic waste in the ocean, starting with the elimination of plastic waste leakage in five priority countries: China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.

Plastic, Other Man-Made Fibers Found in a Quarter of Fish Sold at Markets
Plastic, Other Man-Made Fibers Found in a Quarter of Fish Sold at Markets

WASTE NOT - Researchers found that roughly a quarter of the fish sampled from fish markets in California and Indonesia contained man-made plastic or fibrous material in their guts. The new study is from the University of California, Davis and Hasanuddin University in Indonesia and was published on Thursday.

Why a Circular Economy Is Key to Sustainable Development (and Why Business Must Lead the Way)
Why a Circular Economy Is Key to Sustainable Development (and Why Business Must Lead the Way)

THE NEXT ECONOMY - This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post, "What's Working: Sustainable Development Goals," in conjunction with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The proposed set of goals will be the subject of discussion at the UN General Assembly meeting on Sept. 25-27, 2015 in New York; they cover 17 key areas of development — including poverty, hunger, health, education, and gender equality, among many others.

Keurig’s K-Cups Inch Closer to Being 100% Recyclable
Keurig’s K-Cups Inch Closer to Being 100% Recyclable

CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Keurig Green Mountain Inc. is making progress towards its goal of making all K-Cups recyclable by 2020. Following successful recycling research trials, the company has unveiled plans to transition the entire product line to polypropylene, according to Plastics News.

World's first top mount with polyurethane bearing and polyamide housing
World's first top mount with polyurethane bearing and polyamide housing

PRESS RELEASE - BASF is now expanding its expertise in top mounts to enable car manufacturers an optimum combination of weight savings, pleasant acoustics and vibration damping. The unique NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) solution is made possible by combining two of BASF's plastic specialties: the micro-cellular polyurethane elastomer Cellasto® and the highly glass-fiber reinforced polyamide Ultramid® A3WG10 CR. The top mount with the Cellasto® element and the Ultramid® housing is around 25 percent lighter than conventional aluminum die-cast versions with rubber. It was developed and optimized for serial production using BASF's simulation tool Ultrasim®.Combination of polyurethane and polyamide

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Can't Give Up the Bottle? Try Boxed Water
Can't Give Up the Bottle? Try Boxed Water

CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Plastic bottles are some of the worst offenders in packaging waste, but sales of bottled water continue to grow: U.S. bottled water volume apparently rose 7 percent last year.

Trending: New Use for Coffee Grounds, 'Uber for Trash' Among Latest Innovations in Waste Reduction
Trending: New Use for Coffee Grounds, 'Uber for Trash' Among Latest Innovations in Waste Reduction

WASTE NOT - You might already be using them in your garden or they might be fueling your commute — but now you can use them in your 3D printer: Coffee grounds seem to be wasted less and less by the day, thanks to waste-to-energy and upcycling efforts across the globe.

Trending: Biobased Microbeads, Flexible Foams Could Offer Renewable Materials for Hundreds of Products
Trending: Biobased Microbeads, Flexible Foams Could Offer Renewable Materials for Hundreds of Products

CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - TerraVerdae BioWorks, an industrial biotechnology company developing advanced bioplastics and environmentally sustainable biomaterials, announced Monday that it has successfully achieved key milestones for the commercial production for its line of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based biomaterials. These include 10,000-liter production runs of its line of biodegradable, natural microspheres for use in personal care and cosmetic products.

Bureo's Upcycled Sunglasses Campaign Funded Within Hours of Launch
Bureo's Upcycled Sunglasses Campaign Funded Within Hours of Launch

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - We have been following Chile-based startup Bureo from its launch in late 2013 to its first incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign last year. Now the company, which got its start upcycling plastic marine waste lining Chile’s waters and shores, has expanded its product range to sunglasses.

Could Genetically Modified Algae Replace Petroleum in Plastic?
Could Genetically Modified Algae Replace Petroleum in Plastic?

CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Conventional plastic — found just about everywhere you can think of and in many places you wouldn’t — is made from ethylene, a cheap hydrocarbon made using petroleum and natural gas – through a process that emits more carbon dioxide than any other chemical process. At the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), researchers have been experimenting with ways to make ethylene production less toxic to the environment, and are apparently finding success with the help of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, according to ClimateWire.

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This Bio-Knit Shoe Will Be as Easy to Recycle as Plastic Bottles
This Bio-Knit Shoe Will Be as Easy to Recycle as Plastic Bottles

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - A new shoe based on textile biomimicry promises easy recycling and soft, robust textures with a single heat-treated material and 3D printers.Designer Amno Liao from the Royal College of Art in London has created the Bio-Knit shoe, which is knitted on a 3-D knitting machine and then treated to harden its various parts. Heat is used to change the stiffness of the threads, so a semi-rigid heel and sock-like textures are produced from the same material. Creating a shoe without composites, as most footwear contains, will dramatically reduce recycling costs.

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