WASTE NOT -
These days — especially in sustainability circles — it seems impossible to avoid hearing about the massive problem that is plastic pollution, and what we can do to address it. In the past two weeks alone, there have been announcements from public, non-profit and private organizations alike, such as the European Commission, City of Vancouver, Zero Waste Scotland, and Hilton. It’s great to see, but before we declare that we’re “winning the war” on plastic waste, we need to take it one battle at a time.
WASTE NOT -
Like many large companies, Hilton has been steadily improving its sustainability performance one step at a time.
PRESS RELEASE -
Philadelphia, PA – May 29, 2018 – Braskem (BM&FBOVESPA: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK), the largest thermoplastic polyolefins producer in the Americas and the leading producer of biopolymers in the world, and Scotts Canada, Canada’s leading marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden as well as hydroponic growing products, today announced the launch of the new Scotts® Turf Builder® with Root-Trients™ product packaging that utilizes Braskem’s I’m green™ polyethylene (PE) biopolymer. Scotts and Braskem partnered with Peel Plastic Products Ltd. (“Peel Plastics”), to develop this new, more sustainable packaging.
PRESS RELEASE -
As part of our commitment to create a better, more environmentally sustainable world, we’ve set a goal to achieve “zero waste” at 100 AT&T facilities – including our AT&T* Global Headquarters in Dallas – by the end of 2020. Our program will start this year and will include strategies to reduce waste and increase recycling and composting, with a goal of diverting 90% or more of our waste from landfills.¹
WASTE NOT -
Awareness of our plastic waste problem continues to grow, prompting campaigns and corporate action around the world.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Ahead of Earth Day last month, over one million people took to social media urging corporations to "break free" from single-use plastics. And from the fashion to the auto industry – and everywhere in between – innovations are taking root to increase our use of sustainable materials. To continue the momentum created by Earth Day, this year’s World Environment Day (June 5) is also focused on plastic pollution.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) has launched a new industry collaborative to build on the vision outlined in its New Textiles Economy report.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
A new digital platform aims to make sustainable business decisions easier for the fashion industry. By matching actors along the supply chain and providing data-driven, solutions-focused information, Common Objective (CO) hopes to improve the day-to-day practices of textiles and clothing companies around the world.
COLLABORATION -
Collaborative efforts are advancing sustainability in the beauty industry.
FIrst, supported by contributions from major brands and retailers, Forum for the Future and The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) have produced a draft assessment tool for evaluating the sustainability of beauty and personal care products, with the goal of simplifying and aligning the wide array of product assessment criteria in use today.
LEADERSHIP -
As we at Sustainable Brands — and anyone working to rectify the damage people have done to the planet — are well aware, it's all too easy to ignore pressing social and environmental issues if their effects can’t be seen or felt in our daily lives.
After a life-altering excursion across three continents, SoulBuffalo CEO and founder Dave Ford was determined to find a way to change this, by taking those just as responsible for causing as solving many of these issues — global corporate decision-makers — out into the wild to experience the effects of their business decisions with their own senses.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The Welsh Government and City to Sea, a group campaigning against single-use plastics, are collaborating on the development of campaigns to encourage refills and change residents’ behavior to make tap water their first choice for hydration.
While the campaigns will help people ‘see the value of water,’ the government has also announced an additional £15 million of capital funding to further improve Local Authority recycling collection systems and infrastructure, including for plastics.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
As the amount of single-use plastic in the world's oceans continues to grow, National Geographic is announcing a new, global commitment to tackle this pressing problem. On Wednesday, the media giant launched Planet or Plastic?, a multiyear initiative aimed at raising awareness of this challenge and reducing the amount of single-use plastic that enters the world's oceans.
PRESS RELEASE -
Neutrox, a brand specializing in hair moisturization, believes that good things in life, such as practicing outdoor sports or being in touch with nature, deserve to be valued more and more. Proof of this is the fact that the brand is one of the sponsors of women's surfing, which depends directly on nature, becoming increasingly aware and concerned about sustainability and preservation of the environment.
Therefore, the brand has decided to renew its packaging, beginning to produce them with Braskem's I'm GreenT Green Plastic, the first polyethylene from renewable origin to be produced on an industrial scale in the world.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Three new goals to enhance the circular economy for plastics and reduce packaging waste have been announced by leading U.S. plastic producers including BASF, Dow, DuPont and Braskem.
WASTE NOT -
The US food industry uses roughly 30 billion disposable gloves per year. Estimates vary but between 45-75 percent of these are vinyl (PVC) disposable gloves. There are many scientific studies analyzing the effects of various health and food safety aspects of vinyl — including the dangers of plasticizers such as phthalates and the emission of dioxin at incineration or landfill, as well as at manufacture.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
People of all ages are more aware of their impact on the planet’s limited resources and ecosystem health than ever before. Packaging is of particular concern, prompting this year’s Earth Day theme: end plastic pollution.
“I’d like more people to take care of the Earth,” said Yasmine, a 7th grader in the Garden Club at Montgomery Middle School in San Diego, CA. Fellow club member Daisy, also in 7th grade, agrees. “People can use more reusable bags instead of plastic,” Daisy added. “We have lots of reusable bags at home. When we do get plastic bags, we reuse them.”
WASTE NOT -
On April 21st, at the Palace Cinema in Raffles City, Changning, Shanghai, I attended the premiere of the first of a three-part documentary series, “Jackie Chan’s Green Heroes” — a joint project by the action movie star, National Geographic Partners LLC and Buick — which captures stories of sustainability innovators to inspire and educate the public.
WALKING THE TALK -
Last year saw unprecedented natural disasters across the globe – from wildfires in California to record-breaking hurricanes in the U.S. Gulf Coast, eastern seaboard, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. At the same time, scientists warn that the risks posed by climate change are even more dire than predicted and will lead to even bigger impacts on heat and extreme weather. Combined, this has led to a spike in environmental consciousness, not only for the American people, but for businesses across the globe.