CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Sustainability is increasingly becoming an integral part of business practice, but consumers continue to hold the key to achieving long-term change — a concept that has been widely observed by consulting firms and multinational corporations alike. New data from online search behavioral specialist Hitwise reaffirms this and demonstrates how mainstream television can be used to inspire consumers into action.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
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.
PRESS RELEASE -
Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics and Keep America Beautiful announced they have awarded two $50,000 grants to organizations in Cobb County, Georgia (Keep Cobb Beautiful Inc.) and Boise, Idaho to establish the Hefty® EnergyBag™ program in their respective communities.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
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.
COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
Vestas 11th Hour Racing's team director Mark Towill and skipper Charlie Enright take on challenges the way most people layer cold cuts; one on top of the other. The duo and their team are
one of seven squads trying to win the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) a nine-month sailing slog, over 45,000 nautical miles, in all sorts of weather;
doing so while being the most sustainable team in the race, and
working to increase public awareness, concern and action on behalf of ocean health.
No problem, right?
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), up to 8 million tons of plastic waste are dumped into the world’s oceans annually. In 2016, The Dow Chemical Company announced a commitment to spend $2.8 million over the next two years to drive solutions that address global marine debris and litter. Dow is now making good on that promise with new efforts in Japan and Indonesia.
PRESS RELEASE -
Braskem's sugarcane based bioplastic to be used to package over 500,000 bags of Leafgro®, a soil conditioner for sale in lawn and garden retail locations along the U.S. East Coast.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
2017 was a big year for the circular economy, with innovative new products, initiatives and tech tools popping up almost daily, and making it easier than every for corporates and consumers alike to engage in circularity.
An initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders, The Circulars are awarded to individuals, companies (from startups to multinationals) and public and social organizations in recognition for their contributions to the circular economy. This year, 43 innovators have been nominated for pushing the circular agenda forward and paving the way for others in their field.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
An estimated 150 million metric tons of plastic waste are in the ocean today and every year around eight million metric tons more are being added. Earlier this year, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation warned that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans if a more effective system for global plastics is not put into place.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Petroleum-based plastic’s time is running out as new, more sustainable material solutions emerge.
According to the International Air Transport Association, 5.2 million tons of waste were generated by airline passengers in 2016. With the release of its new OCN cosmetic range, Galileo Watermark, a producer of amenity kits and a leader in onboard hospitality design and development for the travel and retail industries, is working to drive these numbers down.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
While there’s plenty of discussion surrounding single-use plastics — namely straws, water bottles, food packaging, coffee stirrers, etc. — the topic of disposable needle counters doesn’t typically enter into the conversation. But with hospitals across the US generating more than 12,000 tons of waste per day — 30 percent of which come from operating rooms — reducing the use of non-renewable plastics in healthcare is imperative.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Thermoplastics resin producer Braskem has been keeping busy, entering into a series of new partnerships to make bio-based packaging the mainstream choice for the personal care and consumer goods industries.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Packaging remains a considerable challenge for businesses looking to reduce their impacts, but innovators such as food-service supplier Eco-Products and Finnish startup Sulapac are helping to accelerate the transition to lower-impact models through cross-industry partnerships and sustainable packaging solutions.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
In an era where brands are becoming increasingly socially conscious to keep up with societal trends, Marc Skid is no exception. The recently launched online underwear retailer is using the finest, sustainably grown materials to provide its customers both a high-quality product and an opportunity to donate to feed, cure and save the world.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Plastic pollution is on the rise, a problem that threatens both human and environmental health. Between 4.8 million and 12.7 million tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year and animals aren’t the only ones being affected — a recent report by Orb Media revealed that microplastics have infiltrated tap water across the globe.
PRESS RELEASE -
A businesslike look at America Recycles Day
America recycles one-third of municipal solid waste, and more would be better
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Chemicals management continues to go mainstream, with sporting goods manufacturer ASICS Corporation and chemical company Stahl joining the growing body of brands, manufacturers and chemical suppliers to achieve bluesign® system partner status.
PRESS RELEASE -
Braskem, the Americas’ leading producer of thermoplastic resins, and Danish-based Haldor Topsoe, a world leader in catalysts and surface science, have signed a technological cooperation agreement to develop a pioneering route to produce monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugar. The agreement calls for the construction of a demonstration plant in Denmark, with operation slated to begin in 2019.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
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.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
How a T-Shirt Is Driving a Circular Economy
by Melanie Vella
In this main stage session, Forum for the Future CEO Sally Uren returned to interview Jeffrey Hogue, Chief Sustainability Officer at C&A, to delve into the organic fibre that made up Sally’s t-shirt, quite literally.