CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
It’s Waste Reduction Week in Canada, and to celebrate, I spoke to some superstar companies reducing waste through product design that are featured in the National Zero Waste Council’s Design Portfolio. For the first article in this three-part series, I spoke to Abeego founder Toni Desrosiers about her company’s reusable beeswax wraps.
WASTE NOT -
While the circular economy hits its stride in Sweden, recycling comes to a standstill in the US as it comes face-to-face with the realities of China’s new scrap ban.
US shopping malls may be in fatal decline, but in Sweden, shopping centers are helping push the envelope on the circular agenda.
PRESS RELEASE -
DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) announced today a collaboration with Unifi, Inc. to create high-performance, renewably sourced garment insulation, offering leading apparel brands a new sustainable choice for cold-weather products.
PRESS RELEASE -
The world’s #1 shampoo brand Head & Shoulders was the recipient of a UN Momentum for Change award in the Planetary Health category. The award recognises novel solutions that balance the need for both human health and a healthy planet.
The Momentum for Change initiative, spearheaded by the UN Climate Change secretariat, shines light on some of the most innovative, scalable and practical examples of what people across the globe are doing to combat climate change.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Despite making progress on climate risks, the chemical industry is failing to meet the goals outlined by the Paris Agreement, says a new report by CDP.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
With 8 million tonnes of plastic entering the ocean each year, we urgently need to change the way we make and use plastics, so that they don’t become waste in the first place. A host of announcements from major CPG companies and NGOs today from the Our Ocean 2017 conference in Malta signal the ongoing momentum behind the issue.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
News Deeply, in partnership with Sustainable Brands, has produced a series of profiles looking at how brands are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The goal is to examine trends and gather insights from a new wave of corporate citizenship – in an era when the private sector is increasingly expected to play a positive role in improving our lives and societies. This is the 13th article in the series.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
While eliminating impacts at the design stage is a crucial strategy for putting a stop to plastic pollution, it’s just one small piece of the puzzle. According to new initiatives and research from The Dow Chemical Company and the Closed Loop Foundation, investing in intelligent end-of-life solutions for previously non-recyclable packaging is just as important.
PRESS RELEASE -
Braskem, the largest producer of biopolymers in the world, today announces that Buhbli Organics, together with Peel Plastics, will be utilizing Braskem's I'm greenTM bio-based Polyethylene in their Himalayan Bath Salts pouch. Buhbli Organics bath salts are now available in over 1,000 Walmart stores in the U.S. in the Naturals section of the Cosmetics department.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Microplastics — extremely small pieces (less than 5 mm) of plastic debris resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste — have been found in tap water around the globe, according to a new report by Orb Media, a D.C.-based nonprofit digital newsroom. The discovery has led to a call from the scientific community for urgent research on microplastics’ implications for human health.
PRESS RELEASE -
Braskem, the largest producer of biopolymers in the world, today announces that Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. has launched its new Earthborn Holistic® VentureTM brand pet food line offering sustainable packaging produced by Peel Plastics Products Ltd., utilizing Braskem's I'm Green bio based Polyethylene (PE). Peel Plastics manufactures the new Earthborn Holistic® VentureTM pet food bags, utilizing Braskem's bio-based polyethylene, helping mitigate the carbon footprint associated with its packaging.
WASTE NOT -
Capturing littered plastic – whether in the oceans, on beaches or from city streets – and transforming it into new products has become something of a creative marketing drive, with brand owners investing in high-profile launches to demonstrate leadership in this space: P&G’s beach plastic shampoo bottle and the
WASTE NOT -
Bottle deposit schemes just got a major boost, thanks to a new analysis issued by thinktank Green Alliance. Communicated via an infographic, the analysis suggests that introducing deposit return schemes on plastic bottles would be the single most effective action to accelerate progress. The concept has been a hot topic in the UK over the last year, as the Government searches for ways to curb the country’s considerable plastic waste problem.
PRESS RELEASE -
National nonprofit The Recycling Partnership is pleased to announce its newest funding partner, the global food and beverage leader, PepsiCo. The organizations have agreed to collaborate on an ambitious cross-sector approach to increasing recycling rates across America.
WASTE NOT -
As the circular economy continues to gain steam, two new public-private partnerships have emerged, driving the widespread reuse of recycled plastics towards the mainstream.
In an effort to make good on its goal to design 100 percent of its packaging to be recoverable or recyclable by 2025 and to increase packaging recovery and recycling rates, food and beverage giant PepsiCo has partnered with nonprofit The Recycling Partnership.
CLEANTECH -
Taking plastics recycling to a whole new level, Procter & Gamble (P&G) has pioneered a new technology that restores used polypropylene plastic (PP) to ‘virgin-like’ quality. Developed in P&G labs, the patented technology is being licensed to PureCycle to deploy in a new recycling plant in Lawrence County, Ohio and will allow consumers to purchase more products made from recycled plastic.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today it has teamed up with national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful, to award two $50,000 grants for organizations to establish Hefty® EnergyBag™ programs in their communities. The program is an innovative approach to diverting traditionally non-recycled plastics – like chip bags and juice pouches – from landfills and converting the materials into valuable energy sources.
WASTE NOT -
The crusade against marine plastics continues with a new initiative driven by nineteen aquariums across the US. Launched today, the Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP) seeks to drive a shift away from single-use plastic and toward more sustainable alternatives.
As its first order of business, the Partnership has rolled out a new nationwide consumer campaign, "In Our Hands," to empower their 20 million visitors and millions more in their communities to make positive behavior changes and raise awareness around how plastic pollution threatens ocean and freshwater animals.
CLEANTECH -
Environmental NGO Parley for the Oceans is on a roll. Just weeks after announcing new partnerships with designer Stella McCartney and Corona, the organization has joined Intel and SnotBot on a mission to Alaska, where they will be using AI and drone technology to collect data from whales.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Eight million tons of plastic trash find their way into the world’s oceans every year. If this trend continues, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050 according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Considerable action is required to avoid this fate, but more and more organizations are beginning to step up to the plate. Creative campaigns that seek to engage consumers through multi-media and innovative products are proving to be an effective way to reach and educate wide audiences quickly, accelerating the uptake of behaviors and actions that could spur meaningful change.