CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Key recommendations failed to understand plastic pollution from a holistic perspective — placing too much blame on the five most impacted Asian countries and suggesting carbon-heavy options for disposal.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Whether the priority is to reduce the plastic in packaging, increase the recycled content or just figure out where to start, it all begins with opening up a dialogue with suppliers. That is exactly what one major US retailer did when it sought to re-energise its plastics and packaging pledge during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
A new accelerator from the US Plastics Pact aims to catalyze broader adoption of reusable and refillable packaging options, while an upskilling program from
rePurpose Global aims to help sustainability leaders more effectively tackle plastic pollution.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
New report shares insights to guide retailers on effective reusable bag models — a key solution as regulations to reduce reliance on single-use plastic bags grow across the US.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Great Wrap aims to be a plug-and-play replacement for film wraps for both home and business. It replaces petroleum-based films with a bio-based waste product that, unlike most other bio-based polymers, completely decomposes in within three months.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
The inventive, waste-free, single-serve coffee system means that portioned coffee no longer needs to be surrounded by an aluminum or plastic capsule.
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER -
Enabling a circular economy is a complicated challenge that governments, communities and businesses globally are struggling to solve. But as Dow’s work in Africa proves, solutions exist — and success comes when organizations and communities collaborate to create change rooted in local context.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
The Biomimicry Institute’s 2022 cohort of Ray of Hope Prize finalists are leveraging nature’s genius to revolutionize textiles, wind turbines, waste remediation, building materials, cleaning products, sunscreen, plastics and more.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A key component of Procter & Gamble’s Climate Transition Action Plan is reducing the amount of virgin fossil-based plastic in packaging by 50% by 2030. How can P&G brands do their part, without compromising on the unique beauty, branding and functionality of their packaging?
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Latest research from Planet Tracker proposes a practical business solution to the problem of plastic waste, whereby packaging is treated as an asset to be returned, rather than a liability to be tossed.
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER -
“We’ve been working on design for recyclability for years now. But the next step is to make packaging fully recyclable and then collect the packaging to recycle it into new products. We’re very close to creating a low-carbon, circular economy.” — Han Zhang
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
The Beyond Plastics Challenge aims to address the plastics dilemma on Earth through the design and production of solutions aided by access to space. The two winning concepts will be able to conduct research in the International Space Station’s unique, weightless environment.
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER -
Despite more leagues and arenas introducing initiatives to curb waste from concessions and encourage recycling, the science and innovation necessary to create lasting impact across the board (or the court or field) are still missing. That's where Dow and its partners come in.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
New York-based startup Izzy Zero Waste Beauty is out to show the incredibly wasteful beauty industry that it can mend its wicked ways — vastly reducing its footprint through a hyper-local supply chain and 100% refillable, recyclable products.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Plastic neutrality is achieved when an individual or organization’s plastic footprint is measured and balanced by the removal and recovery of plastic waste from nature, and complemented by reductions in plastic use.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
After achieving a milestone in packaging recycling, Carbios’ unique biological recycling technology stands to fundamentally change the circularity of textiles.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Our vision is to embed effective recycling across the region’s islands and enable value-added processing of materials where it makes commercial sense — but we’ve been held back by many challenges. For businesses and brands that sell into the Caribbean, it’s an opportunity to be part of our mission and walk their talk around plastic pollution reduction and circularity.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Proof of concept for direct production of monoethylene glycol (MEG), a key building block in sustainable PET manufacturing, has been completed at lab scale.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
First-ever ranking of leading European supermarkets’ commitments to dial back their use and waste of plastic reveals lack of real action.