Chemistry, Materials & Packaging
The latest developments in safe and sustainable chemicals, new materials, fuels, and more.
KLM To Use Biofuels To Power Transatlantic Flights
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines says it will begin operating weekly transatlantic flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol using a biofuel mixture consisting of 25 percent cooking oil and 75 percent jet fuel.
Clariant’s EcoTain Label Marks Sustainable Product Life Cycles
Clariant recently announced it will begin using a new label on its products to certify sustainable attributes in response to environmental concerns and growing consumer eco-awareness.The chemical giant says the so-called EcoTain label indicates a four-step life cycle: Sustainable Design, Responsible Process, Safe & Efficient Use and Eco-Integration. Only products meeting all four requirements will be awarded the EcoTain label.The company says EcoTain represents a systemic approach to sustainable innovation by providing a tangible means of understanding the ecological, economic and social impact of its products over the entire value chain.
NASCAR Steers Towards Sustainability Through Biofuels, Recycling
This story was updated on March 5, 2013.
Auto Roundup: Chevy Helps Truckers; Nissan Innovates Paint Process; Toyota Reuses Hybrid Batteries
Chevrolet is supporting a project called IdleAir to help long-haul truckers avoid idling emissions during rest breaks at truck stops.
Target, Publix Support Retail Industry Push for Standardized Chemical Reporting
A reporting template released by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is expected to enhance supply chain efficiency and communication regarding chemical information.
Notbox Wants To Wrap Up US Market for Cardboard Shipping Boxes
A UK-based company with a reusable alternative to single-use cardboard boxes has announced plans to enter the North American market.
Unilever, P&G, SABMiller To Present Innovations at Packaging Conference
Several major consumer brands are slated to participate in the second Packaging Innovations Conference to be held in tandem with the easyFairs Packaging Innovations show in Birmingham, England, February 27-28.
A Socially Sustainable Water Solution Could End Largest Mass Poisoning in History
Nearly 60 million people in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India have to rely on arsenic-contaminated groundwater for their basic needs. This has been described as the largest case of mass poisoning in human history.[1] Arsenic slowly builds up in the body and causes cancers, painful lesions and skin burns.
Thinking Outside the Box: Seven Promising Packaging Innovations
The holiday season is over, and the garbage trucks have cleared away the curbside remnants that accompany the feasting and gift-giving. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day household waste increases by more than 25 percent, adding an additional million tons a week to landfill waste.
Sealed Air Introduces More-Sustainable Packing Peanuts
If you did much holiday shopping online this year, you likely had to deal with pesky, loose-fill peanut packaging that is tough on the environment and difficult to dispose of or recycle.Packaging manufacturers Sealed Air claim to have solved the “peanut problem” with a new loose fill product made of 95% non-food based renewable material.Sealed Air says the product, called PakNatural, provides the same cushioning protection as polystyrene packing peanuts without the static and environmental impact. And it has better humidity resistance than peanuts made of starch, which also have the downside of diverting food sources.
P&G, NRDC and FSC: The Debate Over Sustainable Tissue Continues
Earlier this year, P&G outlined a comprehensive framework for its leading brands to increase their positive impacts on society and the environment. But forest-conservation NGOs say they need less talk, more action when it comes to P&G's tissue products.
