Chemistry, Materials & Packaging
The latest developments in safe and sustainable chemicals, new materials, fuels, and more.
How a Classic Brand Is Tackling the Marine Plastic Problem
Zipper giant YKK Group has used recycled PET yarns in the woven tape of its Natulon® zippers since 1994. But when it wanted to help address the challenge of ocean plastic, the company saw it as an opportunity to get creative.
BASF to Release Carbon Footprint Data for Its 45K Products
The chemical giant has been a leader in innovative approaches to quantifying the impacts of its diverse product portfolio.
6 Tips for Avoiding Recycled Materials Supply Chain Disruptions
Don’t wait until a breakdown happens to explore alternatives. Start evaluating your supply chain today and expand your recycled plastic sources to keep things humming no matter what the world throws at you.
Trending: Returnity, Venetian Resort Working to Cut Out COVID Waste
Surgical mask upcycling and antimicrobial, reusable packaging solutions are some of the latest initiatives aiming to clean up some of our COVID-fueled, plastic-covered mess.
From the Source: New System Offers Brands Data on Sustainable Cotton-Growing Practices
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. The US Cotton Trust Protocol provides measured and verified data about US cotton; which allows fashion and textile brands and retailers to track annual progress toward their targets, and help them tell their sustainability stories.
US Retail Giants Convene to Reinvent the Plastic Retail Bag
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. Leading retailers CVS Health, Target and Walmart — joined by Kroger and Walgreens, and NGOs Conservation International and Ocean Conservancy — unite to tackle retail bag waste and invite others to join the effort.
Recycled Plastic Certifications Are Stifling Innovation
Recycled plastic certification makes sense. Manufacturers need confidence that the raw materials they’re acquiring meet their requirements and are truly recycled. But more certifications likely means higher costs and thus less recycled plastic.
Diageo Announces World’s First 100% Plastic-Free, Paper-Based Spirits Bottle
Looks like Johnnie Walker scotch could be first to market with a paper-based packaging solution, made from sustainably sourced wood pulp, early next year.
Trending: Meet the Innovators Hell-Bent for Plant-Based Leather
While companies such as Amadou and MycoWorks are charging ahead with mushroom-based leather, here we see the material made from eggplant, cacti and apples — and taking a bite out of food waste at the same time.
‘About the Box’ Thinking: A Brewer's Sustainability Story
Watch what happens when a sustainable hard kombucha brand teams up with WestRock for packaging that reflects its brand values.
Regenerative Agriculture the Linchpin for a Sustainable Fashion Future
New report reveals how emulating nature’s lessons in the fashion industry can enhance ecosystems to boost biodiversity, build soil, support communities, and clean up existing pollution.
Trending: Reports Examine Corporate Progress on Tackling Plastic Pollution
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. New reports from As You Sow and WWF dig into action taking place around corporate commitments to eliminate plastic waste in their operations and environment — along with ways to effectively trudge forward.
Ambitious Vision for Manmade Cellulosic Fibers Promises Greater Resilience for Textile Industry
New report highlights the huge potential of manmade fibers such as viscose, modal and lyocell to create a more sustainable future, and outlines a sector-wide vision that could revolutionize multiple industries.
Circularity, Human Rights, Regeneration Pillars of Natura & Co’s 2030 ‘Commitment to Life’ Strategy
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. “We are confident that we will be able to reach these targets by 2030, but we are ambitious to get there sooner; because that is what the planet needs and what our consumers are asking for.” — Christopher Davis, The Body Shop
Stella McCartney, Telus Join Initiative to Tackle Paper Packaging Problem
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. Participation in Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative to keep the world’s ancient and endangered forests out of packaging supply chains doubles, with the addition of 11 new companies.
Biomimetic Cooling, Housing Solutions Take Top Honors in Youth Design Challenge
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. The Biomimicry Institute’s third annual Youth Design Challenge engaged 6,000 students across the US; and yielded ingenious designs for solutions to problems in cities and nature alike.
Report Outlines Critical Actions for Beauty Brands to Sustainably ‘Make Up the Future’
A new report published this week by sustainability consulting group Quantis maps the urgent actions that cosmetics and personal care brands must address to achieve sustainability in today’s fast-changing world.
Brewers Take Note: Enzymes Can Play a Crucial Role in Global Climate Fightback
LCAs are becoming increasingly important in identifying ways to help solve the climate crisis — not only in pinpointing inefficiencies, but in highlighting how relatively small changes can create a huge, lasting, collective impact.
#ItsInOurHands: Increasing Clarity Around Biodegradability
In a recent Sustainable Brands webinar, Lenzing Group and a panel of experts discussed the implications and applications of biodegradable alternatives to fossil-based plastic products such as wet wipes; as well as efforts to engage the public on their benefits.
How Gap, MycoWorks, Thousand Fell Are Edging Fashion Closer to Circularity
Denim and leather have helped style some of the most iconic fashion statements throughout history — so when taking apparel full circle, it makes sense to start with these types of classic materials that never seem to go out of vogue.
