Chemistry, Materials & Packaging
The latest developments in safe and sustainable chemicals, new materials, fuels, and more.
Trending: Coca-Cola, Evian, Amcor Unveil Ambitious Circular Packaging Strategies
Beverage giants Coca-Cola and Evian and global packaging company Amcor have announced new efforts that will fundamentally reshape their approaches to packaging. By 2030, Coca-Cola says it will collect and recycle 100 percent of its packaging; Evian has pledged to produce all of its plastic bottles from 100 percent rPET by 2025; and all of Amcor’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable by 2025.
Trending: Plastic Packaging Takes Backseat to Seaweed, Origami-Inspired Alternatives
Though the normalization of single-use plastic packaging has made plastic pollution out to be an insurmountable problem, consumers’ and brands’ growing awareness of the implications of take-make-dispose models is helping drive the development of recyclable and renewable packaging alternatives. Ellen MacArthur Circular Design Challenge winners TrioCup and Evoware are two examples of packaging innovators leading the charge towards a more circular economy.
Algae Poised to Power Future Fuel Cells
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new algae-powered fuel cell that is five times more efficient than existing plant and algal models. Both cost-effective and practical to use, scientists expect the fuel cell to bring algal-based systems one step closer to practical implementation.
A New Year’s Resolution for Retailers: Eliminate Toxic Chemicals
This New Year’s, retailers should make a resolution to get toxic chemicals out of their products and packaging. At a time when the EPA is undermining the implementation of the nation’s new chemical safety law enacted just last year, it’s more critical than ever for retailers to step up and use their market clout to drive dangerous chemicals out of commerce and ensure substitutes are safe. Over the past year, we’ve seen a growing number of retailers adopt new or expand sustainability policies to identify and remove chemicals that are harmful to public health.
Trending: Algae, Ocean Plastics Pave the Way for More Sustainable Consumer Products
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.
G-Star RAW Unveils First-Ever C2C Gold Certified Denim
Denim has rightfully earned its reputation as a dirty business, but denim brand G-Star Raw is continuing its efforts to shape a new future for the fabric with the development of the first-ever Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Gold level certified denim.
What Is Your Company’s True Value to Society? The Answer Might Surprise You
While carbon emissions and water and energy efficiency are top-of-mind concerns for companies keen on reducing the environmental impacts of their products, a sustainable future can’t be achieved without considering chemistry — the foundation upon which countless products are built. We’ve already begun to see progress on this front, with an increasing number of companies embracing better chemicals management practices.
Braskem Strikes Up New Partnerships to Take Sustainable Packaging to the Next Level
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.
Trending: Cross-Industry Collaboration, Bio-Based Materials Fuel Sustainable 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 Sulpac are helping to accelerate the transition to lower-impact models through cross-industry partnerships and sustainable packaging solutions.
Wrangler Adopts Foam-Dyeing Technology, Revs Up to Revolutionize Denim
Yesterday, representatives from across the apparel industry came together at the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute of Texas Tech University, where Wrangler, Lee, the Walmart Foundation and Indigo Mill Designs (IMD) unveiled a disruptive new dyeing process for producing denim.
ASICS, Stahl Partner with bluesign® to Strengthen Chemical Management, Sustainability
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.
150 Companies, NGOs Call for Global Ban on Oxo-Degradable Plastic 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.
Sustainable Revenue: 81% of Chr. Hansen's Products Support SDGs
As allegedly the first company ever, Chr. Hansen — a Danish bioscience giant that produces natural ingredients for the food, beverage, dietary supplements and agricultural industry — has conducted an extensive analysis to map its entire product portfolio of more than 3,000 products against the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The analysis shows that 81 percent of Chr.
Q&A: Tim Greiner on the Transformational Role of Chemical Footprinting
Sustainable chemical management is a critical component of a healthy and circular future. In its second annual report, the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP) revealed encouraging advances across industries towards the use of safer materials and greater transparency.
DowDuPont, Novozymes Launch New Platforms to Drive Science-Based Solutions to SDGs
DowDuPont Materials Science (Dow) and WE, a global development charity and youth empowerment movement, have rolled out the We Are Innovators campaign to challenge educators and students to harness chemistry and science to create solutions for pressing global issues.
Abeego: Reducing Food Waste by ‘Keeping It Alive’
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.
Aviation Industry’s Uptake of Biofuels Could Spur Mass Deforestation, Critics Say
The global airline industry is flying high — according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the sector is forecasted to make a net profit of $29.8 billion in 2017 and air passengers are expected to double over the next 20 years. But coupled with the industry’s success are unprecedented levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
First-Ever Environmental Impact Factor Label Opens New Doors for Life Science Industry
The environmental impact of laboratories is enormous. But with the launch of ACT, the first-ever environmental impact factor label for laboratory products, nonprofit My Green Lab is working to change that. “The ACT label makes it possible for scientists and procurement specialists to choose safe, sustainable products by focusing on the impact of making, using and disposing of a product and its packaging,” said Allison Paradise, Executive Director of My Green Lab.
CDP: Chemical Companies Must Do More to Meet Paris Agreement Goals
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.
Avery Dennison RBIS: Creating Technologies to Drive Sustainable Change
With Sustainable September now underway, an opportunity to elevate the importance of sustainability on a global scale, and the release of our 2014-2016 sustainability report, All of Us, Every Day; we caught up with our own Michael Colarossi, VP of Innovation, Product Line Management and Sustainability.