Circular Economy
The constant stream of new models, products and processes that are helping organizations extend the useful life of resources and materials while reducing, repurposing and ultimately eliminating waste in all its forms
Plastics’ Effect on Waste: The Answer Might Surprise You
The latest plastic product to come under fire is plastic straws. Before that, it was bags; and before that, foam foodservice items. Have you ever stopped to ask, why do we use so much plastic, especially plastic packaging? The answer depends on the t... View More
Developing a Circular Narrative: The Case of Relooping Fashion
It is often said that transitioning towards a circular economy requires a number of changes in the way businesses operate. For example, the linear supply chain will need to be re-organised into a circular ecosystem, which decouples growth from the us... View More
Could You or Your Colleagues Be Waste Fit Champions?
Have you been busy shedding paper weight? Do you know someone who’s lost pounds of plastic, aluminum and glass? Is your business slimming down sustainably? Rubicon Global — a leader in providing waste, recycling, and smart city solutions to busin... View More
Interactive Calculator Reveals True Cost of the Food We Waste
We’ve all occasionally bought too much or waited too long to eat our fresh fruit and veg, but what is the true impact of the food we throw away? UK food tech company It’s Fresh! has launched a food waste calculator to enable consumers to understa... View More
Thread Forges 'Better Backpack' with 'Most Responsible Fabric on the Planet'
Thread, the Pittsburgh-based startup that's collected over 41 million plastic bottles from landfill communities in Haiti and Honduras and created fabric for some of the world's leading brands, today launched its own product on Kickstarter with a firs... View More
Impossible Foods Details Progress Toward Eliminating Animals from Food by 2035
Today, food tech startup Impossible Foods published its 2018 impact report, an annual update on its mission, business and strategic roadmap. ... View More
Rethinking Plastic Litter: Improve Your LCAs and Reduce Your Personal Impacts
Litter. It seems like such a ‘60s word, but it’s time to dust it off and rethink it — especially in the context of plastics and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). Start with the fact that more than 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the environment... View More
The Case for Change: Why We Need to Address Our Clothing Footprint Now
It’s time to face the facts. By 2030, we will consume 102 million tons of apparel per year, an increase of 63 percent from 2017. And by 2050, the global-fashion industry will consume a quarter of the world’s annual carbon budget — which represe... View More
Blockchain Will Make Carbon Visible for Everybody
To understand, and report on, an organization’s carbon footprint is a complex undertaking — to say the least. ... View More
Timing Is Everything When It Comes to Fresh Produce
Have you ever wondered why your fresh produce often spoils long before the expiration date says it should? Food waste is a frustrating phenomenon that not only affects our environment but also impacts consumers’ wallets and businesses’ bottom lin... View More
Report: Slavery, Labor Abuses in SE Asian Supply Chains Set to Spiral in Age of Automation
Drastic job losses in South East Asia resulting from the onset of robot manufacturing are predicted to lead to a dramatic increase in slavery and labor abuses in global supply chains, unless governments take early measures to prevent automation threa... View More
Trending: Liquor Giants Serve Waste Reduction with a Twist in New Product, Campaign
“In 2016, Bacardi led the drinks industry with the first #NoStraws campaign focusing on eliminating single-use plastic straws from its cocktails,” explained Dune Ives, executive director of Lonely Whale, a non-profit dedicated to positively impac... View More
Shell CEO ‘Welcomes’ Idea of Banning Petrol in UK Before 2040
Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, said he welcomed the idea of bringing forward the UK’s ban on new petrol and diesel car sales that is currently set for 2040. MPs, ... View More
The Last Straws? Starbucks Eliminating Them Globally, More Regional Bans
Following Vancouver’s approval of a strategic plan to achieve zero waste and phase out plastic straws and other select packaging, its neighbor to the south is also taking action. Seattle recently became the first major U.S. ... View More
Trending: ¡Yappah!, Apeel Avocados, Taylor Farms Continue Food Waste Fight
Food waste remains a huge and costly problem, costing $2.6 trillion dollars in lost value globally each year. The U.S. retail food sector alone generates eight million tons of waste annually in distribution centers and stores, equivalent to about $18... View More
Trending: C&A, Looptworks, John Lewis Spin Out More Circular Apparel Solutions
Increasing circularity in the apparel sector will require a variety of initiatives and some of the most valuable ways to bridge the implementation gap will be to provide funding, design new products with closed-loop design and launch take-back progra... View More
When Will We Truly Begin Designing for Circularity?
If I took one thing away from the Circular Economy sessions at SB’18 Vancouver, it was the need to design for the end of a product’s first life. Note I said, “first life,” because ideally it will be endlessly recycled. That said, as new produ... View More
Trending: Single-Use Plastics Continue to be Tossed – By Brands, Nations Imposing Bans
It’s a tough time to be a plastic straw producer. Over the past few months, it seems the message has broken through that plastic straws are harmful to the environment – and marine life in particular – that phase outs and bans are warranted. ... View More
How Brands Can Leverage Sustainability, Social Inclusion to Create ‘Good’ Cities
This week at Sustainable Brands’ flagship event, SB’18 Vancouver, over 2,000 attendees are sharing and exploring the many ways organizations are helping to “redesign the good life.” One aspect of the good life is cross-sector collaboration, s... View More
'The North Face Renewed' Gives Refurbished Clothes Second Life
Today at SB’18 Vancouver, The North Face will announce the launch of The North Face Renewed — a collection of refurbished products for consumers who want to access affordable gear and reduce their environmental impact. All “Renewed” items —... View More
