Materials & Packaging

The latest developments in materials, feedstocks and processes that are transforming the way many conventional products are made and packaged — and eliminating their negative impacts

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Trending: Biomimicry, Changing Attitudes Poised to Revolutionize Apparel Sector

Fashion continues to make headlines, with news emerging about a new textile breakthrough and shifting attitudes towards clothing across the UK that are helping drive down the industry’s environmental impact. ... View More

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Trending: Sainsbury's, Hershey Look to Packaging to Unpack a Sustainable Future

Packaging innovation offers an important tool to help companies achieve their sustainability goals. Two recent advances could hold promise for tackling food waste, reducing CO2 emissions and reliance on virgin materials. UK grocer Sainsbury’s is pu... View More

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Ahead of the Curve: Designing in Sustainability from the Start

For companies and brands today, more sustainable production methods are topping lists of things to do. The uncertainty of material and vendor prices, the need to comply with a growing number of regulations and mounting evidence of environmental impac... View More

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Trending: Stella McCartney, C&A, WRAP Continue Pushing the Envelope on Sustainable Textiles

Fashion is slowly shedding its negative rep as brands continue to embrace circular and forward-thinking practices that drive innovation and product durability. Only weeks after announcing a new partnership with Parley for the Oceans, luxury label Ste... View More

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Trending: CanopyStyle, Burberry Further Mainstreaming Sustainable Textiles

The sourcing and manufacturing of materials are two of the most environmentally impactful aspects of the fashion industry. In an effort to shift the sector to a more sustainable model, key industry players have revved up efforts to move sustainable m... View More

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Braskem, Sealed Air, Naturepedic Unveil Renewable, Carbon-Negative Polyethylene Foam

A new partnership between Braskem, the largest thermoplastics resins producer in the Americas and a leading biopolymers producer, Sealed Air Corporation, a packaging, cleaning and hygiene solutions company, and Naturepedic, a manufacturer of certifie... View More

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HP Inc., Thread Roll Out Ink Cartridges Made from Plastic Bottles Recycled in Haiti

Plastics continue to make headlines as brands uncover new and creative solutions that transform trash into profitable products. Building on its efforts to reinvent how products are designed, manufactured and used, HP Inc. has launched Original HP ink... View More

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Good News, Bad News for Viscose: USFIA Joins CanopyStyle; H&M Lands in Hot Water

Viscose continues to dominate the news as brands ramp up efforts to eliminate the destruction of ancient and endangered forests and human rights violations from the viscose supply chain, while others fall behind. ... View More

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McGill Chemists Develop Chemical-Free Metal Refining Solution

McGill is at it again. Just months after researchers at the Canadian university revealed that metal powders could provide a zero-carbon, closed-loop alternative to traditional fossil fuels, a team of chemists have uncovered a way to produce and refin... View More

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As Cobalt Declines, Demand-Growth Rises by 500%

Circular initiatives may be on the rise, but an impending commodity crisis for cobalt indicates that we still haven’t learned our lesson as far as resource depletion is concerned. The ferromagnetic metal is primarily used in the preparation of magn... View More

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Trending: Two New Textile Innovations Aim to Take Circular Fashion Towards the Mainstream

The launch of two new textile innovations continues to drive the apparel industry towards greater circularity. ... View More

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Harnessing Nature’s Technology: The Biomimicry Toolkit

This was no introductory workshop. Everyone in attendance on Monday afternoon, day one of SB'17 Detroit, raised their hand when asked if they knew what biomimicry is, and everyone was interested in diving in and learning how to use biomimicry in thei... View More

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Experts from EMF, GreenBlue, Recycling Partnership Ponder Principles of Sustainable Packaging

What does it take to achieve the perfect sustainable packaging? This Monday morning workshop offered insights into the question. It’s harder than one might assume. Competing interests between corporations and municipalities, and added complexities ... View More

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Unilever Develops New Technology to Drive Sachet Packaging Towards Circularity

Recycling protocol for consumer products packaged in plastic bottles and tubes is fairly straightforward. But for sachets, it’s a whole other story. To tackle industry-wide sachet waste, Unilever teamed up with the Fraunhofer Institute for Process ... View More

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Canopy Releases Updated Version of Ecopaper Database

Being dubbed the “Holy Grail” of directories for sustainable paper and packaging, Canopy’s updated Ecopaper Database now features more than 450 printing and writing grade papers, office stationery products and packaging with high recycled, agri... View More

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Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever to Roll Out How2Recycle Label Program Across North America

During the Walmart Sustainability Milestone Summit, eight global brands representing over $72 billion in revenue announced that they will be joining the How2Recycle label program. The program seeks to educate consumers about how to recycle packaging ... View More

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UPS, Sealed Air Corporation Unveil New Packaging Innovation Center

Following the announcement of a new partnership in November 2016, UPS and Sealed Air Corporation have opened a Packaging Innovation Center in Louisville, KY on the UPS Supply Chain Solutions campus. The center will focus on creating solutions for pac... View More

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Trending: Fairtrade Foundation, Finnish Researchers Push for Alternative Textiles

Just in time for Fashion Revolution Week, the Fairtrade Foundation and researchers in Finland have revealed new studies and initiatives aimed at driving the fashion industry towards a more sustainable, ethical model. ... View More

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Target Commits to 5 Bold Sustainable Packaging Goals for 2022

Just weeks after releasing a new forest products policy, in which it pledges to source all of the wood, paper, paper-based and wood-based fiber used in its brand-owned products from post-consumer recycled materials and credibly certified forests, ret... View More

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Trending: Nike, Britvic Using Recycled Drink Containers, Wood Fiber to Revolutionize Packaging

The development of innovative packaging solutions continues to help brands reduce impact and drive future growth. ... View More

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