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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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: New Checklist, Data Mark Important Step Forward for Sustainable Packaging
Trending: New Checklist, Data Mark Important Step Forward for Sustainable Packaging
Published on March 15, 2017
About a 4 minute read

In an effort to help companies optimize their packaging systems, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and the Industry Council for Research on Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN) have teamed up to create a new sustainability checklist. ... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Garnier, DoSomething.org Aim to Divert 10M Personal Care Empties from Landfill
Garnier, DoSomething.org Aim to Divert 10M Personal Care Empties from Landfill
Published on March 8, 2017
About a 3 minute read

Nearly half of Americans do not recycle their beauty and personal care products, accounting for a significant amount of landfill waste. Garnier and DoSomething.org are hoping to change that with their new Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign and college ... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: Danone, Nestlé Move Towards Circularity with Bio-Based PET Bottles
Trending: Danone, Nestlé Move Towards Circularity with Bio-Based PET Bottles
Published on March 7, 2017
About a 4 minute read

Food industry giants Danone, Nestlé and Kroger are the latest companies to harness design and circular principles to move the food and beverage industry towards zero waste. Danone and Nestlé Waters, two of the world’s largest bottled water compan... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: Breakthroughs in EPS, PE, PP Recycling Bring Plastics Closer to Circularity
Trending: Breakthroughs in EPS, PE, PP Recycling Bring Plastics Closer to Circularity
Published on March 3, 2017
About a 4 minute read

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, only 2 percent of the 78 million tons of plastic used each year for packaging is actually recycled. The remaining 98 percent finds its way into landfills, incineration plants and the environment. New innov... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Circularity of Hazardous Chemicals Requires New Legal Framework, NGOs Say
Circularity of Hazardous Chemicals Requires New Legal Framework, NGOs Say
Published on March 3, 2017
About a 3 minute read

Policymakers must limit chemicals entering the material cycle and adapt existing legislation in order to protect human health and the environment from toxic substances in a circular economy, say ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB)... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: Liquid Hydrogen, Ocean Plastics Could Revolutionize Aviation Industry
Trending: Liquid Hydrogen, Ocean Plastics Could Revolutionize Aviation Industry
Published on February 23, 2017
About a 5 minute read

Transport constitutes approximately 20 percent of global energy use — a figure that is set to grow — and a new study published by physicist Jo Hermans in MRS Energy and Sustainability — A Review Journal has identified liquid hydrogen as a reali... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
BASF Touts Sustainability, Efficiency Benefits of Construction Solutions in New Campaign
BASF Touts Sustainability, Efficiency Benefits of Construction Solutions in New Campaign
Published on February 22, 2017
About a 3 minute read

Increasing economic benefits while reducing global-warming potential: How products from BASF’s Master Builders Solutions® range help achieve this is the focus of the new Europe-wide campaign, “Quantified Sustainable Benefits – Reduce your Foot... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: New Tech Breakthroughs Design Impacts Out of Everyday Products
Trending: New Tech Breakthroughs Design Impacts Out of Everyday Products
Published on February 16, 2017
About a 6 minute read

While recycling most certainly plays an important role in the shift to the development of a more circular, sustainable economy, it largely focuses on a product or material’s end of life. But recent initiatives and technological breakthroughs are he... View More

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Materials & Packaging
Trending: Breakthrough Textiles Help Fashion Industry Close the Loop
Trending: Breakthrough Textiles Help Fashion Industry Close the Loop
Published on February 13, 2017
About a 5 minute read

Even more brands are making moves towards a more circular economy through textile innovation and consumer engagement. Recently, H&M debuted its new “Bring It” garment recycling campaign, as well as a new BIONIC-based Conscious Exclusive colle... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Johnson Controls, Aqua Metals Revolutionizing Lead-Acid Battery Recycling
Johnson Controls, Aqua Metals Revolutionizing Lead-Acid Battery Recycling
Published on February 13, 2017
About a 2 minute read

Solid and e-waste generation are growing at alarming rates as income and demand for new gadgets, appliances and automobiles rise across the globe. The dangers of rampant e-waste for environmental and human health are significant, but a new partnershi... View More

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Materials & PackagingMarketing & Communications
As You Sow Urges Global Brands to Nix Polystyrene Foam Packaging
As You Sow Urges Global Brands to Nix Polystyrene Foam Packaging
Published on February 6, 2017
About a 3 minute read

Environmental and corporate social responsibility non-profit As You Sow has called upon four major US companies — Amazon, McDonald’s, Target and Walmart — to ditch polystyrene foam packaging from their operations. And they’re not the only one... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: AkzoNobel, Startups Sustainably Solving Chemical, Packaging Challenges
Trending: AkzoNobel, Startups Sustainably Solving Chemical, Packaging Challenges
Published on January 30, 2017
About a 4 minute read

Finding new post-consumer uses and solutions for products is critical for making the shift towards a more circular economy, but more and more companies are turning their focus to the early stages of product production and development, effectively add... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: Coors, City of London Put Waste to Work with New Recycling Schemes
Trending: Coors, City of London Put Waste to Work with New Recycling Schemes
Published on January 27, 2017
About a 5 minute read

New programs, initiatives and innovations that drive forward the transition to a circular company seem to be popping up almost daily. The latest to pick up the banner for the circular cause? Coors Light and the City of London Corporation. Coors Light... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: Walmart, BMZ Funding Drives Textile Innovations Here and Abroad
Trending: Walmart, BMZ Funding Drives Textile Innovations Here and Abroad
Published on January 27, 2017
About a 5 minute read

The textile industry isn’t exactly the poster child for sustainability or ethical business practices, but Walmart and the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) are working to change all that by funding projects geared towards revolutionizing textile manuf... View More

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Materials & Packaging
P&G's Head & Shoulders Launches World's First Recyclable Shampoo Bottle Made with Beach Plastic
P&G's Head & Shoulders Launches World's First Recyclable Shampoo Bottle Made with Beach Plastic
Published on January 19, 2017
About a 4 minute read

Today, at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, The Procter & Gamble Company announced that Head & Shoulders (H&S), the world’s #1 shampoo brand, will produce the world’s first recyclable shampoo bottle made f... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Unilever Set to 'Catalysing Action' on New Plastics Economy
Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Unilever Set to 'Catalysing Action' on New Plastics Economy
Published on January 17, 2017
About a 6 minute read

Due to their functional properties and low cost, plastics have become an integral part of our global economy and have seen their production increase twenty-fold over the past half-century. Despite their indisputable benefits, plastics have significan... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
#BusinessCase: Circular, EPR Schemes Could've Saved UK £72M in Holiday Waste
#BusinessCase: Circular, EPR Schemes Could've Saved UK £72M in Holiday Waste
Published on January 9, 2017
About a 4 minute read

Waste packaging and food leftovers from this Christmas alone will have cost councils £72 million1, according to new research from UK think tank Green Alliance. In England, local authorities spend roughly £300 million every year dealing with waste p... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Coke, Avery Dennison Drive Smartwater Towards Circularity with Recycled PET Waste
Coke, Avery Dennison Drive Smartwater Towards Circularity with Recycled PET Waste
Published on January 3, 2017
About a 3 minute read

While plastic packaging has a reputation for being convenient, it presents a serious problem for the planet — and brands’ bottom lines. One-use plastic packaging currently accounts for over $80 billion in losses annually. But more and more compan... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Apple, HP, Samsung, Sony Join Effort to Keep Child Labor Out of Cobalt Supply Chains
Apple, HP, Samsung, Sony Join Effort to Keep Child Labor Out of Cobalt Supply Chains
Published on December 28, 2016
About a 2 minute read

Apple, HP, Samsung SDI and Sony have joined the Responsible Cobalt Initiative, with a pledge to follow the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for mining supply chains, which call for traceability and immediate cor... View More

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Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Trending: New Research Looking to Turn Fabric Into Fuel, Keep Microfibers Out of Water
Trending: New Research Looking to Turn Fabric Into Fuel, Keep Microfibers Out of Water
Published on December 20, 2016
About a 3 minute read

We’ve seen a rash of textile-recycling schemes emerge of late — in which the textiles in question may become new garments, but for the most part they remain, well, fabrics. ... View More

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