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
Zero Waste Europe: EPR Needs Redesigning to Facilitate Circular Economy
A new study commissioned by Zero Waste Europe has found that the majority of product waste is not covered by current extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and calls for the redesigning of producer responsibility in order to move towards a ci... View More
Water for Life Launches Campaign to Bring Sustainable Water Filters to Developing Countries
A 2010 report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF estimated that four out of every 10 people in the world, particularly those in Africa and Asia, do not have clean water to drink, and according to Green Cross International, roughly 3,000 chil... View More
Ford, P&G Looking to Gecko for Adhesive Innovations
Researchers from both companies are looking to biomimicry in hopes of improving adhesives and increasing the recyclability of auto parts. ... View More
Startup Exploring Multibillion-Dollar Opportunity for Coal Ash
Coal ash is the United States’ second-largest waste stream, after household garbage. It needs to be stored safely to prevent arsenic, lead, mercury and other toxins from leaching into farmlands, rivers, lakes, and other public water sources. Coal-f... View More
Trending: UK Grocers Turning Waste into Packaging
British grocery chains Tesco and Waitrose have added a new facet to their waste-mitigation efforts by launching upcycled packaging.Beginning this month, Tesco shoppers could get their groceries in recycled plastic bags made from back-of-store waste p... View More
7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Sweden’s Forest Economy
Sweden is so heavily forested that open areas are the exception.It’s the opposite of continental Europe, where Germany’s well-known Black Forest or France’s Bois Des Landes are deviations in the landscape, which was deforested centuries ago.In ... View More
Berkeley Researchers Developing Artificial Leaves to Produce Carbon-Neutral Fuel
Researchers at UC Berkeley have created a synthetic leaf that uses water, sunlight and carbon dioxide to make liquid fuels such as methane, butane and acetate — and releases oxygen into the air, The Los Angeles Times reports.Lead researcher on the ... View More
Target Expands Sustainable Product Index to Include 1,000+ Toxic Chemicals
Target has improved its sustainable product standard by beginning to test category-specific criteria and consider more toxic chemicals. The retailer’s Sustainable Product Index evaluates products based on a points system and the highest-scoring opt... View More
Sealed Air Releases 2020 Goals for Its Own Sustainability, Reimagining Customer Solutions for Same
Today, Sealed Air, the packaging solutions company that brought you Bubble Wrap®, released its latest sustainability report. The report outlines new goals for 2020, including reducing operations intensity by 25 percent. ... View More
Keurig’s K-Cups Inch Closer to Being 100% Recyclable
Keurig Green Mountain Inc. is making progress towards its goal of making all K-Cups recyclable by 2020. Following successful recycling research trials, the company has unveiled plans to transition the entire product line to polypropylene, according t... View More
Consumers Want Environmental Info on Product Labels: Why Now Is the Time to Act
Package labels that clearly detail food product ingredients have become the norm, thanks in large part to demand from consumers who want to be able to make informed decisions about their purchases. But what about other information related to sustaina... View More
Vegan, Non-Allergenic and GMO-Free, Algae Could Be Our New Sustainable Superfood
As the alternative protein market continues to grow and companies explore the viability of more sustainable sources such as heat-resistant beans and even crickets, microalgae has emerged as another nutritionally rich contender. Solazyme, California-b... View More
Mars, Researchers Reveal Benefits of Cocoa Flavanols, But Not Good News for Chocolate Lovers
The University of Dusseldorf, the University of Reading and Mars, Incorporated have unveiled two new studies revealing that cocoa flavanols can help to keep our hearts healthy. Cocoa flavanols are nutrients found naturally in the cocoa bean.The resea... View More
EPA, Unilever Partnering to Advance Non-Animal Methods of Chemical Risk Assessment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Unilever have announced a research collaboration to develop groundbreaking scientific approaches to better assess the safety of chemicals found in some consumer products without using animal data.The... View More
Could Sugar-Embedded Products Help Us Survive in a World Ravaged by Drought?
Climate impacts already cost billions in economic damage each year. Global drought losses are expected to surpass $8 billion in 2015 alone. A 2010 study by the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) predicted that extreme drought will threat... View More
Sustainability Mythbusters: Are Bio-Based Products Always Preferable to Oil-Based?
The common viewIn times where concerns over depletion of non-renewable resources and climate change are drastically increasing, it seems easy to accept that bio-based products are without a doubt better than fuel-based products. ... View More
Can't Give Up the Bottle? Try Boxed Water
Plastic bottles are some of the worst offenders in packaging waste, but sales of bottled water continue to grow: U.S. bottled water volume apparently rose 7 percent last year. ... View More
Trending: 'Freaky Friday' Technologies Grow Metal, Create Batteries from Trees
We know from the emerging discipline of biomimicry that natural systems can stimulate sustainable designs for human use. Two recent innovations use trees for inspiration and materials in unconventional products that may revolutionize very different i... View More
Texas Teen Develops $20 Water Purifier to Fight E-Waste Pollution
Eighteen-year-old Perry Alagappan of Texas has created a renewable heavy metal filter capable of removing 99 percent of heavy metals from water that passes through it, The Guardian reports.This could be particularly useful in countries such as China ... View More
How Marketing and Social Action Can Bring Back Recycling
A cloud seems to be looming over the recycling industry today. No matter where you turn, the reigning attitude seems about the same — the future of recycling is in trouble. ... View More
