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
As an urban farmer, I’ve always been proud of my small-scale food production and gardening efforts, thinking that I’m supporting nature and working with the environment. But I wasn’t aware of the impacts of the gardening materials I chose and unable to see the big picture and interconnectedness of what I thought was a sustainable practice. For example, I sighed every time I tried to save the unrecyclable polystyrene planting trays for the next season or reuse them for other purposes, knowing that there was no better option out there. The common use of peat as compost in the trays is also an issue — turns out, commercial harvesting can destroy hundreds of years’ worth of peat and complex wildlife ecosystems in one or two years.
Tetra Pak, provider of food processing and packaging solutions, today announced the launch of the industry’s first carton made entirely from plant-based, renewable packaging materials.The new Tetra Rex® carton will be the first in the market to have bio-based low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films and bio-based high-density polyethylene (HDPE) caps, both derived from sugar cane, in addition to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC™)-certified paperboard.
AkzoNobel has discovered a way to add self-cleaning properties and extend the life of its paints. Pioneered by one of the company’s product developers, Dr. Peter Greenwood, the company added colloidal silica to its paints and found it gave them this unique quality and durability.“It was actually on an aircraft. I was travelling home after meeting with a customer. Then I came up with the idea that if we add colloidal silica to a paint you can enhance the self-cleaning properties,” Greenwood reflected in the video.Through rigorous testing, AkzoNobel found that the paints now last up to 16 years, which is 25 percent longer than the standard product.
The Clorox Company — a multinational leading manufacturer of top-selling cleaning and personal care products — has announced the launch of its Clorox Preferred Ingredient Calculator. The company has also expanded its Ingredients Inside program — a mobile app that lists and explains all ingredients of Clorox products to shoppers — to include specific fragrance components.The company says both are aimed at showing consumers what goes into their cleaning and care products so they can make informed purchasing decisions, as well as pushing the company to continue making sustainable ingredient choices.
One of the UK’s leading bioplastics developers, Biome Bioplastics, has launched a new plant-based material for the 3D printing industry. Biome says its Biome3D, made from plant starches, is a biodegradable plastic that combines easy processing and a superior print finish, while offering much higher print speeds. Developed in partnership with 3Dom Filaments, the new material was unveiled last week at the TCT Show 2014, the leading event dedicated to 3D printing, additive manufacturing and product development.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has published a new guide designed to help chemical industry customers and stakeholders make more informed, sustainable choices.Life Cycle Metrics for Chemical Products is the result of a collaboration between leading chemical companies that are part of the WBCSD’s Reaching Full Potential project. Focused on life cycle assessment methods, a key objective of the new guide is to provide and communicate material information about the environmental footprint of products that customers and stakeholders can trust and compare.
As the likelihood grows for climate change to potentially wreak havoc with seasonal temperatures around the world, it not only has implications for our outdoor environment but indoors, as well: When rooms inside buildings become uncomfortably hot, for example, it can negatively affect the well-being and the performance of those living or working there.
On Monday, at a press conference to mark the end of Milan Fashion Week, six of Italy’s biggest textile suppliers made landmark Detox commitments to eliminate hazardous chemicals.The suppliers Miroglio, Berbrand, Attilio Imperiali, Italdenim, Besani and Zip, which produce textile materials and accessories for a number of global luxury and fashion brands, have joined fellow textile producer Canepa, which in October became the first to sign on to Greenpeace’s Detox Solution Commitment.
BASF, Cargill and Novozymes have announced the achievement of another milestone in their joint development of technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials. The team has demonstrated the successful conversion of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) to glacial acrylic acid and superabsorbent polymers — polymers that can absorb and retain extremely large amounts of a liquid relative to their own mass, commonly found in products ranging from diapers and other hygiene products. The team has selected the process for further scale-up.
Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) Group chairman Teguh Ganda Wijaya today joins a number of companies, governments and NGOs to sign the New York Declaration on Forests at the UN Climate Summit 2014. The declaration is an unprecedented international, multi-sector commitment to safeguard the world’s forests and to help tackle climate change.
AkzoNobel is on a roll: In the last two months, the paint, coatings and specialty chemical company has expanded its partnership with Solazyme for the joint development of Tailored™ algal oils, launched its new EvCote™ Water Barrier 3000 paper cup coating technology for the first fully compostable and recyclable paper cup, and last week was ranked number one in its sector by the DJSI for the third year in a
Honest Tea, the US’s top-selling organic bottled tea brand, is giving its glass-bottled line a makeover in an attempt to more fully encapsulate its overall values and mission.“Our glass-bottled line continues to be the top- selling bottled tea in the natural channel, and even as we’re having one of our best sales years to date, we felt now was the time to double-down on our mission,” said co-founder & TeaEO, Seth Goldman.The beverage company says it is refreshing four aspects of its product:
Cross-Posted from New Metrics. In order to better help its customers align environmental and societal considerations with business success, BASF has developed a new process for steering its portfolio based on sustainability criteria. Launched today, the Sustainable Solution Steering method is used to systematically review and evaluate the sustainability aspects of the approximately 50,000 relevant product applications in the company’s portfolio, which represent sales of €56 billion. The benefit: This externally validated process makes it possible to measure the products’ contribution to sustainability within their various markets and industries and to increase this contribution through targeted steps.
Cross-Posted from Circular Economy. Novelis, a global leader in rolled aluminum products, is in the process of shifting its entire business model from a traditional linear model to a closed-loop or circular model. The company is embracing an entirely new way of thinking and operating in order to radically transform itself — and, in the process, reap the brand value associated with being a clear leader on that front in its industry.In 2013, Novelis introduced evercan™, the first independently certified, high-recycled-content (currently 90 percent, with a goal of 100 percent) aluminum beverage can sheet, while committing to making it available at no extra cost.
Sustainable chemical technology company Genomatica has published the results of a major survey of sustainability issues in the mainstream chemical industry that shows the topic is now considered a high priority in the field, with Genomatica itself ranking alongside industry giants such as BASF and Dow that come to mind when respondents think of those leading the charge.
Tetra Pak‘s just-released 2014 Sustainability Update highlights the processing and packaging giant's 2013 progress in a variety of areas.
The growing amount of solid waste being added to landfills from product packaging is an environmental concern to Cisco. To address this, we strive to design packages that protect against shipping damage while minimizing material usage.Our employee-led “Pack It Green” Initiative, which promotes optimized packaging and order fulfillment, is a big part of this commitment.In fiscal year 2014* we eliminated 1.9 million pounds of material and the equivalent of 3.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions through 30 Pack It Green projects. These included bulk-packed products, integrated product shipments, the reuse of packaging materials, and expanding opportunities for customers to “opt out” of physically delivered products.
Boeing and Russell Brands LLC have announced that they are working together to incorporate excess carbon fiber from the production of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner in Russell Athletic protective gear.The companies will expand an initial collaboration to put 787 carbon fiber into Russell Athletic's new CarbonTek football shoulder pad system. The companies say they see significant benefits in using aerospace-grade carbon fiber because the carbon filaments provide a high strength-to-weight ratio and greater durability.
UK waste-management company Network Waste recently announced it has been working with the Adapt Low Carbon Group at the University of East Anglia on a groundbreaking approach to waste management that could lead to paper waste being turned into bioplastic.The Norfolk-based company is in partnership with the University’s Adapt Low Carbon Group on a project involving paper crumb — the waste from paper milling — in cooperation with a Network Waste customer that produces up to 7,000 tons of damp paper crumb waste per year at its mill.
Plastic is the boon and bane of our times. While its uses are numerous and at times, even critical, its waste and the resultant pollution clogs up our rivers and oceans and pollutes our lands. But recent advancements in packaging offer hope.