The latest in the growing number of efforts directed at reducing, repurposing and ultimately eliminating waste in all its forms.
The Nordic region continues to blaze trails on the zero-waste front, as innovators from across the region vie for the Nordic Council Environment Prize and a chance to bring their projects and initiatives to a global audience. The Council has announced the nominees for its 2017 prize, which seeks to raise awareness around the environmental work being done across the Nordic region. This year’s theme focuses on initiatives promoting, developing or initiating waste-free solutions.
Reliance on virgin raw materials to produce products has a significant, often detrimental, impact on both ecosystems and communities. A widespread shift towards a more circular model is essential to secure a more sustainable future, yet there exist systematic barriers to the acquisition and sourcing of high-quality, secondary materials.
Closed Loop Fund (CLF) has released the results of its latest impact report, which highlights recent successes such as the diversion of 100,000 tons of materials from landfill, a 230,000 metric ton reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of more than $530,000 in economic benefits to municipalities.
How do you solve a problem like food waste? There’s no magic bullet, but realizing that discarded food attracts flies like nothing else, UK-based startup Entomics has engineered an upcycling solution that exploits the metabolic power of insects to convert leftover scraps into high-value protein and fertilizer product.
A recent report by UK-based charity CHEMTrust has linked the recycling of plastic components of electrical and electronic products to dangerous human health risks, creating obstacles for the recycling industry and the widespread adoption of a circular economy.
Less than one year after partnering with the Closed Loop Fund and investing $10.75 million in new infrastructure — including recycling carts and a newly upgraded county-owned and operated materials recycling facility (MRF) — Iowa’s Scott County has seen a 61 percent increase in recycling and generated $100,000 in savings and revenue.
Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, and it is not a feature reserved only for products and services. B2B and retail companies, too, face the challenge of distinguishing themselves in the marketplace with a strong identity that stands out from direct and indirect competitors. The expanded retail landscape has altered the way consumers interact with brands, and E-commerce sites, dynamic mobile apps, and text message ordering systems afford infinite possibilities for communicating initiatives and marketing.
Food waste is increasingly garnering attention from governments, businesses and private individuals as its impact on both environmental health, food security as well as bottom lines — companies that invest in reducing food waste can expect a 14:1 ROI — are increasingly researched and understood.
World Water Day typically sees brands unveil new initiatives designed to reduce impact in their supply chains, report successes and team up with charities to raise awareness about water security in vulnerable regions across the globe. While there is certainly progress to celebrate, the reality of the matter is that much more must be done to address the growing global water crisis. First, the good news.
For many of us, recycling is becoming second nature, but not all packaging is treated equally. While 56 percent of Americans recycle kitchen items, only 14 percent recycle their personal care product bottles and packaging. And according to Johnson & Johnson (J&J), 34 percent of regular recyclers admit that bathroom recycling has never even occurred to them.
Last month, Indonesia pledged to cut plastic pollution by an astounding 70 percent by 2025, in response to the UN Environment Programme’s #CleanSeas campaign. This commitment is a huge step forward in reducing the more than 8 million tons of plastic going into our oceans every year.
According to environmental non-profit Basel Action Network (BAN), electronics recycling may not be quite as straightforward as consumers believe. While some electronics are safely dismantled and have their components scrapped or re-used, the recycling process consists of a complex, multi-step supply chain that ends in the developing world, where e-waste is often exported for treatment and oversight is minimal.
While more than 42 million Americans lack access to a sufficient amount of food, a staggering 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. is uneaten, resulting in at least 62.5 million tons of wasted food annually. Meanwhile, a mere 10 percent of food is recovered each year across the entire supply chain. Tackling the growing problem of food waste has become a top priority for governments and businesses across the globe, but many laws and policies designed to enhance food recovery fail to address the needs facing the evolving landscape of food donation.
As has been much discussed here at Sustainable Brands, roughly a third of all food produced in the world is never eaten, which has tremendous economic, social and environmental consequences.
Global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland has launched the Timberland X Thread collection in partnership with Thread, the Certified B Corporation that transforms plastic bottles from the streets and canals of Haiti into what Thread calls “the most responsible fabric on the planet.” The collection goes beyond environmental sustainability, creating social value and impact in the form of cleaner neighborhoods and meaningful new job opportunities.
This is the first in a three-part series from The Recycling Partnership on collaborating to drive effective engagement – and action – around recycling. Attention! Recycling needs you. Wait, we’re still talking about recycling? Yep, and here’s the kicker: While recycling feels universal, it’s currently only functioning at 50 percent of its potential.
The use of post-consumer recycled materials as feedstock for new bottles and cans has become common practice for the beverage industry, but there is still more to be done to reduce waste and increase recycling. Industry giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are working towards overcoming these challenges by supporting eco-innovation and government initiatives. The recipients of PepsiCo’s Zero Impact Fund — an expansion of PepsiCo Recycling’s college and university programs to help bring campus eco-innovations to life — have been announced. Eight colleges and universities will each receive a contribution from PepsiCo to help accomplish their environmental goals:
From 10kg of blueberries to 10-litre tubs of mayonnaise and handmade farmhouse cheese, surplus food is now up for grabs eBay-style, thanks to a new UK-based platform. Using the principles of the infamous auction site, Takestock applies the transaction to solving food waste. The online trading platform efficiently connects owners of surplus stock with buyers, rather than scrapping it.
The volume of discarded electronics in East and South-East Asia jumped almost two-thirds between 2010 and 2015, and e-waste generation is growing fast in both total volume and per capita measures, according to new research by United Nations University (UNU).
The City of Phoenix, AZ and Recyclebank, a company that pioneered and patented an education and incentives platform to help cities encourage residents to make sustainable purchasing and disposal habits, formally announced today that they will be teaming up to amplify the city’s “Reimagine Phoenix” initiative, a program aimed at diverting 40 percent of the city’s waste from landfills by 2020.