The latest in the growing number of efforts directed at reducing, repurposing and ultimately eliminating waste in all its forms.
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. As seen in ongoing incidents of greenwashing and a new Greenpeace report, the onus is on consumer product manufacturers to take more comprehensive approaches to stemming their flow of plastic into the world — and turning the tide of public opinion.
On a practical level, we simply cannot recycle our way out of the damage that plastic waste is doing to our world, our environment and ourselves. That’s why it's time to consider uncycling — or reducing our use of single-use plastics down to zero.
Cross-Posted from From Purpose to Action: Building a Sustainable Future Together. A circular plastics supply chain is still in its infancy. So, how do we work together to create a viable marketplace for advanced recycling to thrive? Here are a few strategies and approaches that show early promise.
Key recommendations failed to understand plastic pollution from a holistic perspective — placing too much blame on the five most impacted Asian countries and suggesting carbon-heavy options for disposal.
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. Whether the priority is to reduce the plastic in packaging, increase the recycled content or just figure out where to start, it all begins with opening up a dialogue with suppliers. That is exactly what one major US retailer did when it sought to re-energise its plastics and packaging pledge during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cross-Posted from From Purpose to Action: Building a Sustainable Future Together. In Latin America, where recycling rates remain below 10%, grassroots circular solutions are slowly beginning to scale — thanks to growing legitimacy, education, organization and protections for informal waste workers, who remain the backbone of the region’s collection and recycling infrastructure.
Recycling, circular industry partnerships and marketplaces for refurbished devices are growing in popularity, but they won’t be a match for the tech industry’s throwaway approach anytime soon. But some smaller, more intrepid brands are proving the validity and demand for longer-lasting, easy-to-repair electronics.
Cross-Posted from Behavior Change. The pop-up will resemble a walk-in freezer with familiar food items frozen in innovative ways to help reduce food waste, keep nearly ‘off’ items fresh for longer and help maximize space — with all foods on display given away for free.
A new accelerator from the US Plastics Pact aims to catalyze broader adoption of reusable and refillable packaging options, while an upskilling program from rePurpose Global aims to help sustainability leaders more effectively tackle plastic pollution.
Cross-Posted from Cleantech. Globally, 80% of wastewater is discharged into local environments with minimal or no treatment — water that could be recycled and reused. California-based startup Aquacycl's waste-to-energy solution protects water resources while helping companies reduce costs.
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. New report shares insights to guide retailers on effective reusable bag models — a key solution as regulations to reduce reliance on single-use plastic bags grow across the US.
Great Wrap aims to be a plug-and-play replacement for film wraps for both home and business. It replaces petroleum-based films with a bio-based waste product that, unlike most other bio-based polymers, completely decomposes in within three months.
The inventive, waste-free, single-serve coffee system means that portioned coffee no longer needs to be surrounded by an aluminum or plastic capsule.
Venues with proper composting infrastructure can utilize the playbook to prevent plastic and organic waste from accumulating in landfills. Future editions will further explore how to expand venue logistics to implement comprehensive zero-waste programs.
Cross-Posted from From Purpose to Action: Building a Sustainable Future Together. Enabling a circular economy is a complicated challenge that governments, communities and businesses globally are struggling to solve. But as Dow’s work in Africa proves, solutions exist — and success comes when organizations and communities collaborate to create change rooted in local context.
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. Once ranked the ‘greenest’ country in the world, Finland’s strong R&D programs have kept the country at the forefront of innovation in bio-based and circular solutions for materials and packaging.
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Many brands that offer pre-owned merchandise through their own retail channels initially do it for sustainability reasons — to keep useful products out of landfills. While that is an important benefit of recommerce, thinking of it only in those terms is overlooking major business opportunities.
Cross-Posted from From Purpose to Action: Building a Sustainable Future Together. The overall puzzle of ocean restoration is complex; but to Dow, it is clear that organized cleanups are one of the most important pieces — because they can create a spark that will ignite the type of passion it takes to drive change.
Between new approaches to labeling, innovative coatings, redistribution and data-driven solutions, retailers across the Western world continue to fight the good fight against food waste.
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Latest research from Planet Tracker proposes a practical business solution to the problem of plastic waste, whereby packaging is treated as an asset to be returned, rather than a liability to be tossed.