Waste Not
The latest in the growing number of efforts directed at reducing, repurposing and ultimately eliminating waste in all its forms.
The Earth's Circular Economy: Not a Practical Solution to Our Waste Issues
This is the second in a four-part series on geomimicry by renowned author and George Mason University professor Dr. Gregory C. Unruh. Read part one here.
Rubicon Global Crowns Inaugural 'Waste Fit Champions' at New Metrics '18
Rubicon Global — a technology company providing waste, recycling and smart city solutions to businesses and governments worldwide — along with the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) and surplus food donation-management platform Goodr, tonight announced the list of inaugural “Waste Fit Champions,” a program designed to recognize the best sustainability leaders that are cutting down on waste, improving rec
Rubicon Pilots Driving Customers of All Sizes Toward Zero Waste
Working with customers of all sizes, B Corporation Rubicon Global is advancing its mission to end waste worldwide through delivering comprehensive waste reduction and recycling programs for its partners. The movement towards a zero-waste environment is growing in industries like restaurants, retail, education, grocery stores, and small and large corporations alike, and Rubicon is situated to help businesses achieve their goals in this area.
Brands Starting to ‘Go Postal’ Around Packaging Waste
Consumers are increasingly told to recycle more, say ‘no’ to plastic straws, bring reusable bags and containers for shopping, and prevent food waste by buying local and composting scraps. With the new report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) saying that even if we were to make massive changes, we only have about twelve years to divert away from climate catastrophe, this narrative has only heightened.
HP, IKEA Join Group Developing Global Supply Chain for Ocean-Bound Plastics
Today, NextWave Plastics — a collaborative, open-source initiative convening leading technology and consumer-focused companies to develop the first global network of ocean-bound plastics supply chains — announced that HP Inc. and IKEA are joining its global consortium. The addition of HP and IKEA marks 10 companies collaborating to “turn off the tap” of plastic entering the ocean.
Trending: Scottish Ale, 3D Printing Filament Among Latest Food Waste Innovations
A Canadian startup called Genecis, formed by a group of graduates from the University of Toronto Scarborough, is upcycling food waste into biodegradable plastics, which can then be used in everything from 3D printing filament to packaging.
African Union, Champions 12.3 Unveil 3 Latest Weapons in Food Waste Fight
At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015, countries committed to Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3, calling for the world to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030. Now three years on, Champions 12.3 — a global coalition of sustainable food champions — is tracking progress toward this fast-approaching target and finding that the private sector has seized the opportunity to tackle food loss and waste.
The Ocean Cleanup, Story of Stuff Set Their Sights on San Francisco's Marine Plastic Pollution
The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organization that made waves in 2015 with its grand plans and new approach to ridding the oceans of plastic, last weekend launched the world’s first ocean cleanup system from the San Francisco Bay. “System 001” headed to a location 240 nautical miles offshore for a two-week trial before continuing its journey toward the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 1,200 nautical miles offshore, to start the cleanup. System 001 is being towed from the San Francisco Bay by the vessel Maersk Launcher, which has been made available to the project by A.P.
But What Happens If You Use Up All the Plastic?
One of the most frequently asked questions I get when pitching Thread is “what happens if you run out of plastic to recycle?”
Plastics’ Effect on Waste: The Answer Might Surprise You
The latest plastic product to come under fire is plastic straws. Before that, it was bags; and before that, foam foodservice items. Have you ever stopped to ask, why do we use so much plastic, especially plastic packaging? The answer depends on the type of packaging, but one of the overriding answers is that plastic is more resource efficient than its competing materials. In other words, it takes less energy (a key resource) to do the job.
Could You or Your Colleagues Be Waste Fit Champions?
Have you been busy shedding paper weight? Do you know someone who’s lost pounds of plastic, aluminum and glass? Is your business slimming down sustainably? Rubicon Global — a leader in providing waste, recycling, and smart city solutions to businesses and governments — is on the hunt for the leaders who are shaping up their organization’s sustainability plans by slimming down on waste.
Interactive Calculator Reveals True Cost of the Food We Waste
We’ve all occasionally bought too much or waited too long to eat our fresh fruit and veg, but what is the true impact of the food we throw away? UK food tech company It’s Fresh! has launched a food waste calculator to enable consumers to understand the true cost of the fruit and vegetables they discard.
Thread Forges 'Better Backpack' with 'Most Responsible Fabric on the Planet'
Thread, the Pittsburgh-based startup that's collected over 41 million plastic bottles from landfill communities in Haiti and Honduras and created fabric for some of the world's leading brands, today launched its own product on Kickstarter with a first-of-its-kind bag — the Better Backpack.
Rethinking Plastic Litter: Improve Your LCAs and Reduce Your Personal Impacts
Litter. It seems like such a ‘60s word, but it’s time to dust it off and rethink it — especially in the context of plastics and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). Start with the fact that more than 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the environment annually, much of it into our oceans. That’s almost 3 percent (and perhaps more) of all plastic produced annually.
The Case for Change: Why We Need to Address Our Clothing Footprint Now
It’s time to face the facts. By 2030, we will consume 102 million tons of apparel per year, an increase of 63 percent from 2017. And by 2050, the global-fashion industry will consume a quarter of the world’s annual carbon budget — which represents the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions that can be emitted to keep climate change “tolerable.”
Timing Is Everything When It Comes to Fresh Produce
Have you ever wondered why your fresh produce often spoils long before the expiration date says it should? Food waste is a frustrating phenomenon that not only affects our environment but also impacts consumers’ wallets and businesses’ bottom lines. Up to 40 percent of the food we produce gets thrown out, costing the nation an estimated $218 Billion each year; furthermore, food waste accounts for more than 2.6 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions annually — the equivalent of 37 million passenger vehicles.
Trending: Liquor Giants Serve Waste Reduction with a Twist in New Product, Campaign
“In 2016, Bacardi led the drinks industry with the first #NoStraws campaign focusing on eliminating single-use plastic straws from its cocktails,” explained Dune Ives, executive director of Lonely Whale, a non-profit dedicated to positively impact the health of the ocean.
The Last Straws? Starbucks Eliminating Them Globally, More Regional Bans
Following Vancouver’s approval of a strategic plan to achieve zero waste and phase out plastic straws and other select packaging, its neighbor to the south is also taking action. Seattle recently became the first major U.S.
Trending: ¡Yappah!, Apeel Avocados, Taylor Farms Continue Food Waste Fight
Food waste remains a huge and costly problem, costing $2.6 trillion dollars in lost value globally each year. The U.S. retail food sector alone generates eight million tons of waste annually in distribution centers and stores, equivalent to about $18 billion a year in lost value for retailers.
Trending: Single-Use Plastics Continue to be Tossed – By Brands, Nations Imposing Bans
It’s a tough time to be a plastic straw producer. Over the past few months, it seems the message has broken through that plastic straws are harmful to the environment – and marine life in particular – that phase outs and bans are warranted.
