Plastics

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Sustainability experts from an array of businesses came together in London to discuss the potential solutions to energy and waste issues related to the circular economy

Circular roundtable: How can businesses accelerate the resource revolution?

Sustainability and corporate responsibility managers from a range of businesses recently gathered in London for an exclusive roundtable hosted by edie and EDF Energy, to discuss how organisations are stepping up efforts to accelerate a circular economy.
The commitment builds on CCA's recent elimination of plastic straws and stirrers across its Australian market

Australia's largest Coca-Cola bottler to launch 100% recycled plastic bottles this year

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has pledged to double the amount of recycled plastic it sources for inclusion in plastic bottle production, after green campaigners criticised parent firm The Coca-Cola Company for its continued use of high quantities of virgin plastics.
The packaging for each five-litre refill contains 66% less plastic than a 1.5-litre Evian bottle

Evian unveils refillable device in bid to slash plastic waste

French bottled water company Evian is set to begin trials of a new refillable in-home water appliance next month, in a bid to gauge consumer appetite for lower-plastic alternatives to single-use bottles.
Diageo will source 100% of the pulp used to make the new packaging from suppliers certified as sustainable

Diageo to remove plastic packaging from Guinness and beer multipacks

Beverage giant Diageo has today (15 April) revealed that it is investing £16m in an initiative which will see all plastic packaging removed from its Guinness, Smithwicks and Harp multipacks.
LRS's first trial of plastic-free seaweed sachets last year proved to be a success

How Lucozade's seaweed sachet trials are spurring lasting behavior change around plastics

EXCLUSIVE: Following a successful pilot at two races last summer, Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) last week confirmed that it will hand out 30,000 drinks in edible seaweed sachets at this year's London Marathon. But will these events generate lasting changes to consumer behaviour surrounding plastics?
An artist's impression of the plant. Image: Peel Environmental

Plans to build UK's first plastic-to-hydrogen recycling plant unveiled

Energy-from-waste firm Waste2Tricity has revealed plans to develop the UK's first industrial-scale facility capable of converting waste plastics into hydrogen in Cheshire.

Pushing back on plastic pollution: Six steps to tackling one of sustainability’s biggest issues

When it comes to tackling the global plastics crisis, we are only just scratching the surface. However, ambitious change initiatives are emerging and plastics is firmly in the public eye.

This weekly round-up explores how businesses across the world are ramping up efforts across all areas of sustainable development

Budweiser's plastic football pitch and Arval's EV chargers: the sustainability success stories of the week

As part of our Mission Possible campaign, edie brings you this weekly round-up of five of the best sustainability success stories of the week from across the globe.
Consumers can send up to 15 food pouches to TerraCycle at a time

Asda, TerraCycle and Ella's Kitchen launch baby food pouch recycling scheme

Recycling firm TerraCycle and baby food brand Ella's Kitchen have a launched a six-month trial partnership with Asda to increase the recyclability of baby food pouches.
Waste streams for recycling will be collected from 10 stores across Swindon and Bristol

Tesco to trial plastic-to-oil innovation which makes all packaging 'recyclable'

Supermarket giant Tesco has inked a deal with Swindon-based recycling firm Recycling Technologies, which will see the retailer trial an innovative system that converts soft plastics back into oil.
Unilever has been incorporating recycled plastics into its packaging since 2013

Unilever launches 100% recycled and recyclable washing up liquid bottle

Unilever has launched a fully recyclable plastic bottle made from 100% recycled content under its soap brand Sunlight, marking a first for the consumer goods firm's South African arm.
The directive will target items such as straws, stirrers and cotton buds, as well as polystyrene cups and oxo-degradable plastics

European parliament votes to ban single-use plastics

The European parliament has voted to ban single-use plastic cutlery, cotton buds, straws and stirrers as part of a sweeping law against plastic waste that despoils beaches and pollutes oceans.
The bottles will have a shorter and more transparent outer sleeve

Ribena bottles to be redesigned in bid to boost recycling rates

Beverage giant Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) has unveiled plans to redesign its range of Ribena bottles so that they can be easily recycled within the UK's existing waste management facilities.
Plastics recycling rates across Sub-Saharan Africa are currently less than 10%

Big-name corporates collaborate to spur plastics recycling progress in Africa

A group of four multinational corporations – Unilever, Nestle, Diageo and The Coca-Cola Company – have launched a joint initiative aimed at expanding the plastics recycling economy in Africa's Sub-Saharan region.
he Asda-owned brand will also look into microfibre shedding

George at Asda to use recycled plastic bottles in clothing and homeware ranges

Asda's fashion and homeware brand, George, will incorporate recycled plastic bottles in its products, as part of a commitment to only use polyester made from recycled materials by 2025.
Tesco is the latest supermarket to trial packaging-free fresh produce in a bid to cut back on plastic waste

Tesco trials plastic-free fruit and veg selection

Supermarket Tesco is trialling packaging-free fresh produce at two stores in Watford and Swindon, in a bid to monitor whether the remove of plastic packaging for select products will impact levels of food waste.
The ghost gear issue from fishing has been described as a

Progress to tackle fishing 'ghost gear' missing best-practice leadership, report claims

Progress has been made on discarded and abandoned fishing gear in the world's oceans, but more needs to be done on the issue, a new report has been suggested.

It’s time to turn off the tap

Greenpeace recently tweeted, 'If your bath was overflowing you wouldn't immediately reach for the mop - you'd turn off the tap'. In this instance, they were referring to the spiralling impact of single-use plastics but in truth, this statement holds true for pretty much any type of waste, as Richard Gillies explains.

The phase-out will cover all of Aldi's UK and Ireland stores

Aldi targets plastic glitter phase-out by 2020

Supermarket chain Aldi has pledged to remove plastic glitter from 100% of its own-brand products by 2020, starting with its Halloween 2019 range.
The initiative is due to launch in May and will accept packaging from any drinks brand or packaging producer

UK's first nationwide recycling scheme for plastic six pack rings unveiled

Plastic six pack ring producer Hi-Cone has partnered with recycling firm TerraCycle to launch the UK's first national recycling scheme for the packaging.
Under the scheme, packaging from all crisp brands are accepted for reprocessing

Walkers collects 500,000 crisp packets in recycling scheme

Walkers has posted the first update on its nationwide crisp packet recycling scheme, revealing that more than 500,000 packets have been collected since its launch in December 2018.
The trial scheme launched today (18 March) and will run for six weeks

Aldi removes plastic packaging from fresh vegetable lines

Aldi has removed the flexible plastic wrapping from five of its fresh vegetable lines in its Scottish stores, in a bid to explore consumer attitudes to loose produce.
The commitment is being supported by investors, non-profit organisations and national governments as well as business

Business giants unveil new plastics pledges after joining global Ellen MacArthur Foundation commitment

A coalition of more than 150 businesses has revealed new pledges to reduce their plastics use and waste, after joining the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's new Global Commitment, which was launched late last year.
Post-consumer plastic recycled using traditional methods (left) and using PureCycle's process (right)

Nestlé backs P&G's closed-loop solution for plastics

Food and beverage giant Nestlé has partnered with the developer of Procter & Gamble's (P&G) plastics innovation concept, in a bid to bring an emerging technology which restores recycled plastic streams to 'near-virgin' quality to market.
The funding will be bolstered by contributions by other governments, waste management firms and big-name corporates such as Unilever

UK doubles aid support for plastic recycling in developing nations

The UK has doubled the amount of financial aid it will send to developing nations to help combat plastic pollution and boost plastic recycling rates overseas.

From trend report to meaningful action: How can we use insight to drive change?

We're fast approaching a decade that's set to be extremely turbulent, one that's threatening great uncertainty and volatility. As we hit the 2020s, the window of opportunity to create a sustainable world - one in which everyone, everywhere can lead fulfilling lives on a healthy planet - is narrower and more challenging than ever before.

Lidl will assess the trial’s environmental impact and also the response of customers prior to making any final decision on the scheme

Lidl to trial removal of all plastic bags at Welsh stores

Plans have been announced by supermarket retailer Lidl to remove all 9p plastic bags from its stores in Wales.
A collection of KP packaging with the pellets made out of the packaging waste

KP launches national snack packaging recycle scheme

A national recycling scheme for prepacked nuts, popcorn, crisps and pretzels has been launched by KP Snacks.
The oceans are suffering from biodiversity loss, plastic pollution and rising temperatures

Manmade coral reefs and Seabins: The best green innovations to mark the World Ocean Summit

As delegates head back from a three-day World Ocean Summit in Abu Dhabi, edie has pulled together six of the best innovations that can improve the health of the world's oceans.
Energy Leaders Club members can choose from three topics to solve: Changing energy behaviours and driving engagement; Unlocking energy innovations; and achieving energy self-sufficiency

Co-creating energy solutions: edie to take 'Design Sprint' format for next Club event

Following in the footsteps of a series of sustainability ‘thinkathons’ at recent events, edie will be utilising a ‘Design Sprint’ process to solve business-critical energy challenges at a free event for senior energy managers next month.
Global plastic production, pollution and incineration is set to continue rising despite corporate action, WWF has found

Corporates yet to take responsibility for role in the plastics crisis, report warns

Despite a fresh wave of commitments from corporates to reduce their plastic footprint or ban certain single-use items, the wider business community is still failing to accept responsibility for the plastic pollution it produces by placing the onus on consumers.
Between eight and 12 million tonnes of plastic is believed to seep into the oceans each year

Sky partners with Ambienta to spur corporate funding for projects tackling ocean plastic

Broadcaster Sky's Ocean Ventures arm has forged a partnership with European investment fund Ambienta to help drive investment into projects targeting plastic pollution across all levels of the value chain.
The report argues that megatrends such as population growth and migration have caused a

Plastics and biodiversity: Forum for the Future spotlights sustainability's biggest challenges

Global non-profit Forum for the Future has named plastic pollution and biodiversity loss as two of the "fundamental" sustainability challenges of the 2020s, arguing that governments and corporates have not yet adopted holistic, long-term solutions to these issues.
The bottle consists of 100% recycled material and is, in turn, 100% recyclable

SC Johnson launches industry-first 100% ocean plastic bottle

Home cleaning product manufacturer SC Johnson has developed the industry's first plastic bottle made entirely from recycled ocean plastic for its Windex cleaning brand.
The SRA is calling on hospitality firms to bolster their climate, plastic and meat-reduction actions

Hospitality trade urged to step up to the plate on climate action

Foodservice firms across the country have been called upon to accelerate efforts to tackle climate change, through a new report by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).
Scientists say it is likely no marine ecosystems are left that are not affected by pollution

World's deepest waters becoming 'ultimate sink' for plastic waste

The world's deepest ocean trenches are becoming "the ultimate sink" for plastic waste, according to a study that reveals contamination of animals even in these dark, remote regions of the planet.
The UK is estimated to send more than one million tonnes of black plastics to landfill every year

Closed-loop solution for black plastics receives £800,000 Government backing

A project aimed at creating a solution for hard-to-recycle black plastic that places recycled content into food-grade packaging has been awarded £800,000 under the UK Government's Innovate UK grant scheme, in order to bring the technology to market.

Iceland has set the prices of all loose product lines to be lower than those of their pre-packaged equivalents

Iceland removes plastic packaging from fresh produce lines in 'greengrocer' scheme

Supermarket Iceland is trialing the removal of plastic packaging from its fruit and vegetable lines at one of its largest UK stores, in a bid to gauge whether consumers are willing to buy loose produce.
The first reading of the bill will take place today (25 February), with a second reading earmarked for 15 March

Cross-party MPs back call for nationwide ban on single-use plastics by 2025

A group of MPs from across the political spectrum have given their backing to a new draft bill on plastic pollution, which calls for all "non-essential" single-use plastics to be banned across the UK by 2025.
Between $80bn and $120bn is lost from the global economy every year due to a non-circular system for plastic packaging

Business giants team up to combat plastic pollution 'leaks'

Adidas, Dow Chemical Company and McDonald's are among the 18 big-name businesses to have co-founded a new alliance aimed at creating frameworks to measure, map and reduce plastic and microplastic pollution across the globe.
edie reporter Sarah George explores how Thinkathons could help corporates harness creative minds to tackle the plastics crisis

edie's Plastics Thinkathon results (Part Two): Solving the behaviour change challenge

With businesses continuing to develop plastic-reduction strategies in the face of ever-growing stakeholder pressure, edie recently hosted the world's first 'Plastics Thinkathon' to co-create scalable solutions to the issue. In the final part of this feature, Sarah George reveals the results to tackling behaviour change.

Community groups are encouraged to reach out to the organisations to create new recycling points

Hovis launches nationwide bread bag recycling scheme

British bread brand Hovis has announced a new partnership with recycling specialist TerraCycle to make it easier for its fully recyclable plastic bread bags to be correctly disposed of by households.
edie reporter Sarah George explores how Thinkathons could help corporates harness creative minds to tackle the plastics crisis

edie's Plastics Thinkathon results (Part One): The Lazy Lunch and shampoo bars

With businesses continuing to make plastic-reduction pledges in the face of ever-growing stakeholder pressure, edie recently hosted the world's first 'Plastics Thinkathon' to co-create scalable solutions to the issue. In this two-part feature, Sarah George reveals the potentially game-changing results.

The government is exploring two variants of the deposit return system

All in or on-the-go?: Green economy reacts to Defra's deposit return scheme vision

The consultation on the UK's waste management process has sparked new debates on standardised waste collections and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime. But the green economy wants to go "all in" on deposit return systems.
The Government estimates that an overhaul to the EPR system will raise between £800m and £1bn annually for recycling and disposal

Government unveils deposit return scheme blueprints as part of waste management revamp

The UK Government has launched a 12-week consultation to explore how a "world-leading" tax on plastic packaging, standardised waste collections across the country and varying deposit return schemes for single-use items could overhaul and modernise the national waste management system.
edie rounds up the key facts outlined in the IPPR's 'this is a crisis' report

#ThisIsACrisis: 7 harsh realities of the global climate crisis

As humanity's negative impacts on the planet continue to grow, a new landmark report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is warning that the time period we have left to avert an "age of environmental breakdown" is growing rapidly smaller. Here, edie rounds up seven of the report's key findings.
Lord Deben is one of the 12 policy leaders to have given his backing to Policy Connect's new report

Lord Deben: Closed-loop plastic system 'perfectly possible' with revamped policy

Measures outlined in the Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) could spur progress towards a “completely circular economy” for plastics by forcing businesses to reexamine "vested interests" and financial incentives, the Committee on Climate Change Chairman Lord Deben has argued.
UK recycling rates for plastic packaging have stagnated at between 38% and 45% for several years

Plastic budgets: Climate Change Act model could solve UK plastics crisis, MPs claim

Ahead of the Government's Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) consultations, MPs are calling for the "urgent" introduction plastic waste legislation which follows the framework of the Climate Change Act, setting ever-stricter and legally binding recycling targets.
The 10 bins at Marylebone Station are anticipated to collect 300,000 coffee cups annually

Chiltern Railways rolls out coffee cup recycling scheme across all its stations

Train operator Chiltern Railways has rolled out a coffee cup recycling scheme across its entire estate of 32 UK stations, after forging a partnership with waste solutions provider Simply Cups.
More than 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year

Sky and National Geographic launch Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge

Broadcaster Sky has launched a one-year competition alongside National Geographic to uncover and support new solutions that can help tackle single-use plastics through a $1.5m (£1.1m) investment fund.
The plastic recycling system in the UK has been in the spotlight since China banned imports of plastic

Plastic waste: UK should not pass buck to world's poorest, say MPs

A cross-party group of MPs is calling for a ban on the export of plastic waste over concerns the UK is passing the buck to the world's poorest people to clean up its rubbish.
Recycling rates at St Pancras have increased from 26% the year before to 79%

Eurostar turns to phase-outs and recycled content to lower plastics footprint

High-speed rail service Eurostar will phase-out plastic water bottles from its business lounges during 2019, in a move that will reduce the organisation's plastics footprint by more than 100,000 bottles annually.
Back in 2016, only 50 pairs of prototype UltraBOOST trainers were available

Adidas to double production of ocean plastic trainers in 2019

Sportswear giant Adidas has confirmed that it will produce more than twice as many pairs of trainers made using ocean plastic this year than it did in 2018, as consumer demand for products and packaging free from virgin plastic grows.

Take a look through all of the month's most-read news stories, and click the links in the descriptions below to read them for yourself

Shell's green energy plan and edie's Plastics Hub: The sustainability success stories of January 2019

As the first month of 2019 comes to a close, edie rounds up some of the most-read sustainability stories and standout pieces of content from the past 31 days - from Shell's decision to boost its investment in low-carbon technologies, to the launch of edie's own Mission Possible Plastics Hub.
The first eight bins, which are made from recycled plastic, were installed on Monday (28 January)

M&S rolls out in-store take-back scheme for hard-to-recycle plastics

Retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) has pledged to install take-back bins for hard-to-recycle plastics across the UK by the end of the year, after launching a new plastics recycling scheme this week.
The commitment will cover all of Ben & Jerry's 600+ scoop shops

Ben & Jerry's pledges to ban all single-use plastics by 2020

Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has pledged to remove all single-use plastic items and packaging from its products and stores by the end of 2020, replacing them with biodegradable or compostable alternatives.
Phone, tablet and smartwatch trays will be made from pulp-based alternatives

Samsung to remove all virgin plastic from consumer-facing packaging

South Korean technology firm Samsung has pledged to phase out all virgin plastic components from its consumer-facing packaging lines within the first half of 2019.
Successful applicants to the scheme will be given between £150,000 and £300,000 by Waitrose & Partners

Waitrose to invest £1m in innovative projects tackling plastic waste

Retailer Waitrose & Partners has today (28 January) launched a new £1m grant scheme which will funnel investment into projects and products aimed at tackling the global plastic pollution problem.
edie rounds up the key facts from Rajapack's study into ocean plastic pollution

In numbers: The global extent of marine plastic pollution

New research into the extent of the world's plastics pollution problem, which lays bare the environmental consequences of plastic waste entering oceans and waterways, has just been published. Here, edie rounds up the key facts and figures.
SC Johnson chairman Fisk Johnson recently visited Indonesia to further explore the global plastic pollution problem

SC Johnson and Ellen MacArthur Foundation partner to spur circular economy progress

US-based consumer goods firm SC Johnson has forged a new circular economy partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in a bid to scale-up closed-loop solutions to the global plastics pollution problem.
Dhruv Boruah will be supporting edie’s Plastics Thinkathon at the Sustainability Leaders Forum on 5-6 February

Thinkathons and Hackathons: How new ways of thinking could solve the plastics problem

With awareness of plastic pollution at an all-time high, the onus is now on corporates to harness young and creative minds in innovative ways to solve the issue. Could 'Hackathons' and 'Thinkathons' hold the key?
The webinar is now available on-demand

Top 10 tips to eliminate single-use plastics from your business

During a plastic-themed webinar late last week, representatives from Sky, Cranswick, Aquafil and A Plastic Planet gave their advice for professionals looking to eliminate single-use plastics from their organisations. Here, edie rounds up their key takeaways.
The webinar is available to watch on-demand for those registered

Available to watch on demand: edie's single-use plastics business transformation webinar

Sustainability professionals seeking insight on reducing and eliminating single-use plastics can now watch a free webinar that took place Thursday 17 January at 2pm, featuring expert speakers from A Plastic Planet, Sky and Cranswick.

Co-op's Iain Ferguson and Waitrose's Tor Harris offer expert insight on how business can reduce reliance on plastics

Sustainable Business Covered podcast: Advancing the plastics debate with Waitrose and Co-op

As part of a week of action on single-use plastics and the launch of edie's Plastics Hub, the Sustainable Business Covered podcast returns for 2019 with exclusive, plastic-focused interviews with sustainability experts at the Co-op, Surfers Against Sewage and Waitrose.
During a six-month trial of the bottle, Highland Spring found customers were not put off by its cloudy appearance or slightly higher price

Highland Spring rolls out UK's first 100% recycled water bottle

Scottish water brand Highland Spring has confirmed that it will make the UK's first water bottle made with 100% recycled plastic a permanent part of its range, following a successful trial.
This week's innovations demonstrate how plastic can be eliminated at source, recycled into new products and removed from waterways

Bubble barriers and 'naked' shampoo: Six of the best innovations for tackling plastics pollution

Following the launch of our Mission Possible Plastics Hub this week, edie has rounded up some of the ground-breaking innovations which could help businesses and nations ramp up their efforts to tackle the perils of plastic pollution, once and for all.
Deep-sea mining also posed a new threat to the oceans, and should be closely regulated, the report suggested

'Stop treating seas as a sewer,' MPs urge in bid for protection treaty

A new global agreement to protect the seas should be a priority for the government to stop our seas becoming a "sewer", according to a cross-party group of MPs.
M&S has employed trained greengrocers as part of the trial, to ensure customers know how to weigh and preserve their shopping

M&S removes plastic packaging and 'best-before' dates from produce

Retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) has begun trialling dozens of plastic-free fruit and vegetable lines without 'best-before' date stickers, in a bid to reduce consumer packaging and food waste outputs.
Lord Deben believes that microplastics and other

Lord Deben: Corporate action on plastic to 'evolve' beyond packaging

EXCLUSIVE: After two years of awareness-building and action on packaging sustainability, businesses must now approach the plastic waste crisis as a whole-systems issue, Committee on Climate Change (CCC) chairman Lord Deben has argued.
Over the two Thinkathon sessions, the group will explore how businesses can play a leading role in eliminating unnecessary single-use plastics

edie opens applications for 'Plastics Thinkathon' at Sustainability Leaders Forum

Sustainability, energy and resource efficiency professionals are being called upon to help businesses collectively solve the problem of plastics pollution by taking part in a unique 'Plastics Thinkathon' on the sidelines of edie's Sustainability Leaders Forum in London next month.
The Alliance will focus heavily on the prevention and clean up of plastics in rivers and oceans

Business giants commit $1bn to launch Alliance to End Plastic Waste

Major companies from across the plastics value chain, including Procter & Gamble (P&G), Veolia and ExxonMobil, have today (16 January) committed more than $1bn (£777m) as part of a new alliance aimed at eliminating plastic waste in the environment.
Nestlé owns more than 2,000 brands, which will all be housed in packaging that is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025

Nestlé set to launch its first plastic-free packaging in 2019

Food and beverage giant Nestlé has published a sweeping string of new sustainable packaging commitments, including plans for its first plastic-free packaging, and achieving 'plastic-neutrality'.
More than 33.5 million people have interacted with Sky Ocean Rescue across the broadcaster's core markets, so far

Ocean Rescue: How Sky's plastics campaign has ignited a wave of transformation

EXCLUSIVE: Two years on from the launch of its global campaign to educate and inspire the public and businesses to phase-out single-use plastics, Sky's head of Sky Ocean Rescue Fiona Ball sits down with edie to discuss the transformational impacts the project has had both inside and outside of the company.
The programme will collect lenses, blister packs and foil sachets from all brands

UK's first national recycling scheme launched for contact lenses

Consumer goods giant Johnson & Johnson has teamed up with Boots Opticians and recycling firm Terracycle to launch the first UK-wide recycling scheme for contact lenses and their packaging.
edie lists how 13 major businesses are performing against their plastic pledges

In depth: How are businesses performing against their plastic pledges?

Over the last two years, some the world's largest businesses have made ambitious new commitments to eliminating single-use plastics. Here, edie rounds up what progress some of these businesses have made to date.
edie will continue to add valuable news articles, features and exclusive interviews to the Mission Possible Plastics Hub throughout the year

edie launches Mission Possible Plastics Hub to help businesses solve plastic pollution

edie has today (15 January) launched the Mission Possible Plastics Hub - a brand-new, content-driven campaign that will support sustainability and resource efficiency professionals on our collective mission to eliminate single-use plastics.
The Mission Possible Plastics Hub is a new, dedicated section of the Mission Possible microsite that will host content related to business action plastics

From Sky to Unilever: 30 companies post plastic pledges on edie's Mission Possible Pledge Wall

EXCLUSIVE: As edie's dedicated week of business action on plastics waste launches, we can reveal that 30 businesses from across the country have committed an array of bold plastic-related pledges to edie's virtual Mission Possible Plastics Hub, with more to come.

Are brands ready to turn their plastics ambitions into actions?

Like plastics, talk is cheap. The world's largest businesses are continuously committing to various plastic phase-outs, but the time is now to move the dial and turn ambitions into action - and edie is here to help.
Sutherland argued that firms would need to champion whole-systems circularity, considering the resource efficiency of all products at every stage

A Plastic Planet: Businesses must do more than recycle to stay relevant

EXCLUSIVE: In an era of unprecedented consumer demand for plastic-free packaging and products, companies making their offerings recyclable are no longer doing enough - they must radically transform their business models to stay relevant and retain consumer trust.
Lush launched its first plastic-free locations in Berlin and Milan (pictured) last year

Lush to open UK's first plastic-free cosmetics store in Manchester

Health and beauty brand Lush has unveiled plans to open its first plastic-free shop in the UK this week, following the success of its 'naked' stores in Germany and Italy.
Although the inside of conventional crisp packets are shiny and look like foil, they are in fact a metallised plastic film

Crunch time for crisp makers as EU waste targets loom

The European Commission has set an EU-wide objective for all packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030. But crisp packets are a particular headache for policymakers and the recycling industry because they are so small and lightweight.
(L-R) Veris's head of strategy and business development Nick Green, CWG's head of sustainability Martin Gettings and Surfers Against Sewage CEO Hugo Tagholm

Canary Wharf Group launches AI-based app to help spur plastics action

London-based property giant Canary Wharf Group (CWG) has launched a smartphone app which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to encourage visitors to its estate to minimise their plastic waste footprint.

How can we turn the Blue Planet effect into impactful behaviour change?

In the UK, we have seen a growing public debate about the impact our lives have on the environment largely driven by the debate on single-use plastics, but how can we turn this awareness into impactful behaviour change?

As things stand, major problems in the plastic recycling industry are costing local councils in England up to £500,000 extra a year

Swindon eyes up ground-breaking facility that recycles 'all plastic'

Swindon Borough Council has today (7 January) announced that it is working on plans to deliver an advanced recycling facility for practically all plastics, including crisp packets and plastic film.
More than 280 of you have voted in our horizon-scanning poll

Meat and dairy, plastics and fashion: edie readers outline key sustainability trends of 2019

With widespread and ferocious opposition to plastics dominating the headlines in 2018, edie asked readers for their views on which sustainability issue would be the next to pique public, policy and corporate attention. Here, we round up your thoughts.
Have your say on what the 'hot topics' in the UK's sustainability sphere could be in 2019

VOTE: Which sustainability issue will have its 'plastics moment' in 2019?

New years are always a time of reflection, introspection and planning - for sustainability professionals and the general public alike. With this in mind, edie has explored the environmental and social issues which could have their own "plastics moment" in 2019.
The webinar will be available to watch on demand

Sky and Cranswick confirmed for edie's single-use plastics webinar

edie is bringing together a selection of leading retailers, manufacturers and circular economy experts for a special one-hour webinar taking place on Thursday 17 January to discuss how business can collaborate, innovate and actuate to eliminate single-use plastics.
edie shares some sustainability statistics which could put the UK on Santa's naughty list – but also what’s being done to tackle them

From puddings to packaging: Inside the UK's Christmas waste problem

It's the most wonderful time of the year - and also one of the most wasteful. With Christmas less than a week away, edie rounds-up some of the most shocking sustainability statistics of the festive season.
The beverage firm has also unveiled a behaviour change scheme to boost its straw and carton recycling rates

Ribena to launch lightweight bottles made from 100% recycled plastic

Soft drinks firm Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) is set to launch a lightweight redesign of its Ribena bottles in the new year, in a bid to further reduce its plastic output.

Under the proposals, producers will be forced to pay full net-costs of disposal of packaging they place on the market – up from just 10% now

Major packaging reforms spearhead Resources and Waste Strategy

A huge overhaul of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system has been proposed today (18 December) in the Government's Resources & Waste Strategy, which also includes plans for separate household food waste collections and a nationwide deposit return scheme.
Glitter is made up of tiny pieces of plastic, which can end up in the water where they are difficult to break down

Waitrose targets glitter phase-out by 2020

Waitrose has pledged to phase out glitter from its own-label cards, wrap, crackers, tags, flowers and plants, as part of plans to reduce the impact of plastics on the environment.
Take a look back at 10 of the biggest sustainability stories that edie reported on in 2018

Plastics action, energy storage and climate warnings: The top sustainability stories of 2018

As 2018 draws to a close, the edie team reflects on the key stories which defined corporate sustainability and drove new levels of action in 2018.
Hubbub's flagship waste-cleaning boat, Poly-mer, has taken more than 1,000 people on plastic fishing trips since November 2017

Hubbub to launch third waste-cleaning boat as part of UK 'plastic fishing' tour

Environmental charity Hubbub has unveiled plans to launch its third waste-cleaning boat made from recycled plastic, after partnering with media giant Mirror Group to launch a nationwide "plastic fishing" tour.
pladis UK & Ireland is the 69th UK business to sign WRAP's UK Plastics Pact since it launched in April

Confectionary giant strengthens packaging commitments

The snack manufacturing company behind brands such as McVitie's and Jacob's has today (7 December) joined WRAP's UK Plastics Pact, committing itself to making all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
The webinar is available to watch on-demand

Available on demand: edie's 'Preparing to lead' sustainable business power hour webinar

Sustainability professionals seeking advice and insight on how to hit the ground running in 2019 to transform their approach to CSR and increase actions and ambitions can now watch a free edie webinar, featuring speakers from Ball Corporation, Canary Wharf Group and PwC.
The funding forms part of the Government's Industrial Strategy, which aims to address issues of pollution and resource scarcity

Government pledges £60m to spur development of bioplastic innovations

The UK Government has today (5 December) unveiled plans to invest £60m in projects aimed at developing closed-loop bioplastics made from industrial or post-consumer food waste.
Rupert Maitland-Titterton has worked at Kellogg Europe for almost five years, leading the firm's packaging sustainability strategy

How Kellogg Europe is targeting a sector-wide shift to sustainable packaging

EXCLUSIVE: As consumer and investor demand for sustainable packaging rises, companies within the global food and drink sector must co-create solutions to resource efficiency and recycling infrastructure challenges with their competitors, consumers and supply chains.
The webinar will be available to watch on demand afterwards

Canary Wharf Group, Ball and PwC complete speaker line up for edie's sustainability leadership webinar

Sustainability experts from manufacturing firm Ball Beverage Packaging Europe, property giant Canary Wharf Group and professional services firm PwC will appear on a free sustainability leadership webinar, taking place next week.
edie rounds up the key facts from Pro Carton and Coleman Parkes Research's survey on sustainable packaging

In numbers: The growing consumer demand for sustainable packaging

A new survey of 7,000 consumers across seven European markets garnering their views on plastic packaging, packaging recyclability and related green policies has been published. Here, edie rounds up the key facts and figures.
During the Theos annual lecture in London, Gove said he would carry on as Environment Secretary “for as long as I can be useful” to Defra

Michael Gove confirms further single-use plastic measures to feature in Resources & Waste Strategy

EXCLUSIVE: Environment Secretary Michael Gove has revealed that the Government is set to unveil new restrictions on single-use plastics before the end of the year.

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