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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.
Bold targets and lifecycle assessments: Experts outline key drivers to combat single-use plastics
Sustainability experts from Sky, Surfdome and Nestlé have outlined how bold aspirations that target problematic plastics through the broader view of climate change can help spur the private sector towards a circular economy.
Starbucks to halve environmental impacts as part of 'resource-positive' strategy
Global coffee company Starbucks has announced new preliminary targets to halve carbon emissions, water use and waste sent to landfill by 2030, as part of a new long-term mission to become resource positive by storing more carbon than emitted, eliminate waste and replenishing freshwater.
Businesses not examining carbon impact of plastics alternatives, edie survey finds
An edie survey of almost 300 sustainability and resource professionals has found that almost 50% of businesses haven't examined the carbon impact of single-use plastics alternatives, amidst growing calls for businesses to intertwine actions on plastics and climate change.
Sustainable Business Covered podcast: edie and Nestlé's plastics deep dive
The Sustainable Business Covered podcast returns for 2020, with edie bringing you exclusive interviews with Sky, Tideway, the University of Leeds and episode sponsors Nestlé for an episode dedicated to tackling single-use plastics.
Spurring collaboration and collective action to create a waste-free future
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Nestlé commits £1.6bn to food-grade recycled plastics, pledges to cut virgin plastics use by a third
Food and beverage giant Nestlé has committed £1.59bn to source food-grade recycled plastics to be used in its packaging, alongside a pledge to cut the amount of virgin plastics it sources by a third.
Available on-demand: Watch all three sessions of edie's single-use plastics online event
Sustainability experts from Sky, Nestlé, Eurostar, Canary Wharf Group and Surfdome all discussed the role of businesses in collaborating, innovating and actuate to eliminate single-use plastics, as part of an online event that is now available to watch on-demand.
Report: One in five UK businesses not motivated by environmental impact of plastics
Keep Britain Tidy and Brita UK have called on UK businesses to explore behaviour change and staff engagement initiatives to accelerate action on single-use plastics, after their survey found that 20% of businesses are 'not at all' motivated by the environmental impacts of the plastics they use.
edie launches best-practice guide for businesses tackling single-use plastics
edie has launched a new report, sponsored by Nestlé, that outlines the steps businesses can and should take to identify, reduce, replace and eliminate single-use plastics from their operations, supply chains and products and services.
Single-use plastics: The 2020 roadmap for sustainable business
It’s been one of the biggest sustainable business issues of the past decade: tackling the scourge of single-use plastics. In 2018-19, the so-called “Attenborough effect” gave this issue the mainstream attention it deserved, and thousands of businesses duly began to ramp up their efforts to eliminate single- use plastics from their operations and the supply chain.
Every business has a critical role to play in reducing single-use plastics
In the two years since Blue Planet II ignited interest in the volume of plastic being used and discarded daily, businesses have made real progress in their efforts to eliminate single-use plastics.
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With the welcoming in of the New Year humanity has entered the final decade where there is still time left to take meaningful action and undo the environmental damage caused by our consumerist habits.
Colgate launches recyclable plastic toothpaste tube
Colgate Palmolive has launched a new vegan-friendly toothpaste range packaged in a first-of-its-kind recyclable plastic tube, with the technology set to be shared with competitor brands.
Wates Group targets zero waste and carbon by 2025
Private-owned construction firm Wates Group has committed to new goals that target zero waste from all onsite operations and zero carbon emissions from operations and vehicle fleets by 2025.
Naked products and take-back schemes: How are businesses designing their way out of single-use plastics?
To mark edie's Plastics Week of content dedicated to helping businesses design their way out of single-use plastics, this round-up features the innovative ways that business giants have started to turn the tide on plastics waste.
Viridor and phs agree deal to generate power from nappies and sanitary products
Waste management company Viridor has inked a new multi-million-pound contract with washroom services firm phs Group, that will divert non-recyclable hygiene waste such as nappies and sanitary products from landfill to be used for power generation.
Plastics packaging phase-outs leading to environmental consequences, report warns
A new report from the Green Alliance has shown the companies are under "considerable and justified pressure" to move away from single-use plastics, often at the expense of carbon impacts and recyclability of alternative materials.
Single-use plastics: Two weeks left to register for free online event
Registration is now open for an afternoon of live, interactive webinar presentations and discussions from companies such as Eurostar, Nestlé and Sky on Thursday 16 January - all dedicated to helping businesses collaborate, innovate and actuate to eliminate single-use plastics.
Co-op targets 100% recyclable packaging by summer 2020
The Co-op has moved the deadline for ensuring that 100% of the packaging on its own-brand lines is easy-to-recycle forward from 2023 to summer 2020.
20 New Year's resolutions for sustainability professionals in 2020 and beyond
A new decade is upon us, and as the window to reverse and alleviate the climate crisis shortens, new long-term targets can provide sustainability professionals with the motivation and drive to transform their organisations into forces of good.
UK Plastics Pact 'set to eliminate one billion unnecessary single-use items'
Business signatories to WRAP's UK Plastics Pact are set to distribute one billion fewer pieces of "problematic" and unnecessary single-use plastic in 2020 than they did in 2018.
In numbers: Why Christmas is the most wasteful time of the year
Christmas is said to be the most wonderful time of the year - but it's certainly the most wasteful. As the big day approaches, edie rounds up some of the most shocking resources and waste statistics of the 2019 festive season.
A decade in review: Vote for the defining sustainability moment of the 2010s
As the 2010s draw to a close, edie has analysed the key moments and announcements that push sustainability and climate action from a niche activity to a global necessity. Cast your vote to decide which of the seven moments was most profound.
Mars and Nestle spearhead chemicals recycling scheme for plastics
Mars and Nestlé have teamed up with packaging solutions firm Citeo, energy giant Total and recycling technology provider Recycling Technologies to develop an industrial chemical recycling process for plastic packaging in France.
New report reveals surge in employee engagement on energy issues
EXCLUSIVE: The UK's declaration of a climate emergency combined with the recent climate strikes and protests has fuelled a surge in awareness of energy issues among employees across the country, according to the latest Business Energy Barometer conducted by edie.
Google partners with Ellen MacArthur Foundation to tackle plastic pollution using tech
Google will increase its efforts to develop and scale up new technologies that tackle plastics waste and pollution, after joining the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy initiative.
Iceland calls for supplier support to reach plastics phase-out target
Iceland has sent letters to all of its suppliers, calling on them to support the retailer in eliminating plastics packaging from its own-label products by the end of 2023.
'Bags for life' making plastic problem worse, say campaigners
Plastic "bags for life" should be banned or raised in price, campaigners say, as new figures reveal a surge in the bags is fuelling a rise in the plastic packaging footprint of leading supermarkets.
Selfridges bans single-use wet wipes over plastics concerns
Selfridges has removed all single-use beauty wipes from its in-store Beauty Halls and its online offering, in a bid to reduce the plastic footprint of its customers' bathroom routines.
Whitbread to remove 'unnecessary' single-use plastics from premises by 2025
Hospitality firm Whitbread has pledged to rid all 800 of its UK hotels and restaurants of unnecessary single-use plastics by 2025, and has called on other UK firms to do the same.
Nestlé, Walmart and Borealis sign up to Ellen MacArthur Foundation's global plastics commitment
The world's largest food company, Nestlé, and the world's largest retailer, Walmart, have joined chemicals company Borealis in becoming Core Partners to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy.
Coca-Cola to replace plastic shrink wrap with paper packaging across Europe
Coca-Cola and its European bottling partners will remove shrink wrap from its can multipacks, to be replaced with a €15m (£12.8m) investment into a paper-based packaging solution by the end of 2021.
Morrisons eliminates black plastics packaging
Morrisons has claimed it has completely removed hard-to-recycle black plastics from its own-brand ranges.
Progress over perfection: Can McDonald's design its way out of single-use plastics?
McDonald's vice president of global sustainability Keith Kenny has claimed that the consumer-facing business needs to couple lifecycle analysis of its packaging with consumer demands in order to phase-out plastics in a secure way and without impacting customer experience.
McDonald's ditches plastic McFlurry and drinks lids across Europe
McDonald's has announced a range of new trials and pilots to remove single-use plastics and improve recyclability, including the removal of plastic McFlurry lids across Europe, the introduction of renewable fibre lids in France and a toy take-back scheme in the UK.
From plastics to rewilding: How Eurostar is gaining a competitive edge in the era of eco-travel
EXCLUSIVE: With flight shaming placing the profitability of the aviation sector at risk, international high-speed rail service Eurostar believes a legacy of action on carbon, plastics and now rewilding will help build customer trust.
Circular economy 'number one priority' of European Green Deal and net-zero ambitions
The circular economy, including new waste and recycling laws, will represent "half" of the EU's effort to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and will be erected as "the number one priority" of the upcoming European Green Deal, officials have said.
High-street chains sign up to refill pilot to reduce single-use plastic packaging
A host of high-street food and drink retailers, including LEON, Asda, Waitrose and Costa have joined a new pilot offering refillable options for commodities such as water, coffee, groceries and toiletries, in a bid to cut down on the amount of single-use plastic purchased by consumers.
Just Eat and Unilever brand Hellmann's to reduce plastics through seaweed sachet trials
Just Eat has partnered with Unilever brand Hellmann's to trial sauce sachets made of seaweed in an attempt to reduce single-use plastics.
Sky debuts plastic-free café as part of Ocean Rescue campaign
Media giant Sky has today (4 November) opened a plastic-free café at its headquarters in Brentford, as it strives to remove all single-use plastics from its products and operations by 2020.
Tesco to remove one billion plastic pieces from products by end of 2020
Tesco will remove one billion pieces of plastic from products sold in UK stores, including ready meal trays, straws from drinks cartons and packaging for clothing and greeting cards, by the end of 2020.
Marston's to remove 500,000 plastic bottles from inns by end of the year
Pub chain Marston's has committed to removing its annual use of almost 500,000 plastic bottles from its 60 inns by the end of 2019.
Redesign, collaborate and collect: Inside Coca-Cola European Partner's plastics strategy
EXCLUSIVE: Coca-Cola European Partners' (CCEP) vice president of sustainability, Joe Franses, looks across the company's four-pillar sustainable packaging roadmap to outline how collection, redesign and removal can ensure that all its packaging is collected and reused.
Online retailer Zalando commits to net-zero emissions and plastic-free packaging
Online fashion platform Zalando has confirmed it will operate as a net-zero carbon emissions business from today (30 October), as well as committing to eliminating single-use plastics from its packaging by 2023.
Henkel invests in recycling innovation for flexible plastics packaging
Consumer goods giant Henkel has invested in a startup that has developed a recycling technology for flexible plastics packaging which contains aluminium foil, such as crisp packets, juice pouches and single-use toiletry sachets.
Asda and Ella's Kitchen's baby food pouch recycling scheme goes national after trial success
Baby food brand Ella's Kitchen has unveiled plans to roll out its recycling scheme for packaging which isn't collected at kerbsides nationally, after a successful trial with Asda and TerraCycle.
Danone partners with The Ocean Cleanup Project to remove plastic pollution from rivers
Evian, through its parent company Danone, has forged a partnership with Dutch startup The Ocean Cleanup Project in order to develop and scale up innovations aimed at "catching" and removing plastic debris from rivers and waterways.
Asda brings recycled plastic target forward five years
Asda has brought the deadline for its target of ensuring that 30% of plastics used in packaging comes from recycled feedstocks, originally set for 2025, forward to 2020.
World's largest seafood firms pledge to tackle abandoned plastic fishing gear
A coalition of ten of the world's biggest seafood companies have joined a scheme connecting businesses, non-profits, scientists and public sector bodies in a bid to tackle the 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear abandoned in the world's oceans each year.
P&G to more than double recycled plastic content for home cleaning brands in Europe
Procter & Gamble (P&G) has announced it will more than double the amount of recycled plastic used in its packaging for domestic cleaning brands such as Fairy and Flash in Europe by 2020.
Business giants making 'promising' progress in tackling plastic waste
Over the last 12 months, some of the world's biggest businesses have made "promising" progress in efforts to eliminate single-use plastics and transition to a circular economy, according to a new report which revealed that pledges to increase recycled plastic in packaging have grown five-fold.
BP invests £19.5m in innovative pilot plant for 'unrecyclable' plastics
BP's Petrochemicals arm has unveiled plans for a multi-million dollar investment in an innovative recycling technology designed to create a second life for "previously unrecyclable" packaging.
Huggies to eliminate plastics from baby wipes and packaging
Kimberly-Clark-owned brand Huggies has pledged to eliminate plastics from its baby wipe range in the UK over the next five years and launch a portfolio next year that will allow consumers to return packaging to supermarkets to be recycled.
John Lewis ditches plastic Christmas cracker toys
John Lewis & Partners has pledged not to sell Christmas crackers with plastic toys inside after the 2019 festive season.
Dove unveils plastic-free beauty bar packaging and 100% recycled plastic bottles
Dove has committed to removing all non-recycled plastic from certain bottle lines by the end of the year and debuted a new, plastic-free packaging format for its beauty bar soap.
SC Johnson to improve recycling infrastructure in developing nation to combat ocean plastics
SC Johnson has partnered with economic development firm Plastic Bank to upscale access to recycling infrastructure in developing regions and leverage blockchain technology to stop plastic waste from entering into oceans while improving economic and social outlooks for communities.
UK retailers to generate 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste from Halloween costumes
Halloween costumes sold by UK retailers are set to generate more than 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste, equivalent by weight to 83 million bottles, according to new research from environmental charity Hubbub.
Selfridges switches from plastics to compostable for Christmas food packaging
Selfridges is removing plastic packaging across its own brand range of Christmas food, switching to home compostable alternatives for 90,000 mince pies and 3,000 Christmas cakes.
'Broad support' for EU-wide plastic tax
A European tax on plastic waste is gaining momentum as a way to bring new sources of revenue to the EU budget as leaders prepare for a two-day summit in Brussels beginning today (17 October).
Pret-A-Manger: We can't greenwash our way out of the war on plastics
EXCLUSIVE: As consumers continue to push hard for food-to-go brands like Pret-A-Manger to ditch plastic packaging altogether, the firm's global director of strategy & sustainability has urged the sector to avoid "over-simplified" announcements or token phase-outs.
Paper Bottle Community: Is this the beginning of the end for the single-use plastic bottle?
EXCLUSIVE: Following the launch of Carlsberg's paper bottle prototypes, edie explores how Coca-Cola, The Absolut Company and L'Oréal are joining the brewer to scale-up paper-based solutions that replace or rival single-use plastic bottles.
Deposit return schemes and biodiversity net-gain: Raft of new policies unveiled in Environment Bill
The UK Government has launched its new governance system on issues covering clean air, waste management and plastics pollution, natural capital approaches and water stewardship, in the form of the long-awaited Environment Bill.
Waitrose ditches plastic shrinkwrap for can multipacks
Waitrose & Partners has removed the plastic wrap from several of its best-selling multipacks of canned products, after consumers branded it "unnecessary".
PZ Cussons launches hand wash refills to slash plastics packaging
Healthcare and consumer goods giant PZ Cussons has launched its first hand wash refill offering, as it strives to reduce the amount of plastics used in its packaging by 25% by 2025.
Optimistic but lacking action: Green groups offer mixed reaction to Environment Bill
The Environment Bill has been published today and the reaction is already in from the UK's green business community on the legislation and its impact on corporate sustainability.
NHS vows to halve single-use plastic from catering
NHS England has pledged to halve the number of plastic items it uses in catering operations each year, in a move which will remove 100 million single-use plastic items from circulation annually.
'We're up for it': Sky exploring its role in net-zero future
Sky's chief executive Jeremy Darroch has claimed that the company is "figuring out" how it can help push the UK to net-zero emissions before the 2050 deadline.
PepsiCo prices $1bn green bond to assist with plastics phase-out
PepsiCo has priced its first ever green bond at $1bn, which will be used to fund initiatives to reduce plastic content in packaging, improve supply chain engagement and management and boost water stewardship.
Unilever to halve use of virgin plastic and collect more plastic packaging than it sells by 2025
Unilever has announced it will halve its use of virgin plastic by 2025 by reducing plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes, increasing the amount of recycled plastics it uses and collecting and processing more plastic packaging than it sells.
Coca-Cola unveils drinks bottle made from recycled ocean plastics
Coca-Cola has unveiled sample bottles consisting of 25% recycled marine plastics, as the company ramps up efforts to improve the recyclability and collection of its products in Western Europe.
Sustainable Business Covered podcast: British Airways' future of flying and Plastics Clouds
Episode 72 of the Sustainable Business Covered podcast features an exclusive interview with British Airways' chief executive Alex Cruz on the future of flying, algae plane concepts and how the data-driven Plastics Cloud is combatting ocean plastic pollution.
SC Johnson on track to make all plastic packaging closed-loop by 2025
US-based consumer goods firm SC Johnson's latest sustainability report has revealed the company is on target to meet its 2025 targets for plastic and recycling, Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy, with 94% of the firm's plastic packaging now recycle, reusable or compostable.
Recycle Week 2019: The state of UK household recycling in 8 charts
This week is Recycle Week 2019 - an event hosted by WRAP, with the aim making the circular economy "the new norm" for UK Government, businesses and residents. Here, edie sets the scene by charting national recycling statistics.
Coca-Cola to replace plastic shrink wrap across can multipacks sold in Great Britain
Europe's largest independent Coca-Cola bottler has announced it will end the use of shrink-wrapped plastics across all can multipacks it sells in Great Britain, in a move that will replace plastic used on 30 million packs annually with sustainably sourced cardboard.
McDonald's, Burger King, begin phasing out plastic toys from kids' meals
Burger King has confirmed that it will no longer offer plastic toys with its King Junior Meals, in the same week that McDonald's has begun offering children the chance to swap their Happy Meal toys for a bag of fruit.
PepsiCo's latest packaging commitment targets 35% reduction in plastic use by 2025
Global beverage firm PepsiCo has announced plans to reduce the use of virgin plastic across its portfolio by 35% by 2025, which will eliminate around 2.5 million metric tonnes of the material from circulation.
In numbers: The UK public's attitudes to plastics recycling
Two new surveys have this week revealed the public's attitudes towards plastic recycling, covering an array of issues from foreign exports to shopping habits. Here, edie rounds up the key findings.
Consumer goods giants team up in bid to lower environmental impacts
Clorox, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Henkel are among a group of consumer goods businesses selling cleaning products to have co-launched a campaign aimed at driving the sector towards "net-positive" environmental and social impact.
Marriott International expands phase-out of single-use toiletry bottles
Hotelier Marriott International has announced the expansion of an initiative to replace single-use toiletry bottles with large pump-topped alternatives, in a move that could prevent more than 500 million plastic items being discarded.
EU paper recyclers 'in crisis' as China waste import ban bites
China's ban on waste imports has thrown Europe's paper recycling sector "in a crisis situation," leading to a chronic oversupply of recovered paper that sent prices plummeting by 300% over the past two years, according to trade group EuRIC.
Aldi to replace plastic sleeves on tinned tuna multipacks
Aldi has announced it will remove all plastic packaging on its multipacks of tinned tuna, which could save more than 11 tonnes of plastic annually if rolled out nationwide.
Willmott Dixon to use non-recyclable plastic in new roads at Bristol housing development
A new housing development in Bristol will feature roads made with the equivalent of 150,000 plastic bags of non-recyclable plastic waste originating from the construction phase of the scheme.
Sky Mobile to offer 'ethical and modular' Fairphone in UK
Sky Mobile has announced that it will offer the Fairphone, a modular and repairable smartphone consisting of recycled materials, in the UK.
Fashion giants vow to end contributions to global warming and ocean plastic pollution
A coalition of 32 big-name fashion firms including H&M Group, Inditex and Nike have signed a new industry commitment targeting zero climate change impact by mid-century.
Reading & Leeds festivals pledge to go plastic-free
The organiser of large-scale UK music festivals Reading and Leeds has committed to making both events free from single-use plastics by 2021.
Tesco boss: We'll delist brands that use excessive plastic packaging
Tesco's chief executive Dave Lewis has vowed to end contracts with third-party brands which use excessive and non-recyclable plastic packaging.
Sainsbury's removes plastic applicators from tampons
Sainsbury's has removed single-use plastic applicators from all of its own-brand tampon lines, as it strives to cut its packaging use and remove non-recyclable plastics from shelves.
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Hasbro to 'eliminate' plastics from new product packaging by 2022
US toy firm Hasbro has set a two-year window to phase out virtually all plastic from product packaging for new products, with a deadline set for the end of 2022.
Edible drinks bottles backed by Government funding
Oohos, the edible, plastic-free packaging capsules trialled by companies such as Lucozade Ribena Suntory, have received more than £300,000 in Government funding that will help boost daily manufacturing outputs.
Coca-Cola unveils 'largest sustainability initiative' to date for water packaging
The Coca-Cola Company has unveiled a string of updates to the packaging used across its Dasani water brand, in a bid to minimise its plastic footprint.
Ikea to begin removing plastic disposables from restaurants globally
Ikea has unveiled a new range of plastic-free disposable food service products, which will enable it to begin removing single-use-plastics from its food outlets from September.
Molson Coors unveils 1.5C science-based targets, new sustainable packaging goals
Molson Coors has today (12 August) published its new sustainability report, revealing that its new emissions targets have been approved in line with a 1.5C trajectory by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
Biodegradable bottles and plastic-free microbeads: The 10 innovations backed by Sky Ocean Ventures
Sky's Ocean Ventures arm has selected 10 innovations - all designed to combat marine plastics pollution - to receive a share of a £6m impact investment fund.
Britain's single-use sustainability crisis extends far beyond plastic, says Green Alliance
Shifting materials for single-use containers away from plastic will not resolve the overall issue, according to a new infogaphic-based report from Green Alliance.
Unilever launches recycled plastic Magnum tubs
Unilever has debuted a new Magnum ice-cream tub made using 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content.
Tesco begins plastic glitter phase-out
Tesco has confirmed that it will remove plastic glitter from its Christmas trees, plants and flowers before the 2019 festive season begins.
Gillette launches nationwide razor recycling scheme
Razor brand Gillette has launched what it claims is the UK's first nationwide recycling scheme for razors and blades, as part of a partnership with recycling firm TerraCycle.
ITV commits to 1.5C science-based target after reaching carbon-neutral status
Months after it became a carbon-neutral business, broadcaster ITV has unveiled a plethora of new sustainability pledges, including committing to a 1.5C science-based target, purchasing 100% renewables and removing all single-use plastics in operations, productions and the supply chain.
IHG to ban bathroom miniatures in plastic reduction drive
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is set to remove miniature toiletries from its entire global estate by the end of 2021, in a bid to reduce its plastic waste footprint.
