Resource Management

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The scientists said the multitrillion-dollar economic recovery packages being rolled out by governments must be used to strengthen and enforce environmental protection

Halt destruction of nature or suffer even worse pandemics, say world's top scientists

The coronavirus pandemic is likely to be followed by even more deadly and destructive disease outbreaks unless their root cause - the rampant destruction of the natural world - is rapidly halted, the world's leading biodiversity experts have warned.

The natural pulp is produced at biorefineries that utilise recovery mechanisms to reuse energy.

John Lewis unveils sustainable womenswear collection

John Lewis & Partners has teamed up with luxury sustainable womenswear brand Mother of Pearl to launch a new sustainable clothing collection made from organic cotton and certified renewable wood fibre sources.

H&M Group has pledged to become a "fully circular" business by 2030

H&M reaches clothing take-back target early, collecting 29,000 tonnes of used garments

The H&M Group collected more than 29,000 tonnes of used clothing though its in-store network of take-back points last year, surpassing its 2020 goal to collect at least 25,000 tonnes a year ahead of schedule.

Between 1990 and 2016, the world lost 502,000 square miles of forest, according to the World Bank—an area larger than South Africa

Business giants including Tesco urge ministers to end supply chain deforestation by 2030

Tesco, McDonald's and WWF are among the businesses and NGOs urging the UK Government to set a legally binding 2030 target to end deforestation in agriculture and forest product supply chains.

The Welsh Government's approach to plastics has been to go "beyond recycling"

Wales unveils plans to ban single-use plastics from 2021

The Welsh Government will bring "restrictions" around certain single-use plastic items, including straws and cotton buds, into effect in the first half of 2021.

The moves will reduce McDonald's' annual plastics use by 3,000 metric tonnes

McDonald's to ditch plastic Happy Meal toys

McDonald's UK and Ireland will remove plastic toys from its Happy Meals in 2021, after customers campaigned for plastic-free alternatives.

According to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, a bin lorry full of fashion is landfilled every second globally. Stock image.

Fashion industry must cut resource use by 75%, experts warn

A group of academics, businesses and thought leaders have penned a plan to help fashion firms align with planetary boundaries and address the climate and nature emergencies, headlined by a call to dramatically cut virgin resource use.

The inquiry had received 51 submissions before it was suspended in December 2019

MPs relaunch probe into the UK's electronic waste mountain

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has re-launched its inquiry into how policymakers, businesses and the public can collaborate to tackle electronic waste - the world's fastest-growing domestic waste stream.

LRS, along with Just Eat and Selfridges, has been a long-term corporate backer of the innovative packaging. Image: LRS

Lucozade Ribena Suntory gets go-ahead for edible seaweed sachets in gym vending machines

Following a successful pilot at races in 2018, Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) is trialling drinks housed in plastic-free, edible seaweed-based sachets in vending machines in gyms.

Giles Hurley (pictured) sent the frank letter to all major third-party suppliers. Image: Aldi UK

Aldi boss: We'll delist brands that don't act on plastics packaging

Aldi UK's chief executive Giles Hurley has written to suppliers of third-party brands, warning that they will be delisted unless they align with the supermarket's 2025 plastics packaging commitments.

Iceland's MD Richard Walker (pictured) introduced the 100% plastic-free pledge in 2018 and has been a vocal advocate since. Image: Iceland

Iceland slashes plastics packaging by almost one-third in two years

Iceland has posted an update to its commitment to remove all plastics from own-label product packaging by 2023, revealing that it now uses 29% less plastics in these applications than it did in 2018.

A bin lorry of fashion waste is landfilled or burned every second globally. But brands striving to buck this trend are emerging and growing rapidly. Image: E&K

Zero-waste is the new black: How SMEs are disrupting fashion's waste crisis

In the second of a two-part feature, edie's senior reporter Sarah George spotlights the businesses working to combat fashion's growing waste problem by pioneering truly circular systems in what is widely regarded as one of the world's most linear sectors.

The survey asked 5,509 adults about their plastics recycling habits, to garner information on behaviour change barriers

In numbers: The public's attitudes to plastics recycling and plastic-free packaging

As WRAP launches a new public awareness campaign on the recyclability and reusability of plastic packaging, edie explores the key behavioural barriers hampering a potentially circular economy for the material.

The trial received much positive feedback from shoppers, who cited practical reasons as well as environmental concerns for choosing refillable options. Image: M&S

M&S expands refill scheme amid growing customer appetite for plastic-free groceries

Marks & Spencer (M&S) is set to extend its packaging-free refill offering for dried and ambient products such as coffee and pulses this month, following a successful trial.

Pictured: One of the Refill stations at London Euston. Image: Network Rail

Network Rail helps passengers to ditch three million plastic water bottles

By installing drinking fountains at its stations as part of the Refill campaign, Network Rail has helped to mitigate the use of three million single-use plastic water bottles over the past two years.

Lidl to use 'ocean-bound' plastics in seafood packaging

Lidl will begin incorporating "ocean-bound" plastics in packaging used to house 13 of its seafood lines next month, in what it claims is a first for a UK supermarket.

P&G signs deal for 200 million bottles' worth of recycled plastic

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has signed a deal to source 200 million bottles' worth of recycled plastic over the next five years, as it strives to halve the amount of virgin plastics it uses by 2030.

Dr Megan Morikawa (left) at Iberostar's first coral nursery. A second nursery is due to open this year.

Science and storytelling: How Iberostar is engaging staff and guests with ocean issues beyond plastics

EXCLUSIVE: In the wake of 'Blue Planet 2', hospitality and leisure companies found themselves at the sharp end of the so-called war on plastics. But now that the sector's plastic phase-out is underway, how can it use its many touch-points to drive engagement across a broader range of environmental issues?

The survey charts rising support for circular business models, but persistent barriers to scaling them up. Image: ING

In numbers: Are businesses and consumers ready for the circular economy shift?

A shift away from linear 'take, make and dispose' models is widely touted as a key requirement in the transition to a net-zero, more resource-efficient world. But how prepared are businesses and individuals to make that shift, and what barriers are stopping circularity?

Lego has said that making the transition will require a multi-million-pound investment, but has not disclosed an exact figure

Lego to ditch virgin fossil plastics by 2030

Lego has vowed to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastics from its products within a decade, by investing heavily in recycled and bio-based materials.

Grants of between £20,000 and £100,000 will be awarded from the new fund. Image: CC BY 2.0/Taz

Government unveils fresh funding for business fight against food waste

The UK Government has announced a new £1.15m funding pot for businesses and non-profits aiming to reduce food waste in households and supply chains through behaviour change.

Iceland's MD Richard Walker (pictured) says the new formats collectively contain 93% less plastic than current packaging

Iceland trials swathes of plastic-free packaging for fruit and veg

Iceland is set to trial plastic-free and low-plastic packaging across 38 of its fruit and vegetable lines, in a step towards its ambition for all own-brand lines to be free from single-use plastics by 2023.

BT estimates the move will mitigate one million waste items per year

BT introduces fines for hardware hoarders in bid to reduce waste

Telecoms giant BT will charge wi-fi customers £50 if they do not send their routers back at the end of their contracts, in an effort to minimise its plastic and electronic waste.

Food waste was down on both an operational and supply chain basis. Stock image.

Manufacturing giants slash food waste by 30%

The UK's largest food and drinks manufacturers have collectively reduced their food waste by 30% over the past eight years, on a per capita basis.

The webinar is now available to watch on-demand

Seven top tips for driving behaviour change in the fight against single-use plastics

Changing behaviours is widely regarded as one of the most important, yet difficult, pieces of the plastics puzzle. Here, edie rounds up seven top tips for delivering a plastics strategy that engages all key stakeholders and delivers lasting impacts in the wake of the 'Blue planet 2 effect'.

Following consultations last year, the Strategy was approved late last week

Glasgow to phase-out single-use plastics within two years

Glasgow City Council has approved new measured to reduce plastic use across the local area, headlined by a commitment to phase-out single-use items by 2022.

Tesco currently sells 183,000 tin multipacks daily, most of which are housed in plastic shrinkwrap

Tesco teams up with Heinz to scrap plastic packaging on tin multipacks

Tesco has announced plans to scrap all tin multipacks housed in plastic shrinkwrap, in a move that will mitigate the use of 67 million pieces of plastic annually.

Domestic food waste and business food waste alike have decreased, but WRAP is warning that further action is needed through to 2025. Image: WRAP

Report: UK's food waste mountain has shrunk 480,000 tonnes since 2015

Almost half a million tonnes less food was wasted in the UK in 2018 than in 2015, the latest figures from WRAP have revealed today (24 January).

Accor and AB InBev vow to phase-out single-use plastics

Global hotelier Accor has committed to remove all single-use plastics from guest-facing operations by 2022, in the same week that brewer AB InBev's Brazilian subsidiary pledged to end plastic pollution from its packaging by 2025.

The report provides an update as to how far business action on resource efficiency is from being "one-planet compatible"

Corporates failing to make circular economy transition, damning report finds

More than 100 billion tonnes of virgin materials are being consumed annually by business, with progress to boost reuse and recycling rates stagnating, a damning new report has concluded.

LRS was one of the first business signatories of WRAP's UK Plastics Pact and, since joining, has redesigned several packaging formats and labels across its brands

Inside Lucozade Ribena Suntory's plastics strategy

EXCLUSIVE: As its parent company strives to eliminate virgin fossil-fuel-based plastics from its packaging portfolio across Europe by 2030, Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) has provided edie with an exclusive, deeper dive into its plastics strategy.

FMCG giant Henkel owns some of Europe's most recognisable brands, including Schwarzkopf and Persil. In 2018, 51% of its packaging portfolio by weight was plastic.

Inside Henkel's plastics packaging strategy

EXCLUSIVE: Henkel's international director of packaging technology Thorsten Leopold has outlined how and why the company developed its three-pronged plastics strategy, and how the framework's targets have helped the multinational take plastic action "beyond its own four walls".

Sourcing sustainable cotton forms a key part of the new commitments. Image: Debenhams

Debenhams sets sweeping new fashion sustainability targets

Department store retailer Debenhams has set a string of new green targets for its fashion and homeware departments, in a bid to set new sustainability benchmarks for the sub-sector following a difficult financial year.

Pictured: The refill station for bulk goods that will be installed for the trials. Image: Asda

Asda to pilot packaging-free, refillable versions of popular groceries

Asda will begin trialling packaging-free, refillable versions of some of its most popular products in May, the supermarket has confirmed today (16 January).

A Plastic Planet campaigns against what it calls the “misuse” of plastic by industries such as food & drink and health & beauty

A Plastic Planet: It's time for activism on climate change and plastics to collide

EXCLUSIVE: The surge in climate activism in recent months has not served to stop the so-called "war-on-plastics", but to lay the foundations for holistic action on both issues by businesses and the public alike, activist and entrepreneur Sian Sutherland has argued.

The tool's launch event heard from businesses which have been trialling Circulytics, and Foundation representatives. Pictured L-R: and CHEP Europe's Michael Pooley; DS Smith's Stefano Rossi; Enel's Luca Meini and The Foundation's data and metrics lead Jarkko Havas.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation unveils 'landmark' digital tool to help businesses track circular economy progress

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has today (14 January) launched a new digital tool which enables businesses of all sizes and sectors to measure their contribution to the circular economy and identify ways in which to close the loop further.

Little Freddie's pouch recycling scheme, like many others for consumer goods in the UK, experienced rapid uptake during 2019

Pragmatism and pouch recycling: How Little Freddie is navigating the war on plastics as a challenger brand

EXCLUSIVE: With action on plastics packaging from governments and big businesses proving too slow for the public's liking, there is an opportunity for challenger brands to act more rapidly.

Homebase's contract with Reconomy will run for three years

Homebase pledges zero-waste-to-landfill by 2021

Home improvement retailer Homebase has pledged to achieve zero-waste-to-landfill status by 2021, after partnering with recycling and waste management firm Reconomy.

Around 5% of hot drink sales in major chains were in reusable cups in 2019, up from around 2% in 2017. Image: Hubbub

New Starbucks-led behaviour change scheme aims to double reusable coffee cup uptake

As part of its ongoing partnership with environmental charity Hubbub, Starbucks has unveiled a new campaign aiming to double reusable cup in during 2020.

Alternatives have been found for items such as cutlery and cups. Image: Hi Fly

Hi Fly goes plastic-free on all flights

Portuguese wet-lease airline Hi Fly has removed all single-use plastic items from its fleet of aircraft, after successful pilots of plastic-free flights in 2018.

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.

50,000 of the new bags will be handed out during one of the Airport's busiest times of the year

London Stansted Airport trials compostable security bags

London Stansted Airport has begun trialling security bags that purport to be compostable as an alternative to the traditional oil-based plastic kind.

edie shares some resource and waste statistics which could put the UK on Santa's naughty list - despite actions from businesses, policymakers and consumers alike

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.

Pact members range from manufacturers to brands and retailers and waste management firms

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.

Black plastic is often not recycled in traditional infrastructure, as its carbon pigment makes it hard to detect. Image: Asda

Asda switches to plastic-free steak trays

Asda is removing hard-to-recycle black plastic trays from some of its best-selling meat lines, replacing them with recyclable cardboard alternatives.

Dubai Airport is the world's busiest international airport, with 90 million passengers annually

Food-to-go giants support Dubai Airport's ban on single-use plastics

A string of big-name food-to-go brands including McDonalds, Costa Coffee and Pret A Manger have unveiled plastic-free offerings to be piloted at Dubai Airport next month, as part of the airport's commitment to eliminate single-use plastics.

VF Corporation sets 1.5C science-based targets

VF Corporation - the fashion giant behind brands including Vans, The North Face and Timberland - has set new science-based emissions targets in line with the Paris Agreement's 1.5C trajectory.

Nestle has said it would have liked to have moved sooner, but wanted to fully address challenges maintaining recyclability and high-quality food-grade status

Nestle to use 100% recycled plastics in Buxton water bottles

Food and drink giant Nestle has revealed plans to make all plastics packaging across its Buxton water brand with 100% recycled content by 2021.

The move comes after Google pledged to increase the proportion of recycled plastics in its products. Image: Alphabet Inc

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.

The report authors are urging Ministers to speed up the introduction of new waste and resources legislation around carpets. Image: Reuse Warehouse/ CC BY 2.0

Report: Carpet experiencing lower UK recycling and reuse rates than plastics

Green campaign groups are calling on the UK Government to implement stronger circular economy requirements around carpets, after research concluded that just 2% of the 130,000 tonnes sent to the industry's recycling body annually are recycled.

The aim of the boxes is to mitigate food waste and make nutritious products more affordable. Image: Morrisons

Morrisons launches discounted boxes of food past 'best before' date

Morrisons has partnered with food redistribution app Too Good to Go to offer discounted boxes of products that are past their 'best before' dates to customers.

Pictured: Face Halo's reusable wipes, which Selfridges is stocking as an alternative to single-use products. Image: Selfridges

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.

The move comes after the introduction of non-bleached paper bags at checkouts (pictured). Image: Boots UK

Boots introduces compostable pharmacy bags after plastics backlash

Boots is switching its plastic pharmacy bags to compostable alternatives made using potato starch, after customers began returning plastic bags and voicing their anger on social media this summer.

The plastic-free range (pictured) is designed to help shoppers create a three-course meal. Image: Iceland

Iceland slashes plastics packaging across Christmas range by 97%

Iceland has claimed that its Christmas range of food and drinks for 2019, which includes 18 plastic-free lines, contains 97% less plastic than its 2017 range.

The media giant's content reaches more than 390 million people each month. Image: Conde Nast

Vogue publisher vows to phase-out plastics and align with Paris Agreement

Condé Nast, the publishing house behind titles such as Vogue, Glamour and GQ, has committed to removing non-recyclable plastics from its products and reducing emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.

Boots cited the impact of shows like Blue Planet in driving more awareness on single-use plastics. Image: Boots

Boots removes 149 tonnes of plastics from Christmas gift range

Boots will use 149 tonnes less plastic packaging to house its range of Christmas gifts this year than it did in 2018.

Pictured: Inside Newlife stores' shop in Moreton, Merseyside. Image: Newlife stores

'Pre-cycling': Closed-loop scheme for surplus fashion stock grows

The number of high-street fashion giants to have entered an agreement to sell their end-of-line surplus stock through a third party at a discount, in order to benefit charity, has reportedly grown this year.

The new packaging is recyclable at kerbside and compostable. Image: Heineken UK

Heineken to eliminate shrinkwrap and plastic rings from multipacks sold in the UK

Heineken has today (7 November) announced plans to remove all plastic shrinkwrap and rings from multipacks of beer and cider sold in the UK by the end of 2021.

The average lithium-ion EV battery has a lifespan of 15-20 years. Image: Akio Kon/Bloomberg

EV batteries could be 'huge waste mountain of the future', researchers warn

The development and industrialisation of recycling technologies for end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries is currently being outpaced by a boom of EV uptake, paving the way for a "huge waste management problem" in decades to come.

7.1 million tonnes of food is wasted in UK homes every year, according to WRAP

WRAP: Supermarkets must combat £14.9bn of food wasted in homes annually

WRAP has urged major food retailers to improve their packaging and make labelling less confusing for UK customers, who last year binned £14.9bn worth of groceries at home.

Sky launched Ocean Rescue in 2017 and has since engaged more than 33 million people with its #PassOnPlastic social media campaign. Image: Sky

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.

Aldi currently distributes 133 tonnes of single-use plastic produce bags in the UK and Ireland annually. Image: Aldi

Aldi to trial reusable fruit and vegetable bags

Aldi will introduce reusable bags for loose fruit and vegetables at more than 250 UK stores by the end of the month, in a drive to reduce single-use plastics.

The retailer claims that the removal of 5p carrier bags alone could save five tonnes of plastic annually, if scaled up nationally. Image: John Lewis & Partners.

John Lewis trials swathe of new recycling and reuse offerings

John Lewis & Partners has launched a string of seven new initiatives aimed at helping customers to reuse packaging and recycle items which are not currently collected by most domestic kerbside services.

Loop will enable UK customers to buy refillable products online and have them delivered in reusable containers. Image: TerraCycle

Sky backs TerraCycle's 'zero-waste' refill platform with £1.5m investment

Media giant Sky's Ocean Ventures investment arm has committed $2m (£1.56m) to TerraCycle's Loop platform - an offering whereby businesses provide product refills to consumers while retaining ownership of their reusable packaging.

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.

TerraCycle's approach to its mission to "eliminate the idea of waste" has evolved past "recycling the non-recyclable", according to Szaky

TerraCycle: The global refill revolution is here to stay

EXCLUSIVE: With consumer concerns around plastics and climate change skyrocketing, brands are increasingly betting on reuse and refill models to minimise both carbon and waste, TerraCycle's chief executive officer Tom Szaky has revealed.

Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have welcomed the move but claimed it was "a shame" it could not happen sooner. Image: John Lewis & Partners

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.

The new PCR bottles will be rolled out across Dove's original range, plus its Baby and Men+ products. Image: Dove

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.

The proposed tax would apply to all kinds of plastics produced by corporates in all sectors

'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).

Adidas of any condition will be accepted - but they have to have been purchased in the UK within the past five years. Image: LWARB

Infinite Play: Adidas launches buy-back platform to combat fashion waste

Sportswear giant Adidas has launched a new circular economy service, whereby consumers can trade-in used or unwanted sportswear for rewards.

Gutowski will appear at day one (4 February) of edie's Sustainability Leaders Forum 2020, to deliver a workshop on developing circular economy business models which engage all stakeholders

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.

Waitrose & Partners has calculated that the switch will mitigate the use of 18 tonnes of plastics annually. Image: Waitrose & Partners

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".

TerraCycle has partnered with PZ Cussons to develop a recycling scheme for the refill pouches.

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.

In 2018, more than 200 million single-use plastic items were used across NHS England's catering operations. Image: NHS Forth Valley.

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.

Mainland Europe is one of the world's largest coffee-to-go markets, accounting for 30% of all annual sales globally

DS Smith to expand coffee cup recycling scheme following UK success

British packaging giant DS Smith has confirmed plans to launch its coffee cup recycling scheme in the Netherlands, following its success in the UK.

The bags will be rolled out across selected knitwear lines this month. Image: Finisterre

Finisterre to switch from plastic bags to 'water-soluble' biodegradable alternative

Outdoor clothing brand Finisterre is set to achieve its ambition of eliminating all plastics packaging which is neither reusable nor biodegradable, after investing in bags which naturally break down in soil and in water.

Burberry believes that keeping its products in use longer will play a key role in reducing its end-to-end carbon emissions. Image: Burberry

Burberry forges resale partnership in bid to 'make fashion circular'

Luxury brand Burberry has signed a partnership to sell its second-hand products through consignment marketplace The RealReal in the US.

The majority of e-waste generated globally is unaccounted for, seeping into regions such as Agbogbloshie slums of Ghana (pictured)

E-waste: Can businesses solve the world's fastest-growing domestic waste stream?

edie reporter Sarah George places the world's fastest-growing domestic waste stream, e-waste, under the microscope, and investigates how businesses are tackling the global phenomenon.

edie rounds up the key findings of three recent surveys on green behaviour change

In numbers: What's stopping people from switching to 'greener' habits?

The 20 September climate strikes were the largest to date, undeniably proving that public attitudes to sustainability are shifting substantially. But, as a number of new surveys has highlighted, barriers to some "green" behavioural changes remain.

Turning the Resources and Waste Strategy from ambition into action

Now the industry has had time to reflect on the Resources & Waste Strategy, the consensus seems to be that it is pretty fair and addresses most of the major issues. While much detail is yet to be painted, the Strategy undoubtably provides welcome clarity on the direction of travel.

Businesses disclosing data to WRAP have, on average, reduced their food waste footprint 7% year-on-year

UK business giants mitigate 53,000 tonnes of food waste

WRAP has today (24 September) revealed that 121 of the UK's biggest food businesses are now providing evidence of their efforts to halve food waste by 2030, in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The company claims the switch will have "a significant impact in reducing plastic from supermarket beer shelves". Image: AB Inbev

Budweiser to eliminate plastic six-pack rings from UK packaging portfolio

Budweiser Brewing Group UK and Ireland has vowed to remove all plastic rings from its multipacks by the end of 2020, replacing them with paperboard 'clips' and boxes.

Burger King is approaching the phase-out with a take-back scheme, while McDonald's believes giving customers a choice is the best approach. Image: JKR

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.

Selfridges believes the pop-up supports its vision of a department store being "=a social centre, not merely a place for shopping". Image: Selfridges

Second-hand September: Selfridges hosts clothing resale pop-up

Luxury department store Selfridges is showcasing second-hand clothing at its flagship store as part of a collaboration with resale platform Depop.

Greenpeace had been campaigning for supermarkets such as Sainsbury's to introduce refillable packaging. Image: Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's to launch refillable lines in bid to halve plastics packaging

Sainsbury's has confirmed that it will launch refillable versions of products such as milk and fizzy drinks in the coming years, as it strives to halve the amount of plastics it uses for packaging by 2025.

Suntory pledges '100% sustainable' plastics packaging across Europe by 2030

Beverage giant Suntory has pledged to eliminate virgin fossil-fuel-based plastics from its packaging portfolio across Europe by 2030.

The findings act as a snapshot of the public's plastic-related wants and needs

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.

The winning projects are aiming to minimise the 7.8 million coffee cups which are landfilled or incinerated in the UK every day. Image: Hubbub

#InTheLoop: Hubbub and Starbucks invest in circular economy for coffee cups

As part of its partnership with Starbucks, environmental charity Hubbub has this week awarded funding to a string of projects aimed at creating a circular economy for coffee cups.

Asda pilots plastic-free innovation in fight against food waste

Asda is trialling an innovative new material which could help mitigate the need for plastic food packaging, without leading to an increase in food waste.

The move will apply to Ariel and Lenor packaging. Image: P&G

P&G to up use of post-consumer recycled plastic in packaging

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has committed to increase the amount of recycled plastic used in packaging for its fabric care brands Ariel and Lenor.

The pop-up will open daily until September 30. Image: Asda

Asda forays into second-hand clothing market

Asda is trialling its first second-hand clothing offering in the hopes of gauging consumer attitudes to a more circular fashion economy.

The project is being backed by Innovate UK, which supported the 18-month upcycling process

Veolia upcycles two end-of-life diesel vehicles with electric engines

Resource management firm Veolia is set to trial two electric Refuse Collection Vehicles (eRCV) in Westminster, after 'upcycling' old diesel vehicles that were approaching the end of their life.

More than 160,000 revellers head to Reading & Leeds festivals every year. Image: Leeds Festival

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.

The reverse vending machines offer users a 10p discount coupon for every plastic bottle inserted

Iceland collects more than one million plastic bottles in reverse vending scheme

Iceland has captured and recycled more than one million plastic drinks bottles since it began offering reverse vending last May, the supermarket revealed today (22 August).

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.

Amazon's 'bubble-lined plastic bags' are not recyclable through kerbside collections in the UK

Amazon under fire for new packaging that cannot be recycled

Amazon has been criticised by environmental groups and customers after introducing a range of plastic packaging that cannot be recycled in the UK.

The UK's peatlands currently embody around 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon - the equivalent of nine years' of national emissions

UK must ban peat use to reach net-zero, Veolia argues

Veolia has urged the UK Government to implement a ban on the destruction of peatlands for compost, arguing that such a policy will be necessary to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The new packaging formats include recyclable aluminium cans, bottles made using bioplastics and recycled PET, and a packaging-free dispenser option. Image: Dasani

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.

Molson Coors is the world's third-largest brewer and owns brands such as Carling, Cobra and Blue Moon. Image: Molson Coors

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).

Ikea serves more than 650 million diners globally every year, many of whom will opt for food or drink in to-go packaging. Image: Ikea

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.