Resource Management

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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 company’s entire paper-based product packaging is currently on track to reach zero deforestation by 2020

HP pledges to make all printed pages 'forest positive'

HP will help customers transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient future, after pledging that every page printed using an HP printer will be "forest positive".

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.

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 fashion industry is believed to produce 80-100 billion garments a year and account for one-tenth of global carbon emissions

UN launches global alliance to combat fast fashion's biggest sustainability challenges

The United Nations (UN) has launched a new alliance aimed at uniting businesses to combat the fashion sector's biggest environmental and social challenges, including waste, carbon emissions and modern slavery.

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.

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 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.

Humanity is currently extracting natural resources three times more rapidly than in 1970, UN Environment has warned

Resource extraction responsible for half world's carbon emissions

Extraction industries are responsible for half of the world's carbon emissions and more than 80% of biodiversity loss, according to the most comprehensive environmental tally undertaken of mining and farming.

Brewer Anheuser-Busch agrees sustainable rice deal

American brewer Anheuser-Busch has partnered with a firm to enable sustainable rice production for use in its beverages.

Creating a sustainability culture in the construction industry involves going

How to build a sustainability culture within the construction industry

Following edie's insight report on the construction industry, a one-hour webinar, sponsored by Reconomy, brought together industry experts, focusing on how they embedded sustainability cultures within their firms - and how they plan to take forward their agendas.

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.

Amazon claims that a trial of the scheme in Washington State avoided the use of

Amazon launches box 'grouping' service to slash packaging and emissions

Online retailer Amazon has launched a service that enables customers to choose a set delivery day and 'group' their orders, which will help the company reduce its packaging footprint and optimise its delivery routes.

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.

More than 100 outlets have joined the scheme so far

UK cafés and restaurants pilot lunchbox refill scheme to slash plastics waste

Dozens of independent cafés and fast food restaurants across the UK will allow customers to bring their own reusable lunchboxes as part of a pilot scheme aimed at reducing reliance on single-use plastic food packaging.

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.

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.

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.

The scheme enables Lidl stores to donate surplus items directly to community organisations in their local area

Lidl's community food redistribution scheme surpasses 58,000 meals in Manchester

Since moving to donate surplus food directly from its stores to local community causes last February, Lidl has provided more than 58,000 meals to those in need in Manchester, the supermarket has revealed.

The frozen goods will be redistributed to Company Shop member who work in food manufacturing, emergency services and the NHS

Big-name supermarkets to use innovative blast freezers in fight against food waste

Sainsbury's, Aldi and Marks and Spencer (M&S) are among a group of big-name supermarkets to back an innovative new 'blast freeze' technology which enables surplus stock to be frozen rapidly, ready for redistribution.

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.

Aldi UK and Ireland is set to donate more than two million meals to those in need this year

Aldi launches new regional redistribution scheme in bid to slash food waste

Discount supermarket chain Aldi is set to directly donate surplus food from 24 of its UK stores to local charities after partnering with product redistribution platform Neighbourly.

Asics will offer discount vouchers to customers who use the take-back service, in an effort to incentivise behaviour change

Asics to host fashion recycling schemes at large-scale sporting events

Asics is set to run a garment recycling scheme across eight of the largest European running events that it sponsors, in a bid to slash its carbon footprint and encourage consumer behaviour change.

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.

An audit of Glasgow's waste last year found that 48% of its drinks waste was accounted for by coffee cups

Scotland's first coffee cup recycling scheme launched in Glasgow

Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has launched what it claims is the nation's first coffee cup recycling initiative in Glasgow, where 95 million disposable cups are used annually.

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.

The trial will run across eight of Morrisons' stores, until April

Morrisons tests customer appetite for plastic-free shopping in paper bag trial

Supermarket giant Morrisons has this week launched a trial of US-style paper grocery bags, in a bid to gauge consumer attitudes to plastic-free options at the checkout.

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.

Under the pledge, KFC will replace all consumer-facing single-use plastic items with more sustainable alternatives

KFC pledges to remove all single-use plastic packaging by 2025

Fast food chain KFC has pledged to remove all single-use plastic items from its range of consumer-facing packaging by 2025, in a bid to minimise its waste output.

Around 1,000 people will be trained for free under the scheme by the end of 2019

Tesco launches community cookery school in food redistribution drive

Supermarket giant Tesco, food redistribution firm FareShare and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver have teamed up to launch a community education programme teaching members of the public how to minimise food waste.

This week's annual summit in Davos was the 48th hosted by the World Economic Forum

Davos 2019: Circular economy opportunities and everything else you may have missed

Over the past few days, sustainability professionals have been bombarded with reports and announcements as more than 3,000 business leaders, policymakers, thought leaders and Matt Damon gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF). This round-up highlights the key talking points that you need to know.

One-third of the food produced for human consumption globally is currently wasted

Circular food 'revolution' could unlock $2.7trn per year, Ellen MacArthur study finds

Embedding circular economy principles within the global agri-food sector could contribute $2.7trn (£2.1trn) to the global economy through decreased healthcare and environmental restoration costs, a new Ellen MacArthur Foundation report has concluded.

Loop will enable customers to buy refillable products online and have them delivered in reusable containers

Consumer goods giants team up to launch 'zero-waste' refill service

Unilever, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and PepsiCo are among the 24 corporate co-founders of a new 'waste-free' retail platform, whereby businesses will provide product refills while retaining ownership of their reusable packaging.

The launch of the jeans follows three years of research at PVH Corp's Denim Centre (pictured)

Tommy Hilfiger unveils 'world's first' 100% recycled luxury jeans

Global fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger has unveiled plans to launch a range of 100% recycled jeans this spring, in what it claims is a first for the luxury fashion sector.

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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.

Around 43,000 tonnes of surplus food is currently redistributed from retailers and food manufacturers every year - but the Government wants to increase this amount by 100,000 tonnes

Defra launches £5m food redistribution scheme to help businesses slash waste

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has today (11 January) launched a new £5m scheme aimed at helping UK businesses to redistribute surplus food and minimise their food waste outputs.

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.

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

Iceland collects more than 300,000 plastic bottles in reverse vending trial

Frozen food retailer Iceland has unveiled the results of its trial of an in-store deposit return scheme for plastic bottles, revealing that the scheme has captured more than 300,000 bottles since its launch in May 2018.

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.

Around 80% of Danone UK's packaging is currently recycled, with Ecosurety looking to increase this proportion

Danone partners with Ecosurety to reduce reliance on export packaging recovery notes

Consumer goods giant Danone's UK arm has partnered with waste compliance organisation Ecosurety in a bid to improve the nation's recycling infrastructure and boost transparency around its resource and waste management efforts.

(L-R) Costa's environment manager Oliver Rosevear; Benders Paper Cups’ marketing manager Adrian Pratt; circular economy expert Sophie Thomas; EAC chair Mary Creagh and journalist Lucy Siegle

Costa: PRN reform, not latte levy, needed to tackle coffee cup waste

A reform to the UK's Producer Responsibility Obligation (PRO) framework and Packaging Recovery Note (PRN) system would accelerate the shift to a circular economy more effectively than a 'latte levy', Costa's energy & environment manager Oliver Rosevear has claimed.

Under the scheme, Walkers will install hundreds of packet collection points at community hubs and retail outlets

UK's first national crisp packet recycling scheme launched by Walkers

The UK’s largest crisp brand has this week launched a UK-wide crisp packet recycling scheme, after partnering with TerraCycle to develop a recycling solution for the packaging.

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.

Operating across five sectors, 3M releases 1,000 new products each year

3M commits to design all new products with 'built-in' sustainability value

Multinational consumer goods, healthcare and industry firm 3M has today (6 December) unveiled a new requirement for all products it releases from January 2019 to be designed with "sustainability value" built in.

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.

Mars seeking ‘industry-wide’ recycling solution after pet food packaging scheme launch

EXCLUSIVE: Consumer goods giant Mars is exploring the possibility of developing nationwide packaging takeback schemes for its food and drinks packaging, after successfully developing such a programme for its petfood pouches.

The cup's silicone base is fitted with a contactless payment chip - similarly to those used in Oyster Cards

Costa launches reusable coffee cup with contactless payment technology

On-the-go food and drink giant Costa Coffee is stocking a reusable coffee cup with a contactless payment chip across its UK stores, in a bid to incentivise customers to reduce their takeaway cup consumption.

ASOS boss: The circular economy is the only way forward for fashion retailers

Fashion retailers that fail to adopt circular economy principles and encourage consumers to make their clothes last longer will fail to survive in a new era of consumer awareness, ASOS's chief executive Nick Beighton has argued.

The Environmental Audit Committee estimates that UK consumers are now buying an average of 26.7kg of new clothing every year

Is the fashion industry about to have its 'plastics moment'?

With MPs urging clothing brands to disclose impacts, consumers increasingly protesting "fast fashion" and documentaries on the true cost of cheap garments emerging at a pace, edie explores whether the fashion industry is set to have its "plastics moment".

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.

Merlin Entertainments operates more than 120 attractions worldwide, including Thorpe Park and Legoland in the UK

Merlin Entertainments begins single-use plastic phase out, starting with straws

The Legolands, Sea Life and Madame Tussauds operator has launched a review into the sale and distribution of single-use plastic items across its global estate, pledging a removal of plastic straws from its operations by the end of 2018.

Up to 32,000 tonnes of microplastics enter British waterways each year, according to the report

Report: Tyres and synthetic clothes 'big cause of microplastic pollution'

Vehicle tyres and synthetic clothing are the two leading contributors to microplastic pollution from UK households, according to a new report from Friends of the Earth.

Tetra Pak said in a statement that the partnership's work could double the overall value of used beverage cartons

Tetra Pak partners with Veolia to improve recyclability of beverage carton components

Packaging giant Tetra Pak has partnered with global resource and waste management firm Veolia to develop technologies and infrastructure that will enable all components of beverage cartons to be recycled within the European Union (EU).

Nespresso will track the aluminum through its supply chains using a a digital traceability mechanism

Nespresso pledges to use 100% sustainably sourced aluminium for coffee capsules

Beverage giant Nespresso has unveiled a new commitment to use only sustainably sourced aluminium in its coffee capsules by 2020, after co-founding a new scheme to encourage the sustainable extraction of the metal.

Customers are being encouraged to use the compostable bags to line their food waste caddies

Co-op commences plastic bag switch with compostable alternatives at 1,000 stores

The Co-op has kickstarted a phase out single-use plastic bags from more than 1,000 of its UK stores, replacing them with compostable alternatives.

The ATP's new plastic measures target staff, players and media representatives as well as the 250,000 attendees

ATP unveils sweeping plastic phase-outs for Nitto Tennis Finals in London

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has unveiled new measures aimed at reducing the plastic waste footprint of its Nitto Tennis Finals event in London this month, in a bid to host its "most sustainable" tournament to date.

Thomas Cook operates 190 hotels and resorts worldwide, serving around 20 million customers each year

Thomas Cook unveils plastic phase-out for its airlines and hotels

Holiday giant Thomas Cook has pledged to remove more than 70 million single-use plastic items such as straws, stirrers and cutlery from its operations every year.

The bags will be made with post-consumer recycled plastics from Plastic Bank's Manilla recycling facility

M&S unveils reusable bags made with 75% 'ocean-bound' plastic

Retail giant Marks and Spencer (M&S) has unveiled a new range of reusable carrier bags made with 75% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic in a bid to boost consumer awareness around plastic pollution and raise money for recycling infrastructure.

Colgate to launch recycling scheme for oral health products

Health and beauty giant Colgate Palmolive has unveiled plans to launch a recycling scheme for empty toothpaste tubes, used toothbrushes and dental floss containers in the US and the UK.

Herbert Fisk Johnson III told edie that business action on plastics would only be effective if compounded by infrastructure improvements and consumer behavior change

SC Johnson boss: Business collaboration on plastic 'just the tip of the iceberg'

EXCLUSIVE: Consumer goods giant SC Johnson's boss has praised the ambition of the organisations to have pledged to tackle plastic packaging under a new Global Commitment, but has noted that behaviour change and closing the loop will help accelerate action.

The GGGI currently funnels $1m into these projects annually, but this will rise to $2m next year

Tesco and Nestlé pledge to tackle impact of abandoned plastic fishing gear

Supermarket giant Tesco and consumer goods firm Nestlé have today (30 October) joined a coalition of businesses, non-profits and public sector bodies which have pledged to tackle the 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear abandoned in the world's oceans each year.

The move forms part of Kellogg's bid to align its operations with SDG 12, reponsible production and consumption

Kellogg unveils fresh packaging commitments for 2025

Food manufacturing firm Kellogg has unveiled a raft of new sustainable packaging commitments, including the introduction of easily recyclable cereal pouches and a recycling solution for Pringles cans.

Nestlé is a founding member of WRAP’s Plastic Pact, which will see members ensure that 100% of plastic packaging can be reusable, recyclable or compostable. Credit: Nestlé

Nestlé Waters boss: We are not in competition with tap water

Soft drinks firms have a duty to provide consumers with good-quality bottled water, Nestlé Waters' boss has insisted, in the face of widespread concerns about the sustainability of water bottle production.

The phase-out will cover all of Costa's 3,800 stores and Premier Inn's 680 hotels

Costa and Premier Inn unveil plan to phase-out plastic straws

Hospitality giant Whitbread has announced that it will begin removing plastic straws from its Costa Coffee stores and Premier Inn hotels from November 2018.

The new packaging carries a label encouraging customers to recycle it along with their paper waste

Waitrose trials bio-based alternative to black plastic

Waitrose & Partners is set to trial innovative, fibre-based packaging across its range of Italian ready meals as part of the supermarket group's commitment to eliminate black plastics from its own-brand products by 2019.

As a signatory of the UK Plastics Pact, PepsiCo is aiming to ensure that 70% of its plastic packaging is recycled or composted by 2025

PepsiCo to launch range of 100% recycled plastic packaging by 2020

PepsiCo has this week unveiled plans to purchase 100% recycled plastic for some of its packaging lines by 2020, after the company was named by Greenpeace as one of the largest corporate plastic polluters in the world.

H&M Foundation's innovation lead Erik Bang says 'seeing is believing' when it comes to changing consumer behaviours around textile recycling

Fashion industry 'playing catch-up' with the circular economy, says H&M Foundation

EXCLUSIVE: With reports continuing to reveal the extent of the environmental and social damage being caused by fast-fashion, not-for-profit sustainable development organisation H&M Foundation believes the industry is now on the cusp of a radical sustainability shift towards the circular economy.

P&G has pledged to ensure all packaging is 100% recyclable or reusable by 2030

P&G joins Circular Economy 100 to accelerate closed-loop transition

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is among four new corporate members of the Circular Economy 100 (CE100), the innovation platform launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to accelerate circular economy ambitions.

By the end of 2018, Tesco will have removed

Tesco removes fruit and veg 'best before' dates

The UK's largest supermarket has revealed plans to remove "best before" dates from more than 100 of its fruit and vegetable lines, as it strives to meet a target to halve its food waste output by 2025.

Walkers currently produces more than 7,000 non-recyclable crisp packets every minute. image: Si Griffiths

Walkers to launch UK's first crisp packet recycling scheme

The UK's biggest crisp brand Walkers has unveiled plans to launch a nationwide crisp packet recycling scheme, following months of consumer protests against its hard-to-recycle packaging.

The letter comes as the EAC calls for evidence on the impact of Britain's

MPs call on fashion brand chief executives to disclose environmental impacts

In a letter to the chief executives of ten of Britain’s largest fashion retailers, including Primark, Next and Marks and Spencer (M&S), the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has called for big-name fashion brands to disclose the full extent of their environmental and social impacts.

Customers can exchange a 500ml bottle for a 20p discount on their parking fee. Image: CitiPark

CitiPark discounts parking costs in exchange for plastic bottles

Car park operator CitiPark has announced that it will trial a reverse vending system in its flagship facility in Leeds, offering customers discounted parking rates for bringing in plastic bottles.

The Government claims the funding could distribute a quarter of a million meals annually

Government unveils new £15m scheme to tackle retail food waste

The UK Government has today (1 October) announced that it will spend £15m on a new initiative aimed at redistributing almost £1bn worth of food waste from supermarkets, other retailers and manufacturers.

This 30-minute masterclass offered a taster of the full Sustainability Leadership Programme that has been developed by Cranfield University for edie's network of sustainability professionals

30-minute masterclass: Seven ways to adopt the circular economy across your business

During a 30-minute masterclass webinar hosted by edie last week, Cranfield University's senior lecturer in circular innovation Fiona Charnley outlined the essential skills needed to implement circular economy principles. Here, edie rounds up her key takeaways.

Of the 2,000 consumers surveyed for the report, 57% believe that all bottles contain at least 50% recycled plastic already

Report: Consumer demand for recycled packaging outpacing corporate action

More than half (55%) of the UK population believe that all plastic bottles should contain at least 50% recycled content, while the average proportion used by corporates currently stands at just 15%.

Lord Deben: Businesses must avoid 'knee-jerk' plastic phase-outs

Committee on Climate Change (CCC) chairman Lord Deben has urged companies to avoid making "knee-jerk" decisions on plastics packaging, warning that "reactionary" choices to consumer demands could lead to unintended environmental consequences.

The move is aimed at encouraging customers to use reusable bags for life or fabric alternatives

Waitrose to use home-compostable bags in produce aisles and phase-out 5p carrier bags

Waitrose & Partners has announced that it will stop offering single-use plastic bags in its fruit and vegetable aisles and remove 5p carrier bags from its stores, a move that will cut its plastic usage by 134 million bags each year.

Founder members of the task force include the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult, Innovate UK and Schneider Electric

Green tech task force launched to improve resource efficiency of UK businesses

Think tank Green Alliance has launched a new green technology task force in a bid to encourage the development of innovations which will improve resource efficiency in the UK's manufacturing sector, which could unlock up to £10bn in profit in the process.

SUEZ hosted a string of workshops to gauge stakeholder opinion on policy changes

SUEZ calls for extended producer responsibility system to spark 'waste revolution'

Waste and resource management firm SUEZ has called on the UK Government to extend its existing Producer Responsibility Obligation (PRO) framework and raise the cost of Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) to accelerate the shift to a circular economy.

The technology aims to overcome the problem of recycling hard-to-recycle textile blends, which are the most widely-used fabrics globally

H&M Foundation opens 'Garment-to-Garment' recycling plant in circular fashion drive

Fashion retailer H&M's charitable arm, the H&M Foundation, has this week opened a hydrothermal textile recycling plant as the company strives to become "truly circular" by 2030.

The report urges policymakers and corporates to take eight

Drinks giants back calls to eliminate plastic packaging waste by 2030

Soft drinks firms such as Danone Waters and Lucozade Ribena Suntory have thrown their weight behind a study which calls for a zero-waste-to-landfill plastic packaging value chain by 2030.

The fountains form part of Khan’s draft London plan, which includes a commitment to make clean drinking water widely available

London Mayor unveils 20 new water fountains in bid to reduce single-use plastic

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed that 20 new water fountains will be installed across the capital as part of a scheme to slash the amount of single-use plastic bottles that are purchased.

It is claimed that collaborations to tackle the key drivers of food waste could reduce the amount of annual food loss by $700bn by 2030

Global food waste set to rise a third by 2030 without ‘aggressive’ action

The amount of food wasted each year worldwide is set to rise by a third by 2030 without "urgent and aggressive" action from nations and corporates.

More than 300 million tonnes of plastic are now generated worldwide each year, placing the onus on businesses to seek alternative resources

Unintended consequences: Could the plastics phase-out lead to sustainability peril for businesses?

EXCLUSIVE: With the war on plastic becoming one of the hottest topics in the sustainability sphere, corporates rushing to make plastic-reduction pledges in a bid to appease customers are at risk of making changes which could lead to unintended consequences.

The jeans, which took more than a year to develop, are made from organic cotton and coloured with dye derived from plant waste

Cradle to Cradle: C&A launches 'world's most circular' jeans

Fashion retailer C&A has this week launched the world's first Gold level Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Certified jeans, and is now providing other clothing brands with the tools they need to produce equally sustainable denim garments.

Reebok is already planning on composting the footwear once it is at the end of its life to help grow the next range of shoes

Reebok launches bio-based shoe made from corn and cotton

Sportswear manufacturer Reebok has created its first sports shoe made with 75% plant-based fibres, as it strives to source more sustainable materials for inclusion in its products.

edie has produced an infographic which illustrates just how far the world has progressed in its transition towards the circular economy over the past 20 years

edie at 20: How global resource efficiency has transformed since 1998

As part of a running content series to mark edie's 20th anniversary as a sustainable business media brand, we have produced an infographic which explores the changing ways in which businesses and nations have transformed the way they consume the world's resources over the past two decades.