Resource Management
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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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

'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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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: 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.

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.

'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).

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

#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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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 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.

UK Resources & Waste Strategy: A blueprint for business leadership
This edie insight guide provides sustainability and environmental professionals with a detailed breakdown of all of the key elements of the UK Government's Resources and Waste Strategy, and what they mean for business.

Itsu and Cook join water bottle refill scheme
Sushi chain Itsu and gourmet food retailer Cook have become the latest firms to join City to Sea's Refill campaign, aimed at reducing the public's reliance on single-use plastic water bottles.

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.

Aldi begins removing plastic packaging from meat lines
Aldi is trialling cardboard trays to replace the plastic trays usually used to house its steaks, in a move which will cut its annual plastic output by 240 tonnes.

Lidl rolls out reusable produce bags to cut plastics
Lidl has begun selling reusable bags for consumers to put their loose fruit and vegetables in, in what the firm claims is a first for a UK supermarket.

Unilever launches recycled plastic Magnum tubs
Unilever has debuted a new Magnum ice-cream tub made using 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content.

Meet the Sustainability Leader: Waste Management - Canary Wharf Group
With entries now open for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020, this new feature series showcases the achievements of the 2019 winners and reveals their secrets to success. Up next: The winner of our Waste Management & Resource Efficiency Award, Canary Wharf Group (CWG).

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.

Four years on: How have supermarkets responded to the 5p plastic bag charge?
The UK Government published its annual figures on single-use plastic bag sales last week, revealing that distribution by large retailers has fallen 90% since the 5p charge was introduced. But exactly what role have supermarkets played in that transition?

Burberry debuts closed-loop clothing made using 'ghost nets'
Luxury fashion house Burberry has revealed designs for a new capsule collection made using recycled nylon, woven from plastic fibres recovered from discarded fishing nets.

Waitrose to extend plastic-busting refill scheme
Waitrose & Partners is set to extend its 'Unpacked' offering of packaging-free, refillable products, following a successful trial of the concept at its Botley Road store in Oxford.

PepsiCo leaves plastics lobby group after green campaign pressure
PepsiCo has announced its exit from the PLASTICS Industry Association - a trade lobby group with pro-plastics sentiments.

M&S launches reusable container discounts to cut plastics waste
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has this week launched a discount scheme to incentivise the use of reusable containers at its in-store Market Place counters.

Earth Overshoot: Seven top tips for making your business 'one-planet compatible'
Held to mark Earth Overshoot Day 2019 (29 July), edie's most recent webinar saw experts from Tesco, AB Sugar, Global Footprint Network and Centrica Business Solutions discuss how businesses can operate within planetary boundaries. Here, edie rounds up the key takeaways.

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.

Ocado: Consumer appetite for plastic-free shopping 'bordering on militant'
While the so-called 'war on plastics' movement has encouraged retailers to take ambitious action to make their packaging more sustainable, it has also served to distract the public from other green issues, Ocado's head of CR Suzanne Westlake has claimed.

JLR backs innovative recycling solution for 'low-grade' plastics
Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has begun trials of an innovative new recycling technology which purports to turn low-quality, post-consumer plastics into high-grade material.

Fashion giants to 'transform' their jeans in circular economy drive
A coalition of big-name global fashion brands including H&M Group, Gap and Tommy Hilfiger have pledged to align their denim designs and manufacturing with a new circular economy framework.

Inside Kimberly-Clark's plastics packaging strategy
EXCLUSIVE: Kimberly-Clark's global sustainability lead for products and packaging Daniel Locke has outlined how the company is "revamping" its resource management ambitions as consumer pressure for plastic packaging reductions mounts.

Uniqlo to phase out plastic bags
Fashion retailer Uniqlo's parent company Fast Retailing is set to remove single-use plastic bags from its brands, replacing them with reusable and paper alternatives.

edie's Plastics Thinkathon: Six moonshot business ideas that could eliminate single-use plastics
With businesses continuing to make plastic-reduction commitments in the face of ever-growing stakeholder pressure, edie recently hosted a 'Plastics Thinkathon' to spur collaborative action on achieving a single-use plastic-free future, today. Here, we round up the potentially transformational results.

Fashion giants 'must 'urgently accelerate circular economy action'
Of the 213 circular economy targets for 2020 set by 90 big-name fashion companies taking part in a collaborative circular economy campaign, just one-fifth (21%) have been met.
A crust above: Tesco to use waste bread in new products
The UK's largest supermarket has launched a new initiative aimed at repurposing surplus French bread from its in-store bakeries and reducing food waste.

Asda rolls out free refill scheme to cut plastic bottle use
Asda has begun offering free tap water refills at all of its in-store cafes, after trialling the offer at 37 of its locations this spring.

Nestle unveils plastic-free packaging for snack bars
Food and beverage giant Nestle has unveiled a paper-based alternative to flexible plastic wrapping, which it is using to house its newest snack bar range.

Sandvik: Employees are 'crucial' for embedding sustainability
EXCLUSIVE: As it develops a roadmap for its ambitious new 2030 targets on carbon and resources, engineering giant Sandvik's group head of sustainability believes that input from employees will be "crucial" for making the shifts needed to align with the Paris Agreement.

Beyond 'token' items: What's next for London's war on plastics?
Some 18 months ago, Blue Planet 2 first aired, spurring an exponential growth in public action against plastics that has changed what business and policy leadership look like. But what's next on the road to an economy free from unnecessary plastics?

McDonald's to phase out plastic salad containers and McFlurry lids
McDonald's UK & Ireland is set to remove the single-use plastic lids from its McFlurry items and switch to cardboard containers for its salad.

Meet edie's 30 Under 30 Class of 2019: Jonathan Davies, Marston's
This new series profiles the members of edie's 30 Under 30 - a nomination-based community of 30 hugely talented young sustainability and energy professionals who have already achieved great things or are showing fantastic promise. Next up: Jonathan Davies, waste & recycling co-ordinator at Marston's.

Co-op to host reverse vending machines for plastic bottles at UK festivals
Co-op has confirmed plans to host reverse vending machines as part of a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles at seven UK festivals this summer, following successful trials last year.

National Refill Day: How businesses are uniting against single-use plastic water bottles
Since its launch in 2017, City to Sea's Refill campaign has spurred dozens of big and small businesses to offer free water bottle refills. To mark National Refill Day 2019, edie explores the impact of the campaign to date.

War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita: 'Hidden' plastics placed in the spotlight
Episode two of the BBC's War on Plastic series on Tuesday night (17 June) saw presenters Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Anita Rani take a deeper delve into the UK's plastics addiction, exposing invisible plastic particles from unexpected sources. Could this be the start of a war on microplastics?

Coca-Cola GB launches its first 100% recycled plastic bottles
Coca-Cola's Great Britain arm has launched its first fully recyclable plastic bottles made using 100% recycled PET (rPET), under its Glaceau Smartwater brand.

War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita: How are companies tackling plastics in the bathroom?
Tonight's (17 June) episode of the BBC's War On Plastic will focus on single-use plastics in the bathroom, covering the stark environmental impacts of the packaging used for (and in) our toiletries and cosmetics. Here, edie explores what actions companies within those industries have taken to help solve the plastics puzzle.

G20 launch new framework for combating marine plastic pollution
Environment ministers representing the G20 block of nations have agreed to a new framework tackling ocean plastic waste.

Costa joins Government-led pledge to halve food waste by 2030
Coffee chain Costa has become the latest company to sign the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs' (Defra) 'Step up to the Plate' pledge, which commits signatories to halving their food waste output by 2030.
Fujitsu to phase out plastic cups, straws, bottles and bags
Multinational IT equipment and services giant Fujitsu has unveiled a sweeping new set of plastics reduction pledges, covering bags, drinks bottles, cups, straws and other packaging.

War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita: Supermarkets brace for further backlash on packaging
During the first episode of the BBC's much-anticipated War on Plastic last night (10 June), presenters Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Anita Rani shed fresh light on the UK's plastics waste problem - placing the so-called "Big Seven" supermarkets under increased scrutiny over their approach to packaging.

Business giants launch plastics 'credit' scheme to tackle pollution
Danone, Veolia, Nestlé and Tetra Pak have jointly launched a global initiative aimed at standardising and accelerating corporate action on plastics, in a bid to help businesses align plastic reductions with economic and social sustainability.

Sainsbury's removes plastic bags from produce and bakery aisles
Sainsbury's has pledged to remove all single-use plastic bags from its fruit, vegetable and produce lines by September, in what it claims will be a first for a UK supermarket.

Gatwick hosts UK's first airport-based reusable coffee cup trial
The UK's first airport reusable coffee cup trial gets under way this week at Gatwick, offering passengers the opportunity to borrow and return refillable cups in a bid to help cut waste and tackle "throwaway" culture.
Estée Lauder to develop refillable packaging as part of circular economy drive
US-based cosmetics giant Estée Lauder has vowed to develop reusable and refillable packaging by 2025, as part of a sweeping new set of resource efficiency commitments.

Keurig Dr Pepper sets sweeping new plastics packaging targets
US-based food and beverage giant Keurig Dr Pepper has committed to making 100% of its plastic packaging recyclable or compostable by 2025, as part of a new corporate responsibility strategy.

Canary Wharf becomes world's first plastic-free commercial centre
London's Canary Wharf has today (5 June) become the first commercial centre in the world to be awarded Plastic Free Community status by marine charity Surfers Against Sewage, one year after its managing body Canary Wharf Group launched its flagship plastic reduction scheme.

Fashion retailers team up to trial new closed-loop business models
A coalition of fashion retailers including Ted Baker are set to pilot more resource-efficient business models, such garment repair, resale and rental, to determine whether they are economically viable solutions to the sector's waste challenges.