waste management

Related content

The Pact has garnered the support of 127 organisations during its first year

One year on: How has WRAP's UK Plastics Pact changed corporate approaches to single-use plastic?

Last April, a coalition of 42 businesses jointly committed to make unnecessary single-use plastic packaging "a thing of the past". Here, edie rounds up the impact that this commitment, made as part of WRAP's Plastic Pact, has had on resource management.

In some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, plastic collection rates are currently stagnating at less than 10%

Governments and businesses urged to collaboratively support recycling in developing nations

Amid what Sir David Attenborough has dubbed an "unfolding catastrophe" of plastic pollution in developing nations, urgent calls have been made for governments and finance firms to make collective and "significant investment" in circular economy systems across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Goals are in place to achieve a 50% reduction in environmental impacts by 2025

SEAT to double down on waste reduction efforts

Spanish car manufacturer SEAT has announced new plans to boost its efficiency in reducing waste at all key facilities, with select initiatives set to nearly double waste reduction levels by 2025.

The innovative material will be phased in across Unilever's TRESemme and Lynx brands by the end of the year

Unilever unveils 'detectable and recyclable' black plastic packaging

Consumer goods giant Unilever has today (17 May) unveiled a new pigment which makes black plastics detectable by recycling equipment, as it strives to boost the recyclability of its packaging portfolio.

<p>Tesco became the first UK supermarket to disclose its food waste data in 2013</p>

Tesco slashes food waste by 17% in one year

Supermarket giant Tesco has published its annual food waste figures, revealing that it wasted 17% less food by weight during 2018-19 than during the previous 12-month period.

<p>WWF is hoping to get 100 companies to join the scheme. Image: Steve Morgan at WWF UK</p>

Business giants join new WWF-led scheme to boost plastics action

Starbucks, The Coca-Cola Company and McDonald's are among a coalition of corporates to have joined a new scheme aimed at helping businesses to translate their plastic reduction pledges into measurable impacts.

<p>To date, P&G has ensured that 86% of its product packaging is either recyclable or that programmes are in place to create the ability to recycle it</p>

Inside P&G's plastics packaging strategy

EXCLUSIVE: Procter & Gamble's principal scientist and packaging technologist, Gian De Belder, has outlined the company's five-pillar approach to improving the recyclability of its packaging through science-based studies and "Holy Grail" collaborative projects.

<p>230 of The Body Shop's UK stores are covered by the scheme</p>

The Body Shop launches in-store take-back scheme for plastic packaging

Health and beauty retailer The Body Shop has launched a multinational take-back scheme for its plastic packaging, after consumers voiced concerns that not all of the brand's packaging is accepted by local authorities under kerbside recycling schemes.

In action: The Langham London hotel's aerobic digestion of food waste

In March 2018, the 5-star Langham London hotel embarked on a site-wide behavioural and infrastructural overhaul to divert food waste from landfill through an innovative recycling system introduced by Orca Enviro Systems.

<p>At least 2 billion people around the world do not have their rubbish collected</p>

Report: Mismanaged waste 'kills up to a million people a year globally'

Mismanaged waste is causing hundreds of thousands of people to die each year in the developing world from easily preventable causes, and plastic waste is adding a new and dangerous dimension to the problem, a report has found.

Last year, 10.2 million tonnes of food were wasted in the UK

Business giants sign new government-led pledge to halve food waste by 2030

A coalition of big-name businesses from across the food and drink sector, including Nestle and Waitrose & Partners, have today (13 May) made a joint commitment to halve their food waste outputs by 2030, in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The US reportedly opposed deal, which follows concerns that villages in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have ‘turned into dumpsites’

Nearly all countries agree to stem flow of plastic waste into poor nations

Almost all the world's countries have agreed on a deal aimed at restricting shipments of hard-to-recycle plastic waste to poorer countries, the United Nations (UN) announced on Friday.

Recycling reward machines, which give users discount vouchers for depositing their empty packaging, have proven popular in Leeds

Hubbub to roll out 'on-the-go' recycling scheme to Scotland and Wales

Environmental charity Hubbub is planning to launch its behaviour change scheme for recycling 'on-the-go' food and drinks packaging, backed by companies such as Coca-Cola GB, Costa Coffee and McDonald's, in Wales and Scotland this year, following success in Leeds.

PET bottles with a 50ml-3l capacity will be subject to a deposit fee under the system

Scottish Government unveils 20p deposit return scheme for plastic bottles

The Scottish Government has revealed the results of its consultation on implementing a national deposit return scheme for drinks packaging, confirming that it will introduce a 20p deposit fee for all PET and glass bottles as well as aluminium and steel cans.

The beverage firms have joined L'Oreal in pledging to support bringing Carbios' technology to scale

Beverage giants to help scale up world's first enzyme-based plastics recycling technology

Soft drinks giants PepsiCo, Nestle Waters and Lucozade Ribena Suntory's (LRS) parent brand Suntory Beverage & Food Europe have thrown their support behind a new plastics recycling technology which uses enzymes to process waste.

These surveys explore the changing attitudes of shoppers and SMEs to the plastic pollution problem

In numbers: How businesses and consumers are adapting to the war on plastic

Plastics is a sustainability topic that rarely dies down and the past few weeks were no different. Here, edie rounds up the key findings of several new surveys on attitudes to plastics, capturing the changing opinions of businesses and consumers alike.

The scheme will cover France's first and second professional football leagues

French football league partners with WWF to drive sustainable behaviour change among fans

France's governing body for professional football, the Lique de Football Professionnel (LFP), has partnered with WWF in a bid to make its operations more environmentally friendly and engage its audiences with sustainability issues.

The Agbogbloshie slums of Ghana (pictured) have been used as an e-waste landfill by illegal exporters

UK braced for tougher e-waste policies as impacts on human food chains revealed

Industry body techUK has called on the UK Government to implement tighter regulation of e-waste exports under its Resources and Waste Strategy, after a landmark study into the impacts of Europe's e-waste crimes on human food chains in Africa.

Apple's Daisy recycling robot is capable of disassembling 200 iPhones per hour

Apple to launch material recovery lab after ramping up circular economy drive

Technology giant Apple is set to open a new research and development lab focused on cl osed-loop solutions this year, after diverting more than 48,000 metric tonnes of electronic waste from landfill during 2018.

More than 6,200 people across Hull have signed up to receive food through OLIO to date

Costa joins Hull redistribution scheme to combat food waste and hunger

Coffee chain Costa has joined a collaborative, business-led initiative which uses a food sharing app to help tackle food waste and food poverty issues in Hull.

The first episode in this six-part series explores how Brexit will impact the UK's resource efficiency journey

The Big Brexit Questions: edie analyses green impact of EU exit with series of mini-podcasts

With MPs having failed to agree on a Withdrawal Agreement ahead of the 29 March deadline, the UK's green economy is continuing to ask questions about when and how we will exit the EU, and what impact this will have on business. edie has therefore launched a new series of podcast episodes exploring what Brexit will really mean for key environmental areas, in under 15 minutes.

The packaging for each five-litre refill contains 66% less plastic than a 1.5-litre Evian bottle

Evian unveils refillable device in bid to slash plastic waste

French bottled water company Evian is set to begin trials of a new refillable in-home water appliance next month, in a bid to gauge consumer appetite for lower-plastic alternatives to single-use bottles.

Miele claims that the move will boost McDonald’s annual biofuel production by one-fifth

McDonald's boosts biofuel generation with grease recovery partnership

Fast food giant McDonald's UK has inked a deal with commercial laundry and dishwashing appliances manufacturer Miele which will see it recover more of its used grease for recycling into biofuels.

Diageo will source 100% of the pulp used to make the new packaging from suppliers certified as sustainable

Diageo to remove plastic packaging from Guinness and beer multipacks

Beverage giant Diageo has today (15 April) revealed that it is investing £16m in an initiative which will see all plastic packaging removed from its Guinness, Smithwicks and Harp multipacks.

70% of fresh water us globally goes to agriculture

Three-course meal: How addressing food waste can deliver a triple win for sustainable business

Following the revelation that food banks around the world helped mitigate more than 10.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions while reducing food costs, edie explores whether the conversation on food waste needs to change to capture heightened calls for action on climate change.

An artist's impression of the plant. Image: Peel Environmental

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

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

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

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

At least 10 large-scale schemes will be chosen as winners, meaning that Starbucks will funnel a minimum of £500,000 into the initiative

Starbucks and Hubbub launch joint fund championing coffee cup recycling programmes

Environmental charity Hubbub has today (11 April) launched a new funding initiative aimed at helping local authorities and other organisations launch or scale-up coffee cup recycling schemes, after receiving funding to launch the scheme from Starbucks.

JLR uses 180,000 tonnes of aluminium annually; globally, around 80 million tonnes are produced each year

Jaguar Land Rover updates closed-loop aluminium initiative

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is developing the next phase of its aluminium recycling strategy, having processed more than 300,000 tonnes of scrap back into vehicles over the last six years.

Consumers can send up to 15 food pouches to TerraCycle at a time

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

Recycling firm TerraCycle and baby food brand Ella's Kitchen have a launched a six-month trial partnership with Asda to increase the recyclability of baby food pouches.

Unilever has been incorporating recycled plastics into its packaging since 2013

Unilever launches 100% recycled and recyclable washing up liquid bottle

Unilever has launched a fully recyclable plastic bottle made from 100% recycled content under its soap brand Sunlight, marking a first for the consumer goods firm's South African arm.

Waste streams for recycling will be collected from 10 stores across Swindon and Bristol

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

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

The bottles will have a shorter and more transparent outer sleeve

Ribena bottles to be redesigned in bid to boost recycling rates

Beverage giant Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) has unveiled plans to redesign its range of Ribena bottles so that they can be easily recycled within the UK's existing waste management facilities.

The directive will target items such as straws, stirrers and cotton buds, as well as polystyrene cups and oxo-degradable plastics

European parliament votes to ban single-use plastics

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

Each product will vary in aesthetics as different The North Face tents have been recycled and reused across the entire collection

The North Face recycles old tents into new designer bag range

Outdoor clothing brand The North Face has partnered with British eco-fashion designer RÆBURN to create a second life for old tents by recycling them into a new accessory range.

Plastics recycling rates across Sub-Saharan Africa are currently less than 10%

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

A group of four multinational corporations – Unilever, Nestle, Diageo and The Coca-Cola Company – have launched a joint initiative aimed at expanding the plastics recycling economy in Africa's Sub-Saharan region.

Tesco is the latest supermarket to trial packaging-free fresh produce in a bid to cut back on plastic waste

Tesco trials plastic-free fruit and veg selection

Supermarket Tesco is trialling packaging-free fresh produce at two stores in Watford and Swindon, in a bid to monitor whether the remove of plastic packaging for select products will impact levels of food waste.

An estimated 821 million people across the globe go hungry

Food banks help reduce emissions by 10 million tonnes, report finds

Food banks around the world have helped mitigate more than 10.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by preventing almost 2.7 million metric tonnes of edible food being wasted, a new report has found.

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

Asda's fashion and homeware brand, George, will incorporate recycled plastic bottles in its products, as part of a commitment to only use polyester made from recycled materials by 2025.

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 ghost gear issue from fishing has been described as a

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

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

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.

Leon’s technical manager Anca Ghitescu and Veolia’s chief technology and innovation officer Richard Kirkman with the new machine

Leon and Veolia partner to launch reverse-vending scheme in London

Restaurant chain Leon and waste management firm Veolia have collaborated to install a reverse vending machine at London King's Cross Estate, in a bid to encourage consumers to recycle.

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.

CCEP's plastic packaging contained 27.6% recycled material in 2018, up from 24.8% in 2017

Europe's largest Coca-Cola bottler reveals progress on plastic reduction

Europe's largest independent Coca-Cola bottler used 27.6% recycled content in its plastic bottles last year - more than ten times the beverage sector's global average proportion of 2-3%.

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.

Asda has also taken steps to make its plastic packaging more recyclable

Asda removes 6,500 tonnes of plastic from own-brand packaging

UK supermarket Asda has removed 6,500 tonnes of plastic from its own brand packaging over the last 12 months, the equivalent weight of around 600 million empty plastic bottles.

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.

The funding will be bolstered by contributions by other governments, waste management firms and big-name corporates such as Unilever

UK doubles aid support for plastic recycling in developing nations

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

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

Lidl to trial removal of all plastic bags at Welsh stores

Plans have been announced by supermarket retailer Lidl to remove all 9p plastic bags from its stores in Wales.

Global plastic production, pollution and incineration is set to continue rising despite corporate action, WWF has found

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

Despite a fresh wave of commitments from corporates to reduce their plastic footprint or ban certain single-use items, the wider business community is still failing to accept responsibility for the plastic pollution it produces by placing the onus on consumers.

Between eight and 12 million tonnes of plastic is believed to seep into the oceans each year

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

Broadcaster Sky's Ocean Ventures arm has forged a partnership with European investment fund Ambienta to help drive investment into projects targeting plastic pollution across all levels of the value chain.

Landsec launches textile take-back scheme to combat fast-fashion

Property developer Landsec is launching a fashion take-back scheme at one of the UK's largest shopping centres in a bid to encourage consumers to divert used textiles from landfill.

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.

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

Circular roundtable: How can businesses accelerate the resource revolution?

Sustainability and corporate responsibility managers from a range of businesses recently gathered in London for an exclusive roundtable hosted by edie and EDF Energy, to discuss how organisations are stepping up efforts to accelerate a circular economy.

The UK is estimated to send more than one million tonnes of black plastics to landfill every year

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

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

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

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

Supermarket Iceland is trialing the removal of plastic packaging from its fruit and vegetable lines at one of its largest UK stores, in a bid to gauge whether consumers are willing to buy loose produce.

The first reading of the bill will take place today (25 February), with a second reading earmarked for 15 March

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

A group of MPs from across the political spectrum have given their backing to a new draft bill on plastic pollution, which calls for all "non-essential" single-use plastics to be banned across the UK by 2025.

Between $80bn and $120bn is lost from the global economy every year due to a non-circular system for plastic packaging

Business giants team up to combat plastic pollution 'leaks'

Adidas, Dow Chemical Company and McDonald's are among the 18 big-name businesses to have co-founded a new alliance aimed at creating frameworks to measure, map and reduce plastic and microplastic pollution across the globe.

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.

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

Hovis launches nationwide bread bag recycling scheme

British bread brand Hovis has announced a new partnership with recycling specialist TerraCycle to make it easier for its fully recyclable plastic bread bags to be correctly disposed of by households.

The Government is concerned that a lack of digital record keeping in the waste industry is being frequently exploited by organised criminals

Government turns to blockchain to boost waste management transparency

The UK Government has unveiled plans to invest in startups which are using digital technologies like blockchain and machine learning to solve the nation's most pressing waste management issues.

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.

Around 300,000 tonnes of clothing is currently wasted each year in the UK, according to the EAC

Tax fashion brands to fund circular economy for garments, MPs urge

A group of MPs is calling on the UK Government to introduce policies which would see fashion brands pay a producer responsibility charge of 1p for every garment they produce, in addition to lower rates of tax for companies minimising the environmental footprint of their products.

The government is exploring two variants of the deposit return system

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

The consultation on the UK's waste management process has sparked new debates on standardised waste collections and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime. But the green economy wants to go "all in" on deposit return systems.

The Government estimates that an overhaul to the EPR system will raise between £800m and £1bn annually for recycling and disposal

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

The UK Government has launched a 12-week consultation to explore how a "world-leading" tax on plastic packaging, standardised waste collections across the country and varying deposit return schemes for single-use items could overhaul and modernise the national waste management system.

114 restaurants were studied across 12 countries. Annual food sales across sites ranged from $400,000 to $17.3m.

Investing in food waste prevention can provide financial boost for restaurants, study finds

Restaurants that actively invest in measures to reduce food waste can unlock new economic revenue streams, as a new report from a coalition of major organisations reveals that for every $1 spent on food loss prevention, restaurants can save $7 in operating costs.

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.

Lord Deben is one of the 12 policy leaders to have given his backing to Policy Connect's new report

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

Measures outlined in the Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) could spur progress towards a “completely circular economy” for plastics by forcing businesses to reexamine "vested interests" and financial incentives, the Committee on Climate Change Chairman Lord Deben has argued.

UK recycling rates for plastic packaging have stagnated at between 38% and 45% for several years

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

Ahead of the Government's Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) consultations, MPs are calling for the "urgent" introduction plastic waste legislation which follows the framework of the Climate Change Act, setting ever-stricter and legally binding recycling targets.

The 10 bins at Marylebone Station are anticipated to collect 300,000 coffee cups annually

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

Train operator Chiltern Railways has rolled out a coffee cup recycling scheme across its entire estate of 32 UK stations, after forging a partnership with waste solutions provider Simply Cups.

The plastic recycling system in the UK has been in the spotlight since China banned imports of plastic

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

A cross-party group of MPs is calling for a ban on the export of plastic waste over concerns the UK is passing the buck to the world's poorest people to clean up its rubbish.

Recycling rates at St Pancras have increased from 26% the year before to 79%

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

High-speed rail service Eurostar will phase-out plastic water bottles from its business lounges during 2019, in a move that will reduce the organisation's plastics footprint by more than 100,000 bottles annually.

The UK ships about 3 million tonnes of waste a year to the EU

Waste management crisis: Officials warn of putrefying piles of rubbish after no-deal Brexit

Government officials are preparing to deal with "putrefying stockpiles" of rubbish in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to documents leaked to the Guardian.

More than 13% of the UK's working population now work remotely either full or part-time, according to the Office for National Statistics

Sustainable snow days: How remote working can reduce environmental impacts for business

As the first snow of 2019 starts to fall across large parts of the UK, many of us will be working from home more than usual. With this in mind, edie outlines how remote working is can help businesses reduce their carbon, energy and waste footprints.

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 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.

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.

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.

SC Johnson chairman Fisk Johnson recently visited Indonesia to further explore the global plastic pollution problem

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

US-based consumer goods firm SC Johnson has forged a new circular economy partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in a bid to scale-up closed-loop solutions to the global plastics pollution problem.

Circle Economy estimates that 62% of global emissions (excluding those from land use and forestry) are released during the extraction, and manufacturing of goods

'A 1.5C world is circular': Nations urged to drive resource productivity to reach climate goals

A new report released today (22 January) at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos has outlined the urgent need for nations to "wake up to the potential" of the circular economy in order to push the world towards the Paris Agreement's more ambitious pathway.

HPE helps its customers understand how participation in its end-of-life programmes can address the social and environmental impacts of IT transformation

Enel and Hewlett Packard Enterprise join CE100 to accelerate closed-loop transition

Enel Group and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) have become the latest corporate members of Circular Economy 100 (CE100), the innovation platform launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to accelerate closed-loop ambitions.

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

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

The webinar is available to watch on-demand for those registered

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

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

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

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

As part of a week of action on single-use plastics and the launch of edie's Plastics Hub, the Sustainable Business Covered podcast returns for 2019 with exclusive, plastic-focused interviews with sustainability experts at the Co-op, Surfers Against Sewage and Waitrose.

M&S has employed trained greengrocers as part of the trial, to ensure customers know how to weigh and preserve their shopping

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

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

Lord Deben believes that microplastics and other

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

EXCLUSIVE: After two years of awareness-building and action on packaging sustainability, businesses must now approach the plastic waste crisis as a whole-systems issue, Committee on Climate Change (CCC) chairman Lord Deben has argued.

Over the two Thinkathon sessions, the group will explore how businesses can play a leading role in eliminating unnecessary single-use plastics

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

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

The Alliance will focus heavily on the prevention and clean up of plastics in rivers and oceans

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

Major companies from across the plastics value chain, including Procter & Gamble (P&G), Veolia and ExxonMobil, have today (16 January) committed more than $1bn (£777m) as part of a new alliance aimed at eliminating plastic waste in the environment.

More than 33.5 million people have interacted with Sky Ocean Rescue across the broadcaster's core markets, so far

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

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

The programme will collect lenses, blister packs and foil sachets from all brands

UK's first national recycling scheme launched for contact lenses

Consumer goods giant Johnson & Johnson has teamed up with Boots Opticians and recycling firm Terracycle to launch the first UK-wide recycling scheme for contact lenses and their packaging.

edie will continue to add valuable news articles, features and exclusive interviews to the Mission Possible Plastics Hub throughout the year

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

edie has today (15 January) launched the Mission Possible Plastics Hub - a brand-new, content-driven campaign that will support sustainability and resource efficiency professionals on our collective mission to eliminate single-use plastics.

Are brands ready to turn their plastics ambitions into actions?

Like plastics, talk is cheap. The world's largest businesses are continuously committing to various plastic phase-outs, but the time is now to move the dial and turn ambitions into action - and edie is here to help.

Sutherland argued that firms would need to champion whole-systems circularity, considering the resource efficiency of all products at every stage

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

EXCLUSIVE: In an era of unprecedented consumer demand for plastic-free packaging and products, companies making their offerings recyclable are no longer doing enough - they must radically transform their business models to stay relevant and retain consumer trust.

Lush launched its first plastic-free locations in Berlin and Milan (pictured) last year

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

Health and beauty brand Lush has unveiled plans to open its first plastic-free shop in the UK this week, following the success of its 'naked' stores in Germany and Italy.

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.

Suggested keywords