NEWS

Population growth rates are over 2% per year and the consequent increase in consumption of plastic packaging makes this the largest fraction of waste after organic, which brings more urgency to the waste management challenges. Most of Africa’s population has no access to kerbside collection nor a formal waste collection system and relies heavily on waste pickers in the informal sector for waste collection and sorting. According to industry estimates 90% of waste still ends up in landfill ...

The Spanish Congress has passedLaw 7/2022 of 8 April 2022,which covers tax law on non-reusable plastic packaging and will enter into force on January 1, 2023.The Law intends to encourage the reduction of non-reusable plastic packaging waste as well as the recycling of plastic waste. It also aims to establish the concepts of the circular economy by basic waste regulation, as well as to contribute to climate change mitigation and marine environmental protection. Scope Non-reusab...

Some 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic every minute. A 2020 Pew-authored report, “Breaking the Plastic Wave,” projected that the inflow will increase to 29 million metric tons per year by 2040 without ambitious action. Unfortunately, the report showed that commitments made to date by governments and industry, such as bans on plastic bags and straws, will have only an incremental impact on those numbers. If humanity...

Following the start of a new law in Japan on April 1 that aims to increase the circularity of plastic throughout its lifecycle, we look at one of Japan’s big areas of plastic use – food packaging. For many people, their image of Japanese food includes strict hygiene standards, freshness, and convenient access to ready-to-eat meals and bottled drinks. For others, copious amounts of packaging to ensure those high standards may be what comes to mind. Food packaging and environment...

Virgin Atlantic will operate the world’s first 'net-zero' transatlantic flight in 2023. The UK-US flight will be powered by 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a low-emissions fuel made from waste materials like used cooking oil. Virgin secured a £1 million UK government contract - announced in May - to fly a Boeing 787 jet from London Heathrow to New York JFK. The flight will be a key step to "sustainable" aviation, the Department of transport cla...

Natura & Cois a global purpose-driven personal care group comprising Avon, Natura, The Body Shop and Aesop. In 2020, the group unveiledCommitment to Life, a ten-year plan designed to help tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, one of which is the dramatic rise in plastic usage. Multiple targets to reduce plastic usage Natura &Co aims to achieve full circularity of packaging by 2030. It has committed to decreasing packaging material by 20% (or more) in weight, and for 5...

The European Commission wants to reduce the environmental impact of packaging by mandating that producers use a minimum amount of recycled plastic in new packaging placed on the market. Only 5% of plastic in packaging came from recycled sources in 2019, according to industry group Plastics Europe. And recyclers face an uphill battle to sell secondary materials in a market dominated by cheaper and higher-quality virgin supplies. To tackle this, Brussels is expected to boost the demand for...

April 28, 2022. Amsterdam, Netherlands– The European Commission has selected 100 European cities (plus 12 additional cities coming from H2020 associated countries) to join itsMission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. The cities selected for this Mission will receive comprehensive support from the Net Zero Cities program led by EIT Climate-KIC and work on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and achieving climate neutrality. Home to 75 per cent of Europeans and responsible for m...

Clearing up confusion around biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics The use and production of biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics has been steadily increasing. A number ofconditions have to be met for these plastics to have positive environmental impacts, rather than exacerbating plastic pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. The Commission's newframework clarifies in what way these plastics can be part of a sustainable future. Biom...

Australians spend billions of dollars on beauty products every year, but the leftover packaging mostly ends up in landfill. It's estimated that more than 10,000 tonnes of cosmetic waste goes to landfill every year in Australia,because make-up products aren't generally accepted in kerbside recycling. That's because they are too small to be sorted at a regular facility andoften contain complex and mixed materials as well as remnant product, which makes themtricky to recycle alon...

Major legislation passed and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday aims to significantly reduce single-use plastic packaging in the state and drastically boost recycling rates for what remains. It sets the nation's most stringent requirements for the use of plastic packaging, with lawmakers saying they hope it sets a precedent for other states to follow. "We're ruining the planet and we've got to change it," Sen. Bob Hertzberg, a Democrat, said before voting on the bill. Under the bill...

What is wax paper? Wax paper is a common kitchen paper product that is used for wrapping and storing food. It contains a wax coating, which makes it moisture-proof, and it's a great plastic wrap alternative. The non-stick and water-resistant properties of wax paper are what make it a staple household kitchen tool. It can be cleaned easily and reused several times for storage or lining countertops when rolling out baked goods, like pie crusts and bread. Wax paper is similar to parch...