As we take a closer look at packaging to ensure it’s plastic-free, an element to consider is one that sometimes gets overlooked – tape.

Tape is a necessary component of packaging in many cases and can be confusing to figure out what the best eco-friendly version is to use. From materials to adhesion, every aspect has to be considered.

Water-activated tape

Water-activated tape is also called “gummed” tape. The adhesive gets activated when it gets wet. Most water-activated tapes are paper-based and are tamper-resistant.

This tape will biodegrade much more quickly than other types of tape and can be recycled completely. The starch-based adhesive easily dissolves and separates in the repulping process. It has a paper face stock, so the face stock itself actually gets recycled along with the corrugated stock of the shipping box.

Something to look out for is reinforced water-activated tape. This type of water-activated tape contains a fiberglass mesh that cannot be recycled and will take decades for the earth to break down. This tape is made by combining two or more layers of pure kraft paper sandwiching glass fiber reinforcement filaments that make this variety of tape much stronger and capable of sealing heavy packets. So although it may work for sealing higher weight packages, it’s not the eco-friendly way to go.

Kraft flatback tape

Kraft flatback tape has a paper-based face stock. The adhesive on this tape however does not separate from the face stock or the corrugated box as easily as Water Activated Tape during the repulping process. What usually happens with this tape is the adhesive is separated during the remanufacturing process and then landfilled, so this is not as eco-friendly as water-activated tape.

Cellulose Tape

Cellulose, along with lignin, is one of the main chemical components of wood. Thus, although it may look like petroleum-based plastic, this tape is made from trees. However, both the face stock and adhesive are non-paper and would be screened out in the repulping process and then landfilled. It also takes longer to break down in landfills than paper tape.

Masking Tape

Masking tape is one of the handiest types of tape out there. At first glance, this looks like paper tape, however, not all masking tape is recyclable like other paper tapes.

Some masking tape products are made from recycled materials, so it cannot be recycled again. This is a cause for debate as to whether or not it is eco-friendly because you’re either using a recycled product, or your product can be recycled. However, it’s not the most eco-friendly option overall. If you are using masking tape, it’s a good idea to get the kind that is recyclable. This kind of tape should be clearly marked with a recycling symbol.

Tapes to Avoid

When possible, tapes to consider avoiding in general for eco reasons include- duct tapes, washi tape, and plastic, sticky tape.

Eco-friendly Options

Overall, when you’re going for eco-friendly and plastic-free, a water-activated tape is the way to go. There are many options out there for this, for example, the company noissue launched a custom packaging tape that is compostable and printed on FSC Certified paper, that uses a starch-based adhesive that activates when wet.

Have other favorite eco-friendly tapes? Let us know!

During the pandemic, online purchases and returns are surging like never before. Since March of 2020, corrugated box shipments have jumped 9 percent according to the Fiber Box Association. Technavio, a market research firm, estimates that demand for filled-air products is poised to swell by $1.16 billion between 2020 and 2024 because of the spike in online sales.

Currently, less than 14 percent of the nearly 86 million tons of plastic packaging produced globally each year is recycled. The majority of it is left for landfills, incinerated, or left to pollute the earth. 

A study by Oceana recently found that Amazon generated 465 million pounds of plastic packaging waste in 2019. They also estimated that up to 22.44 million pounds of Amazon’s plastic packaging ended up in the world’s freshwater and marine ecosystems as pollution in the same year.

The global e-commerce plastic packaging market was valued at USD 10.26 billion in 2019, and it is expected to reach USD 21.78 billion by 2025. 

Even for the packaging that can be recycled, it is no substitute for cutting down on waste in the first place. The overall recycling rate for materials, including paper, glass, and plastics, in the US was about 32 percent in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Up to 40 percent of Americans don’t have access to curbside receptacles for their recyclables, according to a 2016 study. In more rural areas, people might need to drop off their materials at recycling facilities, which makes recycling in general harder for people to regularly do.

What can you do to help combat this waste? 

• Do your research into companies you shop with. Do they use plastic packaging? Are they transparent in their operations? Are they trying to improve their carbon footprint? Be informed on where you spend your dollars. 

• Be vocal with companies you shop with on their packaging options. A letter template for this can be found here. 

• Think thoughtfully about your orders and try to consolidate them into one delivery at a time if possible. 

• When you do recycle the packaging, do your part to make sure everything in your bin is recyclable, and ensure what you’re attempting to recycle is accepted in your area/recycling facility.

Nearly every piece of plastic ever made is still with us and every piece we manufacture adds to the problem. Creating it involves fossil fuels, which aren’t so great for our atmosphere. When plastics enter rivers and the ocean they slowly leach chemicals into the soil and water, harming the health of our entire ecosystem.

This is why it’s so important to seek out alternatives to plastic packaging. But what are these options exactly? Here are a few to consider when looking to take your packaging in a plastic-free direction:

Cardboard Cushioning Material

Traditional bubble wrap comes in many items still today, however, it is not the most eco-friendly and is made of plastic.

An alternative to this is an up-cycled corrugated cardboard. This is made from post-consumer cardboard waste made into a cushioning material making it a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional bubble wrap.

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Corrugated Bubble can be found at EcoEnclose, and Versa-Pak Kraft Wadding Rolls can be found at Uline.

Mushroom Packaging

Mushroom packaging uses cleaned and ground agricultural waste, which is fused together by a matrix of mushroom roots known as mycelium.

This interesting material can be molded into whatever shape is desired for packaging. It also biodegrades at an incredible rate. Mushroom packaging can be composted at home, breaking down into non-toxic, organic matter.

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Learn more about Mycelium at Mushroom Packaging, by Ecovation Design.

Seaweed Packaging

Seaweed packaging is made from a plentiful and sustainable raw material, and could be the next big thing in eco-friendly packaging alternatives. Some of this new packaging that is being developed is biodegradable within six weeks, compared to hundreds of years for synthetic plastics.

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Notpla creates biodegradable and edible plastic alternative from Seaweed and plants.

Recycled Paper and Cardboard

Paper and cardboard are some of the most readily available and easily recyclable materials available. There is some debate around the carbon footprint and other environmental concerns of different paper products, but one thing is certain: when they aren’t disposed of properly they are far less risky if they escape into the environment or waterways. So, try to source post-consumer or post-industrial recycled paper and cardboard for an eco-friendly plastic alternative.

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EcoEnclose brings innovative eco-solutions to shipping supplies by developing packaging made with as much recycled content as is humanly possible, which can be easily recycled into new packaging in its next life.

Have a favorite plastic-free alternative you use? Let us know!

Coconut Bowls’ journey is no different. They are on a mission to replace plastic with natural products and in doing so inspire a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. The story of Coconut Bowls began when Australian digital nomad Jake McKeon was on a surfing/backpacking journey. During this trip, he witnessed the enormous amount of plastic pollution everywhere he traveled: on the beaches of Central America, down the coast of Southern California, and all around Europe.

Coincidentally, during his travels Jake had noticed something else too: discarded coconut shells that happened to be naturally shaped like a bowl, no plastic needed.

After doing some research, Jake learned that billions of shells were going to waste every year as a bi-product of the coconut industry. He had an idea: if he could take this natural shell, give it a purpose that replaced the need for plastic bowls and then compost it back into the earth at the end of its life, then a beautiful and sustainable loop would be created. With that, Coconut Bowls was born.

Jake recently gave SeaHive some insight on Coconut Bowls’ eco-friendly journey.

The Materials

Each year, billions of coconuts grow and are harvested for their water and white meat - unfortunately, 99% of coconut shells go to waste. Disposing of these shells usually means burning them, which releases carbon dioxide and methane emissions into the atmosphere.

Coconut Bowls mitigates this effect by reclaiming these waste coconut shells and turning them into a resource. As a result, using no plastic, Coconut Bowls is able to make bowls, cutlery and straws from 100% natural products that will biodegrade in your home compost or the green waste bin.

The Packaging

For packaging, Coconut Bowls uses reusable boxes as well as recyclable and compostable paper. However, that's just the start of their commitment. They have also partnered with sustainable packaging company No Issue, and members of their Eco-Packaging Alliance. Through this program, every time Coconut Bowls ships a product in sustainable, eco-friendly packaging, the Alliance plants trees in areas of the world that need it most.

In addition to being able to aid reforestation, Coconut Bowls also chose to partner with No Issue for help transforming their petroleum-based dependence into eco-friendly alternatives. No Issue uses only compostable, recycled, and reusable materials, as well as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper and plant-based soy inks.

“We initially began sourcing tissue paper and stickers directly with a supplier in China,” said Coconut Bowls Founder, Jake McKeon. “As a brand, we’re always looking to do better. And once we discovered No Issue, we saw they appeared to share our values and ethics. That made it an easy decision to partner with them to begin producing all of our packaging needs. I cannot speak highly enough of No Issue: their self-serve online solution makes it easy for brands to make a sustainable swap.” 

When asked about how brand partners were chosen, McKeon gave some insight into their process. “When looking at brand partners, it’s really important to consider quality and values rather than just price. Often, choosing the sustainable option costs more money, but it’s the right thing to do--and it will add value to your business. Customers increasingly care about conscious brands doing the right thing, and these decisions can help in building your brand and are always worth including in your marketing efforts.” 

The Shipping

Coconut Bowls partners with Cool Effect to offset the carbon created from shipping products around the world. Cool Effect is a not-for-profit that provides the opportunity to fund local projects that are scientifically and financially strong. 

They also choose localized warehouses in major regions and transport products by sea rather than air to keep carbon emissions as low as possible.  

“Shipping is a huge challenge for brands wanting to be sustainable, or as sustainable as possible,” McKeon explained. “Finding fulfillment partners that are as committed to sustainability as us is an ongoing challenge. This year we’ve made huge inroads in removing plastic tape from our shipments. We’re still working on removing it entirely, however, we need to be proud of the 9/10 things we do right. In our discussions with our partners, we try and educate them on how making the change to plastic-free will add value to their business and be an attraction to conscious brands like Coconut Bowls. It is all about education and helping guide them in the right direction with mutual sustainability goals.” 

What’s Next for Coconut Bowls?

“With the 100% elimination of plastic tape on the horizon, we continue our focus to develop more sustainable solutions to replace single-use, sourcing natural materials that don’t harm the environment and also continue to provide a livelihood for the artisans we work with” McKeon explained.

“As modern businesses, it’s our responsibility to do things better than those before us. The small additional cost into being sustainable is better than the cost otherwise to the environment, and rather should be treated as an investment into your brand.”

Learn more about naturally hand-crafted Coconut Bowls today at coconutbowls.com/ and enjoy a 10% discount “MADEBYNATURE” at checkout.

To continue exploring the plastic-free journey, here’s a look at a few brands to consider next time you’re in the market for similar products. These brands are taking the plastic-free pledge to the next level, year-round.

CanO Water

We all know plastic water bottles are one of the main culprits of ocean pollution. Reusable water bottles are obviously a great way to avoid this, but what happens if you forget yours, or need water in a pinch?

This is where CanO Water comes in. CanO Water offers an eco-friendly solution to plastic water bottle waste. This brand packages fresh drinking water into aluminum cans that are infinitely recyclable. According to CanO Water, their cans go from being in the recycling bin to the shop shelves within 60 days, creating an ongoing cycle and completely cutting out plastic waste! 

CanO Water also puts its efforts into ocean clean up campaigns and are constantly working to raise awareness of plastic pollution.

Check out their latest ocean cleanup efforts here. 

Pela Case

More than 1 billion plastic phone cases are sold every year. An estimated 1.5 billion phone cases are thrown away each year, many of which are made from plastic. Pela Case is the world’s first 100% compostable, eco-friendly phone case working towards plastic-free oceans. 

Pela takes responsibility for its products throughout their entire life cycle. They give you the option of sending in your old phone case when your new Pela case comes and they recycle it/make a new case out of it for a 360 approach to phone case consumption. 

The climate-neutral certified company uses minimal, plastic-free packing for shipping, and is committed to giving one percent of their annual sales to 1% for the Planet to help fund projects that protect and preserve the environment. 

For more on their strategy and impact, head here.

Coconut Bowls

Coconut Bowls works to inspire people to be conscious about the food they put into their body and the impact products have on the environment. 

Every year billions of coconuts grow and are harvested for water and white meat. However, 99% of coconut shells go to waste and are often burned, which releases CO2 and Methane emissions into the atmosphere. Coconut Bowls reclaims these waste coconut shells and turns them into a resource. They also source the small pieces of coconut and other wooden offcuts that local builders and artisans would throw away or burn, as well as work with local artisans to handcraft the offcuts into spoons, forks, knives, and chopsticks, so almost nothing is wasted. 

They have also committed to plastic-free packaging and using only compostable, recycled, and reusable materials in partnership with their packaging company, No Issue. No Issue uses only FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper and plant-based soy inks.

Check out the awesome work they do here.

Haeckels

Haeckels is a natural skincare and wild fragrance company based in Margate, UK. The brand was founded in 2012 and utilizes its coastal location to harvest and distill seaweed, ocean mud, and marine minerals in its home and body products.

Through their products, they work to implement solutions to the world’s ocean crisis.

They introduced a “Rubbish for Product” initiative, asking locals to bring a bag of beach rubbish to the shop in exchange for a free product. 

They also are innovative when it comes to packaging. All of the brand’s packaging is plastic-free, made from glass and algae to create bottle seals. They also use Mycelium, a completely biodegradable, fungus-like bacteria for their packaging. It is formed into protective molds, which are used for delivery.

Learn more about this brand and its initiatives here.

Goodwell

Goodwell is an environmentally conscious oral care company with products that empower people to make a better choice in their daily oral care routine.

850 million plastic toothbrushes end up in landfills every year, in the USA alone. 15 billion batteries are made and sold every year, of which 87% end up in landfills, 12% are incinerated, and only 1% are actually recycled. Statistics like these are the seed of the innovation behind the products Goodwell designs and manufactures. 

Goodwell makes brushes out of an innovative mix of recycled aluminum and degradable bioplastic that makes for far less waste than a plastic toothbrush, and ships completely plastic-free. 

Goodwell is also a carbon-neutral company, as well as allocates one percent of their revenue to initiatives that give back to environmental nonprofits to create a healthier planet. 

For more on how to reduce your oral plastic, check them out here. 

Pakt 

We have to mention our own efforts with our sister company, Pakt, in this category. At Pakt, we only use modern, durable, technical materials that are animal-friendly and have the lowest possible environmental impact. We are also working to constantly improve our supply chain and products by looking for lower impact replacements for every step and every material.

We chose to use rPET, a durable material that is created from recycled single-use plastic for the exterior of our latest product, The Pakt Travel Backpack. This material is just as durable as nylon and has a lower carbon footprint than both nylon and organic cotton fabrics.

All Pakt products are shipped in 100% plastic-free packaging: no bubble wrap, no plastic bags, no air pillows, and no Styrofoam. A percentage of Pakt profits goes to support SeaHive to help fight the environmental issue caused by plastic product packaging.

Plastic garbage comes in all different shapes and sizes, but when it’s less than five millimeters in length, it’s called a microplastic. Microplastics have been found in everything from whales and sea turtles to birds and land animals. It’s also in our food, drinking water, the air we breathe, and our bodies. 

Microplastics come from a variety of sources, including from larger plastic garbage that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces. Microbeads are another type of microplastic. These are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants to health and beauty products. These particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean and lakes, posing a threat to aquatic life.

The Impact

If ingested, microplastics can block the gastrointestinal tracts of animals, or trick the organism who ingested them into thinking they don't need to eat which can lead to starvation. 

They aren’t just a problem for marine life and other creatures — they also harm humans as well. An article from the Washington Post explored the effects of microplastics suggested that ingesting microplastics could further expose us to harmful chemicals found in some plastics. These chemicals have been associated with reproductive health problems, obesity risks, organ problems, and even developmental issues in young children. 

A Credit Card A Week 

The average person may be eating and drinking totals of about 2,000 tiny pieces of plastic each week, a study suggests, which is an amount equal to the weight of one credit card. Most of the pieces of plastic we ingest come from drinking water, but it's also in seafood, salt, and even... beer.

Take Action 

To reduce the amount of microplastic we consume, we have to reduce our use of plastic in general. Here are some steps you can take to reduce the microplastic problem. 

• Use less single-use plastic whenever possible. 

• Choose products that come with less plastic packaging and urge companies to make the switch to plastic-free packaging (SeaHive can help). 

• Take part in a beach cleanup in your area. 

• Wash all synthetic clothing in something like a Guppyfriend Washing Bag or use a Cora Microfiber Laundry Ball to protect the fabric from shedding microplastics into the water.

• Use natural material such as ground coconut shell or laundry detergent strips for your laundry as many detergents have microplastics such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) that end up in our water.

• Avoid PET or PVC glitter and choose biodegradable glitter.

• Types of external house paint can contain plastics. Dust from this type of paint is found across the surface of the oceans. Look for paints that use latex or linseed oil as binders. 

• Consider taking the Plastic Free July challenge, which provides resources and ideas to help you (and millions of others around the world) reduce single-use plastic waste everyday at home, work, school, and even at your local café.

Rebecca comes from a background in architecture, sustainability, and environmental design. But despite her extensive resume, the idea for the Breeze Bag was actually borne out of her experience as a mother. A lifelong beach-lover, Rebecca found that once she had kids, she was missing out on the easy, carefree experience that she used to have when going to the beach. “I was struggling with bags and snacks and water bottles,” she explained to SeaHive, “I couldn’t even safely get my kids from the parking lot to the beach with all our gear in one trip.”

With nothing on the market that met her needs, Rebecca rolled up her sleeves and did it herself. The Breeze Bag is, as she describes it, a “Choose Your Own Adventure” type of bag. It’s customizable pop sections create designated spots so you can separate the wet stuff from dry, the snacks from the sunscreen, and with a bevy of pockets, there’s a place for everything. Plus, the straps transform the bag from a tote to a backpack in one simple motion, making it convenient to carry everywhere from the airport to the pool.  

But Rebecca didn’t stop at designing the product; rather, she reached out to SeaHive to make sure that her packing and shipping process was as thought-out as the bag was. “Using our voice and our product to convey a message of sustainability means a lot to me,” Rebecca explained, “especially as a parent, a lifelong environmentalist, and a beach lover.” And this is something that has really resonated with their customers.

The Breeze Bag Kickstarter reached more than 300 backers and raised over $45,000. They are now available for sale at findyourbreeze.com. We at SeaHive are both proud and excited to be collaborators on this project, and we cannot wait for you to receive your Breeze Bag delivered with zero-plastic packaging.

If you have questions on how to make the switch to zero-plastic packaging, feel free to drop us a line.

The rapid expansion of production of necessary plastics for these products has caused serious challenges to the efforts to reduce plastic pollution. 

Adjustments for Public Health

The pandemic forced a shift in how we live every part of our lives, from work to leisure and has in turn, forced a change in consumption as well, especially in plastics. The measures that have been put in place to reduce and ban plastics, needed to be reconsidered and looked through the lens of preventing the spread of COVID19, rather than the health of the environment.

Some retailers have banned shoppers from bringing their own reusable shopping bags; coffee chains are currently not accepting customer-proffered mugs as well as plastic bans in New York, Massachcusetts, Maine and Oregon have been delayed. As areas in the US begin to test reopening, measures will be put in place to help reduce the risk of spreading COVID19. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend restaurants that will be reopening switch to disposable menus, plates and utensils, and swap in single-portion condiments. These are appropriate measures given the dire circumstances, but will generate large amounts of plastic waste with no real end date in sight. 

We’re Home, and Shopping

Because so many of us are living our lives in our homes now, we’re creating more trash. From shopping to eating to ordering in, our consumption has not slowed with our lifestyle changes. 

Amazon alone saw a revenue increase by 26 percent to $75.5 billion in the first three months of 2020, shipping most of those deliveries in plastic packaging. 

It’s been reported that Americans are now generating up to 30 percent more trash on a regular basis, says David Biderman, executive director and CEO of Solid Waste Association of North America recently said in an article in Vox. In some states, recycling programs have been put on hold because they need to devote more staff to keep up with the increased amount of trash, and also because some facilities aren’t able to keep workers 6 ft apart to sort through recycling. 

What do we do?

Prior to the pandemic, plastic production was already projected to increase by 40 percent over the next decade, so what do we do now that these hard-fought measures are being rolled back for public health?

• Advocate for plastic-free packaging through resources like SeaHive

• Shop at bulk stores or shops with refill models

• Use reusable shopping bags and advocate for local governments to reconsider lifting restrictions on single-use plastics.

• Ensure your plastic gloves and masks are properly discarded in waste collection systems.

Every year, billions of products are manufactured, packaged, and shipped around the world in plastic packaging. Those packaging materials make up approximately ⅓ of all plastic waste and stick around for centuries, often contaminating our environment, ocean, and wildlife. 

Pakt is committed to designing and sourcing 100% plastic-free packaging for all Pakt products with SeaHive. 

Here’s a look at the packaging the coffee kit came in!

The exterior

We designed the packaging to snugly and securely fit a single Pakt Coffee Kit, with no extra room that would require any plastic bubble void fill (the typical culprit of excessive plastic-waste). This ensures that your Pakt Coffee Kit has very little chance of getting damaged in transit and minimizes the carbon footprint of shipping the product.

The exterior of the box is stamped with the SeaHive seal, proudly proclaiming that this package contains no plastic.

Inside

The Coffee Kit is wrapped in a beautiful (and handy!) brew guide illustrated by our friends at No Thanks; that doubles as a poster. Mine lives on my fridge!

For more on the coffee kit, head to paktbags.com. 

Our mission is still the same: To empower companies to reduce single-use plastic in their packaging. However, we believe that our greatest strengths lie in our ability to make meaningful connections in this space, and to help educate and inform others based on our experience.

Therefore, while we began as a consulting firm, we have decided to shift our focus and share everything that we have learned about reducing plastic in packaging in an open-source manner. This way, when a company or entrepreneur is ready to make the switch to more earth-friendly and ocean-safe packaging, the information is available to them at the click of a button.

In light of this, we have made some substantial changes to how we are running SeaHive. You can see these changes reflected on our updated SeaHive website.

• Open Source Information: SeaHive began as a small consulting firm in the plastic-free packaging field. However, we believe that information about sustainable packaging should be available to everyone - after all, we are all trying to achieve the goal of a healthier planet. Therefore, we have shifted SeaHive’s focus away from consulting and toward open-source education and awareness about packaging alternatives. We now have a dedicated Resources page on our website, and we are always open to answering any questions that you may have about sustainable packaging.

• Partner Directory: There are a number companies in the packaging industry that have a keen environmental focus. We have begun developing partnerships with some of these organizations - particularly packaging suppliers and designers - and have put together a Directory of these companies on our website. In doing so, we hope to help other businesses and entrepreneurs find sustainable solutions to their packaging needs without having to spend hours researching on their own. If you have questions about any of our Partners, or if you know of companies that would be interested in partnering with us, please reach out.
  

• New Team Members: In addition to shifting SeaHive’s focus, we also have brought new team members into the SeaHive family. These include:

  Kirsten Midura, Operations: Kirsten is a career environmentalist who comes from the renewable energy industry. Over the last few years, Kirsten has watched the waste management crisis become a dire situation, and decided that she must be part of the solution. Kirsten is a lifelong sailor, SSI Master Diver, and an avid motorcyclist.

  Elizabeth Earls, Admin for SeaHive + Pakt: Being outside on lakes or oceans is one of Elizabeth’s favorite pastimes. She came from a background outside of the plastic pollution field, but has learned a great amount since joining Pakt and SeaHive. She is proud to be on a team that is working to fight an issue that is so important to our future generations.

  Emma Abbott, Marketing for SeaHive + Pakt: Emma grew up in the Finger Lakes, taking the crystal clean water and air for granted. Seeing how drastically things have changed in the world was a cause for immediate action, so Emma joined the team to help find solutions to this crisis.
  

In addition to these changes, we are continuing to develop our Ambassador program, as well as our education and awareness efforts. If you have any questions or ideas for partnerships and collaborations, please reach out to us at any time. We’re always happy to talk shop!

Jeff Bezos announces $10 billion investment to fight climate change; Greenpeace publishes study showing that common plastic items may not be labeled properly; the EU considers using revenues from plastic tax to make up for Brexit financial loss; France, South Korea, and Ireland take measures to reduce waste; Companies are paying more attention to how their packaging makes customers feel; and more.

INITIATIVES

• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that he would be committing $10 billion to fight climate change through a new fund called the Bezos Earth Fund. The Fund will back scientists, activists and organizations working to mitigate the impact of climate change. Read more on CNN.

• Greenpeace USA released the results of a comprehensive survey of the nation’s 367 material recovery facilities, revealing that only PET #1 and HDPE #2 plastic bottles and jugs may legitimately be labeled as recyclable by consumer goods companies and retailers. The survey found that common plastic pollution itemsco may not be labeled as recyclable according to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requirements for products and labeling. Additionally, many full body shrink sleeves that are added to PET #1 and HDPE #2 bottles and jugs make those products non-recyclable as well. Read more on Bioplastics News.

• Recycling textiles, batteries and packaging will be the priority in a new plan to halve waste in the European Union by 2030. Under the new plan, the Commision will present initiatives aimed at prolonging the life of products such as electronic devices, and encourage consumers to seek repairs. Read more on Reuters.

• The European Union is considering plugging the financial gap from Brexit by leveraging revenue from a plastics tax and augmented carbon trading scheme. This revenue could generate 14 billion to 15 billion euros a year — more than enough to fill the gap. Read more on Reuters.

• France is banning designer clothes and luxury goods companies from destroying unsold or returned items under a wide-ranging anti-waste law. The groundbreaking law also covers electrical items, hygiene products and cosmetics, which must now be reused, redistributed or recycled. Read more on the Guardian.

• This season, Arsenal FC began using a returnable cup program at their stadium, which already has offset half a million single-use plastic cups. Friends of the Earth, the partner organization, is now urging other sport stadiums and venues across the UK to introduce reusable cup initiatives. Read more on Circular.

• South Korea has enforced regulations banning the usage of plastic materials that are difficult to recycle such as PVC and coloured PET bottles for the packaging of food and beverage items. Read more on Food Navigator-Asia.

• Microbeads have officially been banned in Ireland. The country is the first EU country to ban microplastics in household and industrial cleaners, including the sale, manufacture, import and export of products containing microplastics. Read more on Image.

• In the U.K., a coalition of more than 50 business leaders, politicians and campaigners is demanding that the plastic sachets – used for everything from ketchup to shampoo – be included in European and UK legislation outlawing other “throwaway” items such as plastic straws and cotton swabs. 855bn sachets are used every year globally – enough to cover the entire surface of the Earth – and with many thrown away without being opened. Read more on The Guardian.

• The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica has announced it will provide sustainable bags for all households bags to reduce plastic waste. The move is part of the government’s Go Green Dominica initiative to make the island plastic-free. As part of the initiative, the government has started providing households with bags made from jute and cotton. Read more on Packaging Gateway.

• Indonesia is preparing to create a circular economy ecosystem where resources and waste are managed sustainably and targeting its full implementation by 2024. To that end, Indonesia, Denmark and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have launched a new initiative to help Indonesia develop a maiden national strategy for the ecosystem, setting the country up to become the first in Southeast Asia to adopt it. Read more on Jakarta Globe.

• The Nigerian National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Environment are putting the finishing touches to a bill meant to prohibit the production of plastics, which pollute the environment. Read more on Business News Report.

• In the Philippines, the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said an inter-agency commission has approved a resolution banning “unnecessary” single-use plastics in all government offices. It covers national government agencies, local government units (LGUs), and all other government-controlled offices. Read more on GMA News.

• Delta Air Lines Inc said it will invest $1 billion over the next decade in initiatives that would limit the impact of global air travel on the environment. It is the first airline to make a commitment of that scale. Read more on Reuters.

• British Airways has pledged to remove more than 250 million plastic items from its flights by the end of the year. The airline is replacing plastic packaging and wrapping for items such as blankets and headsets with sustainable alternatives. It is also seeking reusable or recyclable substitutes for plastic cutlery, tumblers, cups, toothpicks and butter packaging. Read more on Glasgow Times.

• Amcor has joined the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC), a coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling and waste management, seeking to improve recyclability of plastic products within the healthcare sector. Amcor will support the coalition with extensive expertise in packaging design for medical devices and applications in hospitals and other treatment settings. Read more on European Plastic Product Manufacturer.

• India-based UFlex Limited has announced it is setting up two washing and recycling lines in an Indian city to recycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and multi-layer packaging scrap. The company is referring to the facility as “India’s first plant for [the] washing and recycling of postconsumer multi-layer plastic and PET bottle” scrap. Read more on Recycling Today.

• In Northern Ireland, plastic bag tax have raised more than £2m for environmental programs. The money will help with work including maintaining butterfly habitat, bird and bat monitoring and supporting bees and other pollinators. Read more on BBC.

• VFS Global has announced breaking free from plastic bottle usage starting from its Visa Application Centre in Dubai. VFS is the visa outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions, and this initiative will cut the use of 50,000 bottles. Read more on Gulf News.

• U.S. legislation that has been introduced at the federal level seeks to address deficiencies in U.S. recycling infrastructure, with one targeting grants for recycling education and the other taking a more comprehensive approach with a heavy focus on regulating single-use plastics. Read more on Waste Today.

• Thanks to public pressure from an activist shareholders groups, Westlake Chemical Corp. has agreed to publicly report its spills of tiny preproduction plastic pellets, or nurdles. This is major progress, as most companies do not report - and are not required to report - how much of their nurdles are spilled. Read more on the Houston Chronicle.

PACKAGING

• Companies increasingly are focusing on whether a customer feels guilty or virtuous about how the product was packaged to drive business results. More companies are trying to drive business results by extending their focus beyond the actual products for sale to concentrate on moments that get increasingly bundled under terms like “consumer experience.” Read more on The Wall Street Journal.

• Unilever has recently launched its first plastic packaging made from 100% recycled flexible materials in Nairobi, Kenya. Thousands of tonnes of virgin plastics will be reduced each year in Africa as a result of this initiative. Read more on Afrik21.

• A town in India has introduced bamboo water bottles for tourists in a bid to completely stop the use of plastic water bottles and littering. Lachen, arguably the first town to completely ban packaged drinking water bottles, is introducing bamboo bottles as an alternative. Read more on India Times.

• Members of the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA) and major Australian retailers are working together to help reduce packaging and food waste. The partners plan to work together at future roundtables in 2020 with the aim to drive industry efforts in minimizing packaging and food waste. Read more on Packaging Gateway.

• Taos Ski Resort is going far beyond banning single-use plastics at their resort. The B Corp also takes part in a sustainable foresting program, dehydrates food waste to create composted soil, and is working on eliminating single-use packaging for their company gear. Read more on Penta.

• London-based global online food delivery business Just Eat, together with sustainable packaging firm Notpla, has developed what it describes as a “fully recyclable” takeout box lined with seaweed. The container is able to decompose in four weeks if put in a home compost, as the seaweed-lined cardboard boxes are produced from tree and grass pulp, and contain no synthetic additives. Read more on CNBC.

• The cities of San Francisco and Palo Alto are set to trial "smart" reusable cup systems developed with support from McDonald's and Starbucks, in a bid to reduce the amount of single-use coffee cups that are being sent to landfill. Read more on edie.

• Yum Brands Inc. - the owner of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut - is ditching expanded polystyrene packaging by 2022. The company plans to make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by the end of the year, according to a release. Read more on Plastics News.

• Supermarket Aldi has announced it will remove all plastic lids on its own-label fresh cream and ready-to-drink coffee products, as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce single-use plastics. Across England and Wales, the supermarket will stock these products without unnecessary plastic lids in over 780 stores, thus removing around 34 million pieces of single-use plastic from the market. Read more on British Plastics & Rubber Magazine.

• FloWater, a company that makes water refill stations, is now beginning to offer a new type of aluminum reusable bottle next to its equipment—for roughly the same cost as premium bottled water sold in single-use plastic. The company says it is not the end solution, but rather a pathway for people who are in the habit of buying single-use to buy something that they can reuse multiple times. Read more on Fast Company.

PRODUCTS

• Adventure company Salomon has created a shoe that can be recycled and made into ski boots. The recyclable shoe took 18 months of research and development, but it is finally ready as part of its Play Minded Program, which addresses Salomon’s commitment to operating more sustainably. Read more on Running Magazine.

• In India, the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) has licensed technology for “Recycling of Plastic Waste into Useful Tiles.” The technology offers a simple and novel process of production of tiles, pavement blocks, panels, etc. from the waste plastic bags and bottles. Read more on PSU Watch.

• Fashion company Boots has become the first major high street retailer to offer a range of eco tights, with the launch of a range of tights made from plastic bottles. Tights are one of the most polluting items in your wardrobe, and this line will divert 86,000 plastic bottles from landfills each year. Read more on the Evening Standard.

• Dutch designers Iris van Daalen and Ruben Thier have started The Plastic Mine, a series of home accessories made from plastic clumps gathered from a factory floor. The Plastic Mine collection includes shelves and tables created out of brightly colored lumps of polyethylene, which were selected from the waste produced by a factory that makes pipes and tubing for industrial use. Read more on Dezeen.

• In an industry-first, Eastman Chemical Company is collaborating with Mazzucchelli 1849 to provide premium eyewear materials made from bio-based and recycled content. Mazzucchelli is the world leader in materials for premium eyewear, and the materials will be made from entirely sustainable acetate flake and to divert waste from landfills in the process. Read more on Plastics Today.

• The Fraunhofer Institute has developed novel, bio-based insulation boards. The Institute believes this product can be competitive in manufacturing, processing and performance against market-leading polystyrene insulation boards. Read more on European Plastic Product Manufacturer.

• Graphic Packaging International has announced a line of PaperSeal trays as an alternative to the vacuum-sealed packaging that holds meat and fish in a grocery store. The trays are made of 80-90% paperboard and 10-20% film depending on the trays dimensions. The film liner is designed to be easily separated from the paperboard to enable easy recycling. Read more on Packaging Gateway.

• Mats for a Mission, a group that weaves plastic bags into sleeping mats for the homeless, has expressed concerns over the effect that the New York plastic ban will have on their organization. If you would like to donate your existing plastic bags and keep this operation running, please see their Facebook page.

TECHNOLOGY

• The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the U.S. Marine Corps are looking at new environmentally friendly alternatives with 3D printing from recycled plastic waste. The new method could enhance the safety of the troops, lower supply chain dependence, and strengthen the operational readiness of soldiers. Read more on Army Technology.

• Beaverton, OR-based company Digimarc has begun using invisible bar codes that can be read at recycling facilities to streamline the sorting of plastics. Walmart is using the bar codes in some of its packaging. And Proctor and Gamble just announced it will be using Digimarc technology in its products in Europe. Read more on KGW8.

• CleanRobotics has created a robotic trash can that automatically sorts recyclables. The technology currently is being used at an office in San Francisco, and the company is a semifinalist in the current IBM Watson AI XPRIZE. Read more on Fast Company.

• A startup that supplies an ink allowing shrink sleeve labels to be separated from PET flakes with a magnet has successfully completed early testing of the innovation. Read more on Plastics Recycling Update.

• Scientists have developed open-source software to analyze economics of biofuels and bioproducts. 'BioSTEAM' allows researchers to quickly compare and prioritize strategies for converting biomass to fuels and products. Read more on EurekaAlert!

OTHER NEWS

• Reports of increased recycling rates, particularly of PET bottles, are showing success in closing the loop. The latest report from sustainability consultancy Eunomia, in collaboration with the European Federation of Bottled Water (EFBW), Petcore Europe, and Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE), projects a strong trend toward the use of recycled PET (rPET) thanks to increased demand. Read more on Plastics Today.

• Parks Canada and McGill University are teaming up to harvest green crabs, an invasive specie, and use their shells to create biodegradable plastic. Read more on CBC.

• Scientists from the UK and India have recycled the byproducts of mustard oil production to develop an enzyme that can be used in commercial laundry detergents. Read more on Labiotech.eu.

• The University of Southern California has installed 1,500 solar modules on the roof of its athletic arena, as well as more than 3,000 LED light bulbs and a commitment to waste diversion starting with a “green game” on Saturday. Read more on USC News.

INITIATIVES

• This year, the Super Bowl and ancillary events generated about a few hundred tons of waste—and none of it went to landfill. Some of the material like clothing and signage was donated to nonprofits or repurposed, recyclables were transported to local recycling centers, edible food was donated to local food shelters and municipal solid waste, along with food waste, was sent to the Miami-Dade County Resources Recovery Facility. Read more on Waste360.

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

• Nike is unveiling its designs for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with sustainability at their core. The new design movement, Space Hippy, revolves around a zero carbon philosophy and is as sustainably designed as Nike could conceive. Read more on Vogue.

• Prada has just announced a multi-pronged partnership with UNESCO which aims to spread information related to and educate on ocean sustainability. UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission will team with the brand on programs for high school students from 10 cities around the world, with the goal of helping students to develop an awareness campaign on ocean conservation. Read more on Robb Report.

• This week, 27 startups from all over Switzerland will travel to Zürich for the launch of a three-month program, the Circular Economy Incubator 2020. The 27 selected startups will be incubated at the Impact Hubs of their respective city – in Bern, Geneva, Lausanne or Zürich. Read more on CoFounder.

• The West Java administration in Indonesia will construct waste treatment sites that process plastic waste into diesel fuels and raw plastic materials. The administration hopes these sites will be used by 2023. Read more on The Star.

• SKYPRO, a supplier of uniforms for the travel industry, is working to supply more sustainable uniforms to the cruise line industry. Major cruise lines employ approximately 30,000 crew wearing an average of 20 pieces of uniform and accessories each. Read more on Seatrade Cruise News.

• Booking.com has announced $3.4 Million in Grants to Support Sustainable Accommodation in 2020. The fourth iteration of the company’s Booking Booster program in 2020 will focus exclusively on the topic of sustainable accommodation. Read more on Hospitality Net.

• Oregon has joined its bottle deposit program with a state savings plan. Through the partnership, Oregon consumers can directly deposit their bottle refunds into a state-administered college savings account. Read more on Waste360.

• The Best Western Opéra Liège has become the first zero single-use plastic hotel in France, having replaced all plastic packaging in the hotel with sustainable alternatives. The hotel’s 50 rooms and suites will no longer feature any single-use plastic, starting with the wooden keycards used to access the rooms. Read more on Business Traveller.

PRODUCTS

• Scottish firm MacRebur has unveiled a ‘sustainable plastic’ pothole repair pack that uses otherwise non-recyclable plastics. The product, called Plastikfix, does not need to be heated and can be used straight from the bag. Read more on The Herald Scotland.

• The My Walk initiative is turning used, uncontaminated PVC intravenous drip bags, oxygen masks, and associated tubing into school shoes made from 100% recycled material. This initiative has already given 1,300 pairs of shoes to children at Chivirikani Primary School in South Africa, and will provide another 25,000 pairs to students throughout 2020. Read more on Kempton Express.

PACKAGING

• New Zealand is launching a new campaign, ‘Food in the Nude’, in which all plastic packaging in fruits and vegetables will be discarded. According to NZ Herald report, there was a 300 percent increase in sales of vegetables and fruits after some supermarkets abandoned the use of plastic packaging. Read more on Agriculture Monthly.

• Perrier has partnered with SoScience, which connects people from the worlds of Science, Innovation and Technology, to support three start-ups who have the potential to change the future of packaging. Read more on Food Navigator.

• Major North American fresh berry producers announced their commitment to use 100% recycle-ready packaging by 2025. This includes a commitment to new label standards, which will optimize the recycle readiness of all berry clamshells throughout North America. Read more on BusinessWire.

TECHNOLOGY

• Scientists have created a biodegradable and strong plastic alternative made of bacteria-created silk. The new substance, which is made from wood fibers and manmade silk, was found to outperform most synthetic and natural materials at stretching without breaking and resisting non-reversible deformation. Read more on Intelligent Living.

• Primitives, a San Francisco startup, has developed bio-based packaging that can can tell you when food is going bad, and also can be safely composted in a backyard. The women-run company is incorporating sensing mechanisms into their materials to detect things like spoilage or even cold chain monitoring. Read more on Fast Company.

OTHER NEWS

• In 2019, U.S. recovered fiber exports experienced their largest year-over-year decline on record. U.S. scrap plastic exports also continued a substantial fall. The decrease of roughly 3 million tons in 2019 - a drop of more than 13% - seems to represent the latest chapter in overseas recycling import restrictions, including China’s National Sword import policy. Read more on Resource Recycling.

INITIATIVES

• Tokyo 2020 is aiming to be the greenest-ever Olympic Games. Athletes will sleep on recyclable cardboard beds, the event’s medals will be made from recycled precious metals, and organizers hope the event will emit no more than 2.93 million tonnes of CO2. Read more on The European Sting.

• Tennis nets made from recycled plastic are being featured at the Australian Open. Garnier, a partner of the Australian Open for 2020, is hoping to bring attention to Australia’s plastic waste problem and reduce the 8 million tons of discarded plastic that ends up in the world’s oceans each year.  Read more on Global Citizen.

• Jack Johnson’s environmental intiative, BYOBottle, has partnered with Oniracom, the marketing and technology partner of Sony, Disney, Universal, Warner, and others. BYOBottle designed to significantly reduce plastic pollution in the music industry and has signed on over 200 artists, 30 venues and festivals, 50 non-profit and business partners, and 800 fans thus far. Read more on Citizens Journal.

• South Africa has become the latest member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastics Pact global network, alongside the UK, France, the Netherlands and Chile. The country is pushing forward with a new initiative that is modeled on the UK’s Plastics Pact. Read more on Packaging News.

• Recycled-plastic bracelet company 4ocean has removed 7.7 million pounds of trash to date. Next, they’re turning their attention to Central America and target Guatemala’s Amatique Bay and the so-called “Trash Islands,” floating about 30 miles from the Caribbean island of Roatan. Read more on Forbes.

• In Kenya, a plastic bottle manufacturer has begun a waste management initiative that trains women and youth to collect and sort plastic bottles as a form of employment. Read more on CGTN Africa.

• An Uruguayan pilot project offers virtual money in exchange for plastic recycling. The reward amount varies with the type of waste collected and can be used toward discounts on purchases at restaurants or partnered shops. Read more on Phys.org.

PRODUCTS

• Adidas will launch new fabrics made from recycled polyester and marine plastic waste and expand the product lines that use them after the success of shoes made with the Parley for the Oceans initiative. Read more on Reuters.

• Chipotle is working to convert plastic gloves into trash liners in a pilot program that could potentially be used in Chipotle restaurants across the nation. This move is part of the restaurant chain’s broader sustainability initiatives, which also include purchasing recycled trash-can liners that fit with the chain's commitment to sustainability. Read more on Northwest Arkansas’s Democrat Gazette.

• Entrepreneur Amanda Weeks has begun taking water out of waste systems and turning it into household cleaning supplies. In February, her company, Ambrosia, will debut its first product: Veles, an all-purpose spray cleaner. Read more on Forbes.

• “Boomers baffled as startup disrupts the disposable tissue market… by inventing hankies.” In short, it’s a silicon packet that holds six cotton ‘reusable tissues’, and also features a pouch for stuffing the used, snotty ones. Read more on SmartCompany.

• India-based company Sparkle is making sanitary pads out of discarded banana plant stems. So far, they have reduced around 500 tons of banana stem agro-waste and used them to create bio-based menstrual products. Read more on Forbes.

• The EU has launched a research and development project aimed at creating a set of biodegradable ropes for use in mussel and seaweed aquaculture as part of its efforts to cut down on marine litter produced by the industry. Read more on Undercurrent News.

PACKAGING

• Some UK supermarkets are labeling products with plastic packaging expiration dates, in an effort to increase consumer recycling efforts. Over a thousand stickers have appeared this month in supermarkets around London, but stickers have been spotted around the UK as eco-friendly shoppers try to help spread the message. Read more on Manchester Evening News.

• A couple weeks ago, a Coca Cola exec claimed that they would not move away from plastic because their customers still wanted it. But a recent study shows that 51% of Americans would buy Coke even if the bottles were heavier or came in non-sealable packaging, and 42% of Americans thought Coca-Cola should use eco-friendly packaging such as glass or aluminum for its bottles. Read more on Forbes.

• Unilever has announced plans to incorporate 100% post-consumer recycled plastic into its biggest brands, Dove, Dove Men+Care and Baby Dove by 2025. Read more on Glossy.

• France-based public services company Veolia has launched a Sustainable Packaging Academy aimed at increasing the circular economy and tackling the problem of packaging waste. Read more on Circular.

• Household product manufacturer SC Johnson and US professional baseball team Milwaukee Brewers are set to partner for plastic cup recycling. As part of the partnership, the partners will create a new market and recycling model for more than one million plastic cups used each season at the Milwaukee Brewers’ ballpark. Read more on Packaging Gateway.

• UK supermarket chain Tesco has announced plans to scrap all tin multipacks housed in plastic shrinkwrap, in a move that will mitigate the use of 67 million pieces of plastic annually. Read more on edie.

TECHNOLOGY

• Adidas has taken approximately 1.8 million plastic bottles and turned them into a turf football field. The field was made from plastic bottles sourced from remote islands, beaches, coastal communities and shorelines. Read more on CNN.

• A young entrepreneur in Nepal, Aayushi KC, has created a digital platform to link garbage sellers and buyers for waste transactions. She quit a secure job at an international aid agency to start her own company, Khaalisisi Management. Now, the company is partnering with the thousands of collectors in Nepal to standardize and streamline the processes. Read more on Nepali Times.

• In the UK, scientists from the University of Bath and the University of Birmingham have developed a new way to break down plant-based plastics into their original building blocks, potentially allowing products to be recycled repeatedly without a loss in the quality of the plastic. Read more on New Food.

• Scientists at Rice University have found a way to turn any carbon-based trash — from food scraps to plastics — into graphene with just a zap of electricity. Graphene is a single layer of very strong carbon that can be applied to electronics, solar panels, concrete, and touch screens to increase their durability. Read more on European Scientist.

OTHER NEWS

• In China, people having been using innovative means to protect themselves from the Coronavirus, including plastic bottles, which are usually single-use. Read more on the New York Post.

• The second international conference of the African Marine Waste Network will be held in April in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It is a five-day international meeting to develop strategies to combat plastic pollution of the sea. Read more on Afrik21.

• Textile Exchange has published its latest Material Change Index that tracks the fashion industry’s progress toward more sustainable materials sourcing and alignment with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read more on GreenBiz.

INITIATIVES

• Malaysia has sent back 150 shipping containers of plastic waste to rich countries including the United States, United Kingdom, France and Canada, insisting it won't be the "garbage dump" of the world. The country has been inundated with shipments of illegal plastic waste since 2018, when China cracked down on a large recycling industry. Read more on CNN.

• China, one of the world’s largest consumer of plastics, just announced its plan to ban single-use plastics across the country. The policy will ban the production and sale of disposable plastic tableware and cotton swabs by the end of 2020. Production of household products containing microbeads will be banned by the end of 2020 and sales of such products will be banned two years after that. Read more on Forbes.

• Slovenia is working to position itself as a European leader in creating a fully circular economy. The Slovenian parliament has passed a motion to adopt an EIT Climate-KIC-led circular economy proposal, which moves away from traditional linear economic business models and transitioning to closed-loop systems. Read more on Smart Cities World.

• Two teenage activists who helped change the law on plastic pollution in Indonesia have been invited to Davos as teenage change-makers. One boy, Gary Bencheghib, rowed down the country’s most polluted river on kayaks made from plastic water bottles as a campaign. Another young activist, Melati Wijsen, co-founded the NGO Bye Bye Plastic Bags with her sister. Read more on the World Economic Forum.

• IKEA is phasing out all single-use use plastic products from its home furnishing range globally. Its new range of renewable source disposable items will now be made from materials such as paper, bamboo and metal, depending on the market. Read more on Grazia.

• Brazilian beverages company Ambev SA has set an ambitious target of eliminating plastic pollution in its packaging by 2025. Latin America's largest brewer is partnering with stakeholders, including suppliers, recycling cooperatives, startups and universities to have all its beverages either in returnable packaging or made of 100% recycled material. Read more on The New York Times.

• Democratic lawmakers in Albany, NY, have introduced a bill that would prohibit selling cigarettes with single-use filters, which are the #1 plastic pollutant in the world right now. If you are based in New York and would like to call your senator to ask them to support this bill, you can find your senator here. Read more on ABC News 10.

• UK supermarket chain Asda has announced that its fishing crews will now catch deadly plastic waste from the ocean along with their daily catch. The store's fishermen will now be equipped with specialist bags so that they can collect harmful plastic waste as well as fish. Read more on the Yorkshire Evening Post.

• Although we shared this in a prior Plastic News post, it’s worth reiterating that a surge of new plastic is about to hit the planet. Companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, and Saudi Aramco are ramping up output of plastic — which is made from oil and gas, and their byproducts — to hedge against the possibility that a serious global response to climate change might reduce demand for their fuels. Read more, this time on Wired.
  

PACKAGING

• Sealed Air has launched a new version of Bubble Wrap that is made from at least 90% recycled content. This recycled content is sourced from post-industrial materials, and the packaging can be recycled at store drop-off locations. Read more on Environment + Energy Leader.

• Coca-Cola says it will not ditch single-use plastic bottles because consumers still want them. The firm, which is one of the world's biggest plastic waste polluters, has pledged to recycle as many plastic bottles as it uses by 2030. However, Ms Perez said the firm could not ditch plastic outright, as some campaigners wanted, saying this could alienate customers and hit sales. Read more on BBC News.

• PopSockets has partnered with TerraCycle to create a free recycling program for PopSockets products and packaging, as well as any brand of cellular phone case. For every shipment sent to this recycling program, collectors earn points to use for gifts or donations to the charity of their choice. Read more on Waste Advantage Magazine.

• An 8-year-old girl in Illinois, Nicolina Pappas, has begun hand-sewing metal straw pouches to encourage people to move away from single-use plastics. She was inspired to do so when she saw a video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose. She has created more than 100 pouches so far, and has started the company Nicolina’s Turtle Co. Proceeds go toward sponsoring turtles at the Niabi Zoo. Read more on WQAD8.

• German discount supermarket Aldi is removing plastic applicators from its own-brand tampons from the end of this month, which is expected to save 14 tonnes of plastic a year. Discarded period products are a major contributor to the plastic waste crisis. The UK uses 4.3 billion disposable sanitary products a year. Read more on Business Green.

• Lavazza has revealed a new recyclable and biodegradable product, KLIX Eco Cup – manufactured using paper sourced from sustainably managed forests. A Life Cycle Assessment reported that using the cup reduces environmental impacts by almost 2/3 compared to a standard paper cup. Read more on Packaging Europe.
  

TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN

• UNEP India and designer Masaba Gupta have launched a clothing line in which garments come with built-in detachable, reusable bags. The House of Masaba and Ogilvy India are encouraging other designers to plagiarise their ideas and execute it themselves. Read more on Business Insider.

• Shell says that it has successfully made “high-end” chemicals using a liquid feedstock made from plastic waste using a pyrolysis process that is considered a breakthrough for hard-to-recycle plastics. The initiative advances Shell’s ambition to use one million tonnes of plastic waste a year in its global chemical plants by 2025. Read more on Plastics Today.

• Daimler, the owner of Mercedez-Benz, is partnering with Israeli firm UBQ to test a thermoplastic made from household waste in their cars. Last year, the thermoplastic was named “the most climate-positive material on the planet,” as each ton of the material equals the carbon emission reduction of 540 trees. Read more on Hamodia.

• Re:newcell, a Sweden-based company, has developed a process to create new clothes from old fabric. Most of the recycled materials in fashion today are recycled not from textiles but from things like plastic bottles or nylon fishing nets. This new process uses chemical solvents to dissolve fabrics and create "circulose pulp," which then can be spun to create yarn. Read more on GreenBiz.
  

OTHER NEWS

• PSA: Contact lenses are a forgotten microplastic, and should not be flushed down the toilet. An estimated 1.8 billion to 3.36 billion lenses are flushed every year, and they are too small to be filtered out and removed at wastewater plants. Instead of flushing your lenses, throw them in your trash or, better yet, find a drop-off location to recycle them through TerraCycle. Read more on Earth911.

• Researchers in Oregon are studying the life cycle of Pacific sand crabs as an indicator for the effects of microplastics on coastal marine life. The study found that exposure to plastics may lead to premature death and the premature release of eggs in the species. For embryos, exposure to the plastic either sped up their development or slowed it down, depending on when they were exposed. Read more on the Astorian.

• Frustrated with the “ludicrous charade” of the COP25 World Climate Summit in December, Spanish design collective luzinterruptus turned to visual protest by creating the temporary guerrilla art piece, “Death by Plastic.” Made from plastic waste and transparent fabric, the glowing environmental art installation depicts a crime scene-like visual with a series of people-shaped sculptures lying on the ground. Read more on Inhabitat.

INITIATIVES

• Investors are pouring billions of dollars into the alternative plastics industry. Currently, more than $30 trillion is currently held in sustainable investments around the world. The biodegradable plastics industry alone is expected to reach nearly $7 billion by 2025, according to one estimate. Read more on Business Insider.

• A new report shows that the U.S.’s recycling rate for PET and HDPE bottles was far below the volume needed to meet the 2025 goals set by the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. The 2018 recycling rate of 28.9% for plastic bottles lagged far behind the rates recorded in Europe, and far behind the rates needed to fulfill the CPG’s commitments. Read more on Packaging World.

• Environmental summit organizers SoulBuffalo announced the launch of the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network. This network is a community to  advance scientific breakthroughs, product and process innovation, and new business models to the ocean plastics crisis. Read more on Forbes.

• Kenya is said to have the strictest plastic bag ban in the world and is at the forefront of environmental initiatives. But some believe that the country’s implementation methods are too harsh. Read about this issue on Reader’s Digest.

• The Coca Cola Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to a recycling scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE) in Nigeria. Coca-Cola is currently running a world without waste program which seeks to not only educate people on waste disposal, but also to work with relevant stakeholders such as MEDIC to improve plastic waste disposal and recycling procedure. Read more on The Nation.

• A Thai entrepreneur has developed a start-up that upcycles old flip flops and turns them into new shoes. This is significant, as there may be 1.3 trillion flip flops floating amongst ocean debris, according to surveys. Read more about the issue and the start-up on Mongabay.

• Researchers have carried out a study for the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago that applied economic principles to its plastics management challenge. They recently published some findings and recommendations for those looking to manage plastics in other areas of the world. Read more on The Conversation.

• The Greek island of Paros is set to become the first plastic-free Mediterranean island. The initiative is called the Clean Blue Paros project, and its aim is to make the island a plastic-waste-free-zone within three years. Read more on Intelligent Living.
  

PACKAGING

• Taco Bell has announced a goal to make all of its consumer-facing packaging recyclable, compostable, or reusable by 2025 worldwide. Read more on The Rising.

• In Australia, Glad has partnered with REDcycle to recycle GladWrap at stations in front of major grocery stores. The three-year deal includes the recycling of other Glad soft plastic products including Snaplock bags, which are not made from PVC. Read more on Inside FMGC.

• Health and wellness company doTERRA International has unveiled new sustainable shipping solutions, as part of its sustainable strategy. Earlier this year, doTERRA has decided to replace plastic bubble wrap and air pillows with paper solutions. The company also intends to use shipping boxes made from sustainable forestry, as well as encompass less corrugated, include more recycled materials and printed with soy-based ink. Read more on NS Packaging.

• According to a Crunchbase survey, a group of at least 20 startups have raised more than $850 million in funding within the sustainable packaging space. There are at least seven recently-funded startups in the eco-packing space that have individually raised $20 million or more. Read more on Crunchbase.

TECHNOLOGY

• Saipem, one of the world’s largest oil drilling companies, has signed a license agreement for a new plastics recycling technology that could help to recycle unsorted, non-recyclable mixed plastics, or “Plasmix.” This process could potentially be used even in small-sized facilities, and could allow for Plasmix to be processed along with sewage sludge from wastewater treatment. Read more on Chemical Engineering.

• A firm developing hydrogen production from waste plastic has been offered a conditional £1.25m grant for a planned plastics-to-hydrogen facility. Waste2Tricity, the company developing the technology, says there has been significant progress towards its commercialization. Read more on Envirotech Magazine.
  

OTHER NEWS

• A gut-wrenching photo of a dead turtle caught in fishing line has won the annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition. The photo took first place in a new category: Conservation. Read more and see the photo on Business Insider.

• The BBC has announced plans for a year-long series of special programming and coverage on climate change. The program will include a new monthly Climate Check video feature from BBC Weather, and coverage of debates and events around the globe. Read more on BBC News.

• Also part of the BBC’s programming, renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough will host an hour-long documentary on climate change. In a related interview, he recently warned that “The moment of crisis has come,” with regard to climate change. Read more on BBC News.

• Activists in San Antonio, Texas have found evidence that a Formosa plastics manufacturing plant is still releasing plastic pollutants after a $50 million settlement. A range of conditions were imposed as a result of the settlement, which found that the plastics manufacturer was violating the Clean Water Act. See Desmog for more information.

• An informal survey of experts suggests that while the fashion industry has done a masterful job of dabbling in sustainable innovation and running pilot projects, it hasn’t yet brought any of it to the scale that’s needed. Vogue Business has touched on what steps the fashion industry has taken so far, and the issues that stand in the way of real transformation. Read more on Vogue Business.

• Plastic isn’t just choking the marine wildlife - it’s also a hazard for children. Last week, a 4-year-old boy in Texas was hospitalized when he inhaled the plastic stick from his lollipop. As his mother said, “It was a hard plastic sucker stick, not a paper stick. It's not going to dissolve in his stomach.” Read more on WKYT.

INITIATIVES

• After the plastic bag ban in Thailand, Thai shoppers have created a game out of finding the most creative vessel for carrying groceries. From wheelbarrows to laundry hampers to suitcases, photos of these unique shopping methods have been taking social media by storm. Check out more on NBC News.

• More than 500 B Corp companies have publicly committed to aiming for net zero by 2030. These include big names such as Patagonia, The Body Shop, The Guardian, Allbirds, and more. Read about it on Irish Tech News.

• Coachella has partnered with reusable water bottle company Contigo to create an official Festival Water Bottle. This is aimed at cutting down on single-use plastics at the festival, and at setting an example for others around the world. Read more on SGB Media.

• The Moscow Recycling Center recently had its first plastic film collection day, at which it collected 724 pounds of plastic film. This film will be combined with reclaimed wood to create composite decking materials. Read more on Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

• Jakarta is the latest city to hop on the plastic ban bandwagon. The capital of Indonesia, a country listed as the second worst offender for polluting the world's oceans with plastic, will ban single-use plastic bags from its street markets and shopping malls from the middle of this year. Read more on Business of Fashion.

• A temple in Thailand has begun turning recycled plastic bottles into robes. In addition to donating food and clothing to the monastery, Buddhists can now also donate plastic bottles for karmic credit. Read more on South China Morning Post.

• A US$106 million fund dedicated to preventing plastic from entering Asian oceans has been launched in Singapore. The Circulate Capital Ocean Fund (CCOF) is the world’s first investment fund dedicated to addressing Asia’s plastic crisis. Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine.

• Portugese wet-lease airline Hi Fly has removed all single-use plastic items from its fleet of aircraft, after successful pilots of plastic-free flights in 2018. Other airlines, such as Virgin Australia and Etihad, are also making efforts in this space. Read more on Edie.

• A Manhattan Beach school district is replacing their campus’s plastic water bottles will canned water. Although the switch is more expensive, it is helping the school district to phase out single-use plastics, and they anticipate that as more people start using them, the cost will come down. Read more on the Daily Breeze.

• Schools in Massachusetts’s North Shore are learning to make “eco-bricks” out of non-recyclable plastics. A local contractor is teaching students how to turn plastic bottles filled with other plastics into projects such as dog houses, tree houses, and benches. Read more on Wicked Local.

PACKAGING

• UK meal kit retailer Gousto has developed a solution that will cut its plastic packaging in half. The solution was trialed in 2019 and saved over 100 tonnes of plastic last year - the equivalent of 238 million plastic straws. The new packaging is plastic-free and 100% recyclable. Read more on Packaging Europe.

• An eyewear chain in Singapore has implemented a recycling program for contact lens blister packs. Users who return bags filled with at least 60 blisters to any Capital Optical branch can claim a S$5 voucher from the eyewear chain. Read more on Today.

• Japanese confectionary maker Bourbon will begin offering Cornet Cookies to restaurants and other businesses as an alternative to plastic straws. The company has increased its product’s water resistance by adjusting the percentage of oil and fat in the dough. We know we’d be interested in trying it! Check it out on The Asahi Shimbun.

TECHNOLOGY

• HP has unveiled a new laptop that is made of 80% recycled materials. Everything from the speakers to the keyboard has been considered, and the result is one of the most sustainable laptops ever made. Read more on Digital Trends.

• Michelin has announced a new concept tire that is 3D printed from biodegradable materials. The tire’s web-like internal structure will increase its longevity, and its bio-based materials will reduce the environmental hazard that discarded, petroleum-based tires pose. Read more on Fast Company.

OTHER NEWS

• Bad news: BPA-free plastics may still be detrimental to your health, as BPA alternatives may have similar health effects to those of BPAs. These alternative chemicals are starting to show up in food, house dust, blood and urine. Read more on CBC.

• Great news: You can now recycle Swiffer Sweepers, Dusters, and WetJet refills through TerraCycle! Just send your discarded refills to TerraCycle and earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to the nonprofit, school or charitable organization of your choice. Read more on Waste360.

• Two Harry Potter stars recently teamed up to discuss single-use plastic and environmental activism. Actress Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) was recently a featured guest on ChickPeeps, the environmental podcast by actress Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood). Read about each of their activism efforts on Fansided, and check out the podcast episode on ChickPeeps.

• In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, Vogue Italia commissioned artists to illustrate its pages instead of staging photo shoots. The carbon footprint of photo shoots is very high, and the move marks the first time that any of Vogue‘s international magazines have published an issue without a photographic cover. Read more on Art Net.

• Indonesia’s crackdown on imported foreign waste is upsetting some local economies, as many residents make their income by sorting and reselling recyclable trash. Often, villagers look for plastic and aluminum to sell to recycling firms. Tofu makers also buy waste to burn as fuel when making the soy-based food. Read more on Reuters.

INITIATIVES

• It’s finally 2020, which means that plastic bans are going into effect around the world. In the Caribbean, seven countries are banning single-use plastics. This is significant, as 10 of the top 30 plastic polluters per capita are based in the Caribbean. Read more on Green Matters.

• Around the U.S., cities and states are also implementing bans on plastics, including bags, styrofoam containers, and so on. Back in August, National Geographic created a map that shows which states have implemented bans or fees on plastic. See the map and more at National Geographic.

• You’ve heard about oil spills, but what about plastic spills? [Plastic] pellet spills - which occur during the shipping of pre-production plastic pellets - are estimated to be the second largest source of microplastic pollution in the ocean. Recently, a new program was introduced to increase transparency around the shipping practices of plastic pellets. However, some say that it does not go far enough. Read more on Benzinga.

• In March, Australia will host its first National Plastics Summit to help tackle the country’s growing plastic pollution problem. The summit will focus on innovative ideas to help close the circular economy. Read more on The Guardian.

• Kamikatsu, a small town in Japan, is on its way to becoming the country’s first zero-waste municipality. Efforts to achieve this include work from residents, manufacturers, and the government, alike. The town has even developed a Zero Waste Accreditation System that certifies local stores. Check out these efforts on DownToEarth.

• In addition to banning plastic bags, Thailand is also banning plastic microbeads in cosmetic products. About time! Read more on Thai PBS World.

OTHER NEWS

• Reuters has created a series of photos to help us visualize how much microplastic we eat on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. The shots may make you lose your appetite. Check them out on Reuters.

• Not-so-fun fact: The plastic we see polluting the ocean only accounts for 1% of ocean plastic. The rest ends up buried in sediment, deep down on the ocean floor. Read more about this issue and the scientists researching it on The Guardian.

• 2019 was a big year for considering plastic alternatives. Dezeen published a list of their top 10 innovative design materials, including seaweed, spider silk, cellulose, coffee, and more. See the list on Dezeen.

• Ecuadorian start-up Shippify is looking to expand its services to a number of Latin American countries in 2020. The company is effectively a marketplace, which connects e-commerce merchants with trusted delivery personnel who are already heading in the direction that the package is going. Read more about the service on Contxto.

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INITIATIVES

• This week, Change.org delivered a petition to Target with more than 450,000 signatures, asking the company to ban its use of plastic bags. This was Change.org’s largest environmental petition of 2019, and it remains to be seen how Target will reach to the initiative. Read more on Star Tribune.

• Airports around the world are implementing measures to cut back on single-use plastic. India and Dubai host multiple airports that have implemented single-use plastic bans. In February, Glasgow Airport gave all its employees free, reusable bottles. And San Francisco’s airport is encouraging travelers to bring their own bottles. Read more about these initiatives on CNBC.

• Tel Aviv municipalities are working toward removing plates, cups, and cutlery from public pre-schools and schools. These efforts follow a plastic bag ban in 2017, and are in line with efforts from private organizations such as IKEA, SodaStream, and some workplaces in Israel. Read more on Israel21c.

• Kenya has launched a plastic action plan aimed at enabling a circular economy for its plastics. Kenya introduced a ban on plastic bags in 2017, and it is aiming to become a zero-waste society. Read more on People Daily.

• San Francisco cafes are finding innovative ways to eliminate single-use coffee cups. These include everything from glass jars to rental mugs to BYO cup policies. Read more on USA Today.

• In India, a cafe offers a hot meal in exchange for plastic waste. In doing so, the Garbage Cafe is simultaneously addressing two of India’s most rampant problems: plastic waste and poverty. Read more on The Guardian.

• Italian ski resort Pejo 3000 is banning all single-use plastics beginning this season. The decision was made after an April study revealed that a nearby glacier contained microplastics, including polyester fibers and polythene, used to make plastic bags. Read more on CNN.

TECHNOLOGY

• Eco-Business has compiled a list of the coolest sustainability innovations of 2019. From Sweden’s car-charging roads, to the UK’s drone reforestation, to China’s smart trash-sorting systems, technology is helping us to combat climate change one innovation at a time. Read about them on Eco-Business.

• Also in the world of innovation, New Atlas has compiled a list of 5 things that scientists can make out of plastic waste. These include filters for harsh chemicals, jet fuel, and biodiesel. Read about these opportunities on New Atlas.

OTHER NEWS

• Plastic rain is becoming more common. You read that right: plastic is making its way into our precipitation, meaning we are eating it, drinking it, and even breathing it. Read more about this terrifying reality and the study behind it on Weatherboy.com.

• Despite society’s demands for curbing plastic, fossil fuel and petrochemical industries are pouring billions of dollars into new plants intended to make millions more tons of plastic than they now pump out. And due to fracking, the U.S. is a large growth area for plastic production. Read more on Yale Environment 360.

• The Indonesian government is pushing back on the recent study that found that burning plastic for fuel is poisoning residents in an East Java village. Instead of acting on the report, the government is challenging it and continuing to allow the burning of plastic. Read more on The New York Times.

• Something to consider: Some people actually NEED plastic straws to live. There are some with certain disabilities - especially those affecting motor skills - who rely on plastic straws to consume their drinks. Alternatives such as metal, silicone, or biodegradable straws may not offer the same necessary features, such as flexibility and malleability. Read more about this issue on the CT Mirror.

• If you haven’t heard of TerraCycle or its circular economy initiative, Loop, the publication Waste Dive has written an article introducing the program and talking about society’s packaging habits and the company’s efforts to create a more sustainable waste management process. Read about it on Waste Dive.

• Is compostable plastic the solution to our problems? Sorry, no. As it stands most of our compostable plastics need special processing to be rendered into compost, and that’s just not happening at the moment. Read more about this issue on the LA Times.

INITIATIVES

• China plans to tighten regulations on “plastic mulch,” which farmers use maintain soil moisture in farmland. Every year, China uses about 2 million tons of plastic film to cover around 1,200 square miles of farmland. The technique has helped with agricultural yield in China’s north and west, but it contributes greatly to plastic pollution. Read more on Thompson Reuters Foundation News.

• Amsterdam is testing a “bubble barrier” to help remove plastics from the city’s canals. The system captures trash beneath the surface of the water by creating a curtain of bubbles. This is just a small-scale test, but the start-up behind the technology hopes to deploy it elsewhere. Read more on Reuters.

• Irish packaging company Zeus has launched the country’s first nationwide infrastructure for recycling every type of paper coffee cup. The initiative will divert up to 200 million coffee cups from landfills throughout Ireland. Read more on Irish Tech News.

• Turkish-German airline SunExpress will begin replacing plastic products used on their flights with recyclable materials in January 2020. This will help offset the 10-million pieces of single-use plastic that the airline goes through every year. Read more on AA.com.

PACKAGING

• Mattel has committed to achieving 100% recycled, recyclable, or bio-based plastic materials in both its products and packaging by 2030. The company originally announced its Environmental Sustainable Sourcing Principles in 2011, and it currently sources 93% of its paper and wood fiber materials from recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) content. Read more on Environment and Energy Leader.

• Dunkin’ Donuts is FINALLY working to phase out their styrofoam cups. In New England, the company has begun switching from polystyrene foam cups to double-walled paper cups made with Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard-certified paperboard. This transition means that nearly 70% of the Dunkin’ system has been switched, according to the company. Read more on Environment and Energy Leader.

• Cadbury is trialing its first paper packaging trial in New Zealand. The wrapper marks the first time that the company has used a paper material free from laminates, foils, or plastic. Read more on FoodBev Media.

PRODUCTS

• Jenga has come out with ‘Jenga Ocean,’ a version of the game made from recycled fishing nets. In addition to being made from 100% recycled materials, the game also included some educational factlets to help spread awareness about the problem of ocean pollution. Find out more on DLmag.

• ÉCAL graduate Anna Piasek has created a compostable, modular takeaway bento box. The containers can be subdivided into smaller parts, and is both food-safe and waterproof. Read about the product on Dezeen.

TECHNOLOGY

• Researchers have developed a process for steam cracking plastic waste to create new plastics. The gasses that are produced by this process can be used in the production of new plastics, helping to keep a circular economy. Read more on The Chemical Engineer.

OTHER NEWS

• A new study has found that mealworms can digest plastic and excrete chemicals that had been added to the plastics - such as flame retardant - without any of it bioaccumulating up the food chain. The researchers are already thinking through ways that these mealworms can be deployed en masse to break down plastics in developing countries and use them as feed supplement for farms. Leave it to nature to clean up our mess! Read more on the San Francisco Chronicle.

• A recent study by PwC shows that 65% of people across China, Germany, India, the U.K. and the U.S. want to work for sustainable employers. This means that companies with an environmental conscience may have an easier time collecting the right talent. Read more about the study on Forbes.

INITIATIVES

The Ocean Cleanup has brought its first haul of ocean plastic back to shore. The non-profit was founded in 2013 by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat at the age of 18. Now, after six years of R&D and a couple of setbacks, the organization has completed its first step of ocean plastic collection. Read more on New Atlas.

Federal lawmakers have announced a bi-partisan Congressional Plastics Solutions Task Force. The workgroup is intended to help boost plastics recycling through technology investments. The task force will include elected officials at the federal, state and local level, as well as recycling industry representatives. Read more on Plastics Recycling Update.

While much of the country is implementing bans on single-use plastics, Ohio’s House of Representatives just passed a bill that prohibits municipalities from restricting plastic bag use. According to Newsweek, “the Republican-dominated House passed the bill 57-35, primarily along party lines,” and primarily due to financial concerns. Read more on Newsweek.

National Geographic and Sky Ocean Ventures have announced the winners of the Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenges, including $1.3 million in award money. The prizes have gone to projects Alagramo, Qwarzo, and #PerpetualPlastic. Read more about the winners on National Geographic.

U.S. Departments of Transportation are now allowed to use recycled plastics in their road drainage pipes, which opens a whole new market for recycled materials. Until recently, road drainage pipes were required to be made from virgin plastics, even though private properties often used recycled materials. This change introduces increased sustainability in infrastructure across the country. Read more on Plastics Recycling Update.

Students in Louisiana have taken it upon themselves to reduce their schools’ environmental impact. Students from six schools tested their local water supply and found traces of microplastics. They saw how many plastic bottles were being thrown away each day, and subsequently proposed and helped write a grant application for water refilling stations. Read more on Houma Today.

Brightmark Energy is hosting a national Request for Proposals (RFP) for site selection of their next plastics renewal plant location. Communities who are interested in having a state-of-the-art recycling facility in their area can submit a proposal, which, if selected, could result in “investments to the tune of $500K-$1B per facility and triple digit job creation volume.” Find out more on Brightmark Energy’s site.

PRODUCTS

Kenyan scientist Hope Mwanake has created a company that creates building materials out of plastic waste. The company, Eco Blocks and Tiles, was formed in 2016 and is Kenya’s first company to manufacture roof tiles and and other construction materials from plastic and glass waste. Read more on Reuters.

Toothpaste tablet company Bite is revolutionizing the oral care industry. Rather than rely on plastic tubes, the product is made of dehydrated tables of compressed toothpaste that you bite down on and add water. These tablets come in reusable bottles and are plastic-free. Personally, I use this product and love it. Read more on Forbes.

ÉCAL graduate Tuo Lei is repurposing abandoned festival tents into streetwear, to be sold at the following years’ festivals. The designer aims to reduce waste while raising awareness to the issues of sustainability and pollution. Read more on Inhabitat.

European researchers have found a way to use extracts from agricultural waste to create antimicrobial car parts, such as handles and dashboards. The process uses food parts such as waste of lemon, pomegranate, broccoli, and almond shells. Read more on Phys.org.

TECHNOLOGY

Scientists in Singapore reportedly have found a way to convert plastic waste into formic acid, a chemical that can be used to power electric cars and power plants. The process uses metal and artificial sunlight, and, if scalable, could be a zero-emission alternative to incineration for many plastics. Read more on the New York Post.

OTHER NEWS

A botanical garden in North Carolina has created an entire holiday display made from recycled plastic. The Paul J. Ciener (PJC) Botanical Garden is known for its Spring Tulip Bloom; therefore, garden volunteers have handmade nearly 2,400 plastic tulips and daffodils using recycled water and soda bottles. Read more on News & Record.

Skincare product sheet masks (facial masks) have been dubbed the new plastic straws, in that they are an environmental hazard. They are inherently single-use, they are often made from cotton - a controversial material - and they are typically wrapped in tear-away plastic wraps. Ditch the sheet masks and read more on Elle.

More than fifty-thousand pounds of frozen breakfast burritos are being recalled due to plastic contamination. The El Monterey brand of sausage-egg-and-cheese breakfast burritos produced on October 15, 2019 have been reported to contain white, semi-rigid plastic. If you have any of these products, please dispose of them. Read more on Delish.