plastic pollution

Recycling units for ‘soft’ plastics – which also includes product wrapping – will launch in 1,500 Co-op stores this month. The retailer added that the scheme would roll out to a total of 2,300 stores by November.

The Co-op said that the scheme follows a pilot of 50 stores last year which found that 86% of shoppers were likely to use the service. The recyclable material is turned, by Jayplas, into post-consumer plastic granules which are then made into secondary products including bin liners and materials for the construction industry.

Reducing discarded plastic sachet as marine plastic pollution

2.7 million metric tons of plastic waste are generated in the Philippines each year with about 20 per cent ending up in the ocean. Single-serving plastic packaging has posed as one of the biggest waste issues in this country where an estimated 163 million pieces of sachets are consumed daily, according to the World Bank.

Heads of State, Ministers of environment and other representatives from 175 nations endorsed this landmark agreement that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic from source to sea. Plastic production has risen exponentially in the last decades and now amounts to some 400 million tons per year– a figure set to double by 2040.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said the agreement is the most important international multilateral environmental deal since the Paris climate accord.

Coca-Cola is a top target for consumer, investor and environmental groups concerned about petroleum-based plastic single-use bottles clogging oceans, among other problems.

The company was the world's worst plastic polluter for the fourth year in a row in 2021, according to the global coalition Break Free From Plastic's annual report released in October.

"We hope that other companies will follow Coke's leadership and set reusable packaging targets," said the group's global corporate campaign coordinator Emma Priestland.

Oregon became the second state to require producers of packaging, paper products and food service ware to share responsibility for supporting in-state recycling programs when Gov. Kate Brown signed SB 582, known as the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, into law Aug. 6. Sen. Michael Dembrow and Rep. Janeen Sollman were the chief sponsors of the bill. 

Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed a similar extended producer responsibility (EPR) law into effect July 12.

Packaging is a communication instrument between businesses and end consumers. But it contributes to more than 60 per cent of the global solid waste and impacts the environment, as it involves a large amount of plastic. However, sustainable packaging is the way forward, and IIT Roorkee has taken a step ahead.

Israel-based compostable packaging producer Tipa and shelf-life extension specialist from the Netherlands, PerfoTec, have partnered to offer fully compostable packaging that extends the shelf-life of fresh produce. 

The partnership comes as consumer demand for low-waste packaging continues to grow, and suppliers seek sustainable packaging solutions that don’t compromise produce quality.