P&G and Terracycle set challenge to keep home care waste out of landfills
A new initiative from Procter & Gamble (P&G)’s Febreze air freshener and TerraCycle is challenging people in Canada and the UK to recycle packaging for $5,000 in prize money, which will be donated to the school or charity of the winner’s choice. The joint collection programme, the Air and Home Care Brigade, aims to divert all packaging waste associated with home cleaning from landfills. Air and home care packaging waste is, technically, recyclable; however, the high costs of recycling these mixed plastics means the infrastructure isn’t readily available in all areas, meaning it mostly ends up in landfills. By signing up to the Air and Home Care Brigade, individuals or organisations can mail waste to Terracycle for recycling. In October, P&G made a qualified commitment that 90 percent of its packaging will be recyclable by 2020. The commitment came the day before shareholders voted on a proposal filed by advocacy group As You Sow, asking the company to phase out unrecyclable packaging, which won significant support (25 percent). (Sustainable Brands)
Policy
OECD: ‘No evidence’ green policies dampen productivity
A new study released by the OECD has found no evidence that “rigorous environmental policies” dampen productivity. Rather, green policies designed to be fair to new market entrants may actually improve production efficiency. While there may have been winners and losers as a result of new climate policies, the report states that fast-growing companies providing cleaner business models have balanced, or possibly outweighed, the drop in more polluting activities. The OECD says the findings are important because many governments and industries instinctively oppose new regulation. “Our new evidence shows that… efforts to improve growth and achieve ambitious environmental goals can go together, and should be stepped up. Environmental policies can and should be shaped to spawn new ideas, mobilise cleaner technologies and encourage new business models that benefit both the economy and the environment.” (Business Green)
Collaboration
Leading sustainability non-profits join forces to promote market solutions
Two of the world’s leading green business-focused non-profits, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the Carbon War Room (CWR), are to join forces in a bid to drive the adoption of ‘market-based solutions’ to climate change. The alliance will see the two organisations become a single legal entity, while continuing to operate under their own brand names. Sir Richard Branson, CWR founder, said the move would provide a boost to both organisations. “By marrying RMI’s analytical rigour and energy-system expertise with CWR’s bold and agile entrepreneurial approach we can go further, faster,” he said. Current RMI chief executive Jules Kortenhorst, who will now take up leadership of the new alliance, agreed that there were considerable “synergies” between the two organisations. He revealed that the combined organisation would seek to accelerate work on energy efficiency and measures to curb emissions from trucks and shipping. (Business Green)
Industry Collaboration
Aluminium sector unveils new global sustainability standard
BMW Group and Nestlé Nespresso are among 28 organisations to have collaborated on a new standard to improve the sustainability performance of the aluminium industry. The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) ‘Performance Standard’, due to be released in early 2015, will address key sustainability issues around the production and maintenance of aluminium throughout its value chain. Industry players will be able to provide credible information regarding their environmental, social and governance performance, allowing suppliers and materials throughout the supply chain to be identified based on their sustainability performance. Julia Marton-Lefèvre, the director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), who facilitated the standard setting process, said: “The ASI Standard is an important first step. Once implemented, it will help companies achieve greater efficiencies and transparency, while improving their social and environmental performance.” End-users of aluminium, such as Audi, BMW Group and Jaguar Land Rover, have already indicated their intention to buy certified aluminium as soon as it is available. (Edie)
Health
Report: A sugary drinks duty would save London £39 million in healthcare costs
The Children’s Food Campaign has published figures showing that the introduction of 20 pence per litre duty on sugary drinks would benefit Londoners’ health, as well as save the NHS and public health budgets £39 million over twenty years. The research, published in association with academic Brendan Collins and FoodActive, shows that if the duty was introduced, the impact in London over twenty years would be to reduce the cases of diabetes by over 6,300, prevent over 1,100 cases of cancer reduce strokes and cases of coronary heart disease by over 4,300, and improve the quality of life for thousands of residents. Malcolm Clark, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, said: “Mexico, France and Hungary have already introduced a sugary drinks duty, and their citizens are reaping the benefits. In this country, CitizensUK, trade unions and dozens of other organisations all support a duty. Our politicians can no longer hide behind the idea that it wouldn’t be popular, or is an untried policy.” (Sustain)
COMMENTS