Tag Archives: Global

NextWave Plastics expands consortium.

Global brands consortium NextWave Plastics has announced consumer technology company Logitech and ocean-bound plastic suppliers Prevented Ocean Plastic and #tide ocean material have joined the network.

NextWave Plastics expands consortium on reducing plastic waste

NextWave Plastics is a consortium of multinational technology and consumer brands to collaborate and promote transparency to help decrease the volume of plastic litter by developing a global network of ocean-bound plastic supply chains.

A growing number of its member companies across a range of industries are collaborating to reach their shared goal of diverting a minimum of 25,000 metric tons of plastic, equivalent to 2.7 billion single-use plastic water bottles, from entering the ocean by the end of 2025.

Adrian Grenier, the co-founder of Lonely Whale, said: “The addition of Logitech and ocean-bound plastic suppliers Prevented Ocean Plastic and #tide ocean material adds to the strength, diversity of knowledge, experience, and potential of the NextWave consortium to create even greater impact and transformational change within and across industries.”

Logitech joins the ranks of NextWave member companies like HP and IKEA; in addition to its pledge to avoid single-use plastic packaging whenever possible, Logitech was the first consumer electronics company to make the commitment to provide detailed carbon impact labeling on product packaging across its portfolio, with its first carbon labeled products hitting shelves back in April 2021.

Prakash Arunkundrum, global head of operations and sustainability, Logitech, said: “At Logitech, we are committed to continuing to expand our efforts to eliminate single-use plastic and we are increasingly using post-consumer recycled plastic as our preferred material at scale as we design for sustainability across our portfolio.”

Unilever Commits to 100% Recyclable Plastic by 2025

Global FMCG Giant Unilever Commits to 100% Recyclable Plastic by 2025 ensuring that all of its plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

Unilever Commits to 100% Recyclable Plastic by 2025

The move is also designed to encourage other FMCG firms to accelerate progress towards the circular economy.
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), just 14% of the plastic packaging used globally makes its way to recycling plants, while 40% ends up in landfill and a third in fragile ecosystems. By 2050, it is estimated there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.
To help transform global plastic packaging material flows, Unilever has committed to:

  • Ensure all of its plastic packaging is designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
  • Renew its membership of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for another three years and endorse and support their New Plastics Economy initiative.
  • Publish the full “palette” of plastics materials used in its packaging by 2020 to help create a plastics protocol for the industry.
  • Invest in proving, and then sharing with the industry, a technical solution to recycle multi-layered sachets, particularly for coastal areas which are most at risk of plastics leaking into the ocean.

Unilever has already committed to reduce the weight of the packaging it uses this decade by one third by 2020, and increase its use of recycled plastic content in its packaging to at least 25% by 2025 against a 2015 baseline, both as part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.
In 2015, it achieved its commitment of sending zero non-hazardous waste to landfill across its manufacturing operations.
Paul Polman, Unilever chief executive, said: “To address the challenge of ocean plastic waste we need to work on systemic solutions – ones which stop plastics entering our waterways in the first place. We hope these commitments will encourage others in the industry to make collective progress towards ensuring that all of our plastic packaging is fully recyclable and recycled.
“We also need to work in partnership with governments and other stakeholders to support the development and scaling up of collection and reprocessing infrastructure which is so critical in the transition towards a circular economy. Ultimately, we want all of the industry’s plastic packaging to be fully circular.”
Ellen MacArthur added: “By committing to ambitious circular economy goals for plastic packaging, Unilever is contributing to tangible system change and sends a strong signal to the entire fast-moving consumer goods industry. Combining upstream measures on design and materials with post-use strategies demonstrates the system-wide approach that is required to turn the New Plastics Economy into reality.”

McDonald’s Unveils New Global Packaging

McDonald’s restaurants are unveiling new carry-out bags, fountain beverage cups and sandwich boxes this month.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s the fast-food giant said the new look is simple, fresh and consistent with the company’s vision to be a modern and progressive burger company.

Added to this is the more visible branding on the packs, with bigger type faces taking up more space on the bags and cups.

The new packaging will initially roll out in the US this month before expanding worldwide to over 36,000 restaurants throughout 2016.

The company has also committed to sourcing 100% of all fiber-based packaging from recycled or certified sources by 2020.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and initiatives like this are important to our customers who care about the planet,” said Matt Biespiel, senior director of global marketing.

As part of the new packaging launch, two students from Miami International University of Art and Design were selected to create a couture collection using the new packaging.

A student duo created an assortment of ‘must-have accessories’ for McDonald’s, including the hat pictured below, by using 50 bags, 72 straws, 22 cups, eight sandwich boxes along with some ‘bling’, including rhinestones and pearls.

 McDonald’s

“McDonald’s is a fun and modern brand and this was a progressive way to turn our packaging into art and support a community where fashion is an expression,” said Biespiel. “Every day 69 million customers visit McDonald’s around the world and this new packaging will be a noticeable change. It was fun to join these ideas together and create playful pieces that connect our customers to the Brand.”

McDonald’s