These days you could fill up newsletters with ocean litter initiatives and programmes. These seem to be growing exponentially – four recent examples. So the awareness and pressure is building but is it being focussed? We saw with plastic bags that focussed campaigns can work. That took years in the UK how long will it […]
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, together with The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit, have today announced the launch of the $2 million New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize. The Prize which is funded by Wendy Schmidt as Lead Philanthropic Partner of the New Plastics Economy Initiative, calls for innovators, designers, scientist and entrepreneurs to help create packaging that […]
Greenpeace UK has conducted the first ever comprehensive survey of the plastic footprints and policies of the top six global soft drinks brands: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Suntory, Danone, Dr Pepper Snapple and Nestlé. Despite plastic bottles forming a major source of ocean plastic pollution, the survey results reveal a woeful lack of action by the soft drinks industry […]
The scale of programmes and projects focusing on plastics is growing hugely. Four articles focusing on plastic and in particular plastic bottles – at different scales – Global (UNEP) to London (One bottle less) to Coca Cola to Scottish Deposit return schemes. Signup for the 38 degrees petition on deposit return schemes (211k/300K needed) 1. […]
Two notes: Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland have launched a consultation today. We are seeking views on the UK’s proposed ban on the manufacture and sale of cosmetics and personal care products containing microbeads which may harm the marine environment. The […]
Bob Earll It took years to drag the Government into implementing a plastic bag tax which they now acknowledge is working. The 2016 MCS Beachwatch data also confirms this with an almost 50% decline in plastic bags in the recent Beachwatch survey. Targeting particular items is a powerful tool and begs the question of what […]
Cosmetic companies should be banned from using plastic microbeads in bathroom products – like exfoliating scrubs, toothpaste and shaving gel – because of the marine pollution they are causing, the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee has demanded. View the interactive report summary Read the report conclusions and recommendations Read the full report: Environmental impact of microplastics […]
Four articles reveal more and more solutions are emerging to the marine litter – plastics challenge. Ellen Macarthur Foundation leading the way with the circular economy – three new reports this year: The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics A New Dynamic 2: Effective systems in a circular economy Intelligent Assets: Unlocking the […]