Wondering what's new in sustainability this month? Read our favourites below:1. New charter aims to boost public confidence in recyclinghttps://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/environment/new-charter-aims-boost-public-confidence-recycling-15-03-2021The Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN) has linked up with the Kent Resource Partnership, the Somerset Waste Partnership, and the Surrey Environment Partnership to boost public confidence in recycling.INCPEN have outlined what they aim to achieve with the new charter which is expected to be launched in Autumn 2021:
- Reinforcing public confidence in recycling across the UK.
- Celebrating when councils and the supply chain deliver great recycling results.
- Developing better collaboration across all parts of the UK packaging value chain particularly with recycling achievements and public confidence in mind.
2. Sustainable shopping: Ocado celebrates B Corp brandshttps://globalgoodawards.co.uk/ocado-celebrates-bcorp-brands/The B Corp aisle is part of Ocado’s wider commitment to sustainability. The company already has very low food wastage, thanks to a short supply chain, at just 0.04% and has an ambition to become net zero by 2040.Jo West, head of sustainability at Ocado Retail commented: “Our B Corp aisle is a really positive step for both our customers and our sustainability efforts.”
What does it mean to be a B Corp brand?Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
3. Aldi cracks Easter egg plastic packaginghttps://globalgoodawards.co.uk/aldi-cracks-easter-egg-plastic-packaging/Supermarket chain Aldi is making Easter greener this year by removing 2m pieces of throwaway plastic from its seasonal confectionery range. Other plastic-saving changes include replacing plastic windows from the outer packaging of several products with compostable cellulose film made from wood fibres. Aldi will also launch a fully sustainable chocolate box, with an insert made from recycled potato skins.Richard Gorman, plastics and packaging director at Aldi UK, said: “We’re committed to eliminating plastic wherever possible, and the changes to our Easter range are a great example of removing unnecessary plastic that we can all do without.“We know our customers want to protect the environment, and it is changes like this that make all the difference.”
4. Innovate UK £16m fund for sustainable plastic innovationshttps://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/environment/innovate-uk-16m-fund-sustainable-plastic-innovations-12-03-2021UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £16m, from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, to aid projects in smart and sustainable plastic packaging.Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest the money from the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Programme to support projects that demonstrate innovation at a commercial scale. The aim of the competition is to address widely known problems in relation to plastic packaging for consumer products.Paul Davidson, challenge director, told Packaging News he wanted to focus on projects that are scalable, for full closed loop, for more sustainable plastic packaging.
5. PepsiCo pledges to switch bottles to 100% rPET by 2022https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/top-story/pepsico-pledges-switch-bottles-100-rpet-2022-02-12-2020PepsiCo is to eliminate all virgin plastic from its beverage bottles in Europe by 2022. The pledge covers nine countries and the switch to 100% recycled PET (rPET) is claimed to save over 70,000 tonnes of virgin plastic, lowering carbon emissions by 40%.The UK, France, Belgium and Luxembourg will switch to recycled PET in 2022. In those countries, this move will also include brands such as 7Up and Lipton Ice Tea. Germany, Poland, Romania, Greece and Spain will make the change next year.
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