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Teijin Ltd. plans to form a business alliance with Fuji Design Co., Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer of recycled carbon fibers, to establish a basis for the production, supply, and commercialization of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) products made from recycled carbon fibers using a low environmental impact process. Fuji Design’s proprietary “precision pyrolysis” technology produces high-quality carbon fibers from used CFRP by removing matrix resins. As a green technology, it produces some…

On Feb. 22, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published its Global Plastics Outlook: Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options study, which it billed as “the first report to comprehensively map the entire lifecycle of plastics globally.” The publication’s timing and scope were no accident. Starting on Feb. 28, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) will meet online and in Nairobi for its fifth session under the…

On its face, the Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) sounds a lot like a carbon offset scheme. You purchase credits equal to the amount of plastic waste you produce, and the PCX invests those credits to offset your activity. Yes, the concept does borrow from carbon offset programs, but it differs in its fundamentals, transparency, and execution, according to PCX founder Nanette Medved-Po. Carbon is abstract, she explains, hard to quantify…

New York-based rePurpose Global, a coalition focused on reducing waste, is collaborating with 100 personal-care brands in more than 15 countries to address plastic pollution. Through the initiative, the partners are removing 4,127 tons of plastic waste per year, the weight of 208 million plastic bottles or 1.8 billion plastic bags. The brands, which include California-based Grove Collaborative and Pley Beauty, are working with rePurpose Global to go plastic neutral…

Pregis, based in the Netherlands, is bringing its sustainability focus to protective packaging with a new carbon-neutral air-cushioning film called Renew Zero. The polyethylene film is currently only available in Europe. Renew Zero is made from 50% post-consumer recycled content. The other 50% is renewable plant waste, such as cellulose fiber, that has been certified by International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC). The film is also recyclable. According to Pregis,…

A manager friend of mine once had an employee who disappeared every Tuesday at 1 PM. My friend finally confronted her employee about the missed work time, and the employee sheepishly said it was her day and time to go to the local food bank. My friend had no idea her employee was living in an environment that was this unstable. She had to ask herself, If I did not…