“Marine Debris” is addressed in a September 25, 2019 US General Accounting Office (GAO) report. The GAO-19-653 report advises that the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (IMDCC) is taking action on marine debris “such as plastic bottles and abandoned fishing gear … but Additional Steps Could Enhance the Federal Response”. The report examines the following […]

“Beverage Brands adapt to sustainable packaging trends” is a September 19, 2019 Beverage Industry article. It notes that “… In [Nielsen’s] April 2019 Omnibus study of more than 21,000 U.S. households, we found that products that are environmentally friendly and use recycled packaging resonate most strongly with consumers overall … As more consumers take interest […]

“Let’s be truthful about Sustainable Packaging Claims on-pack” is a September 17, 2019 Linkedin post. Published by Nerida Kelton, Executive Director of the Australian Institute of Packaging. Kelton notes that “With the 2025 National Packaging Targets significantly shifting the packaging design landscape in Australia, a critical element that is coming up short is truthful and […]

McDonald’s opened a nearly plastic-free restaurant. More specifically, it experimented with a Better McDonald’s Store for 10 days in Berlin, Germany. This experiment allowed McDonald’s to test what might work to reduce plastic use and help the future environment. According to a McDonald’s August 18, 2019 news release, the company needs to comply “with a […]

Environmental Science and Technology published “Effects of Microplastics in Soil Ecosystems: Above and Below Ground” on September 11, 2019. Researchers with Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK declare that “the impacts of microplastics on soil ecosystems … remain largely unknown …”. The report states the following: “Different types of microplastics … were added to soil containing […]

PepsiCo announces an increase in the use of “recycled content and alternative packaging materals for its beverage brands”. Their September 13, 2019 news release notes an effort to “reduce 35% of virgin plastic content across its beverage portfolio by 2025 … These targets advance PepsiCo’s sustainable packaging vision and reinforce its ‘Beyond the Bottle’ strategy […]

Nestle addresses plastic packaging waste by launching the Institute of Packaging Sciences in Lausanne, Switzerland. On September 12, 2019, Nestle announced that the Institute is the first-of-its-kind in the food industry. In summary, Nestle’s CEO stated that the Institute will do the following: Introduce reusable packaging solutions and pioneer environmentally friendly packaging materials Support the […]

On September 10, 2019, the Animal Digestible Food Packaging Initiative adfpi.org submitted email comments to Senator Udall and Representative Lowenthal. The correspondence was in response to their July 18, 2019 Call for Comments on Legislation to Address the Plastic Waste Crisis. The comments advised that the Initiative is an effort to encourage/convince/inspire representatives of grocery […]

On September 9, 2019, the Australian Government announced a new method to detect microplastics in the ground. Researchers from CRC Care publish news of “a new method to detect microplastics [PET, PVC, polystyrene, polypropylene and polyethylene particles as small as one micrometer in size] in the ground using infrared light and powerful visualisation software”. They […]

“Microplastics: Not Just an Ocean Problem” states UCDavis in its August 7, 2019 news release. University researchers at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center report finding microplastics in beach sand. They state that “wastewater produced in the Tahoe Basin is piped out and does not return to the lake … That means the microplastics we’re finding […]