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Sabic joins UK Plastics Pact to transform packaging
CHEMICAL manufacturer Sabic has signed up to a world-first initiative to help transform the plastic packaging system in the UK. The company has signed up to the UK Plastics Pact, designed to bring businesses from across the plastics value chain together with UK governments and NGO’s to tackle plastic waste. The initiative was launched on 26 April at a ceremony attended by the secretary of state for the environment, Michael Gove and is being led by sustainability experts Wrap. There are currently 42 businesses that have joined the Pact, including major household names such as M&S, Tesco and Nestle. The Pact sets out a series of ambitious targets to reach by 2025, which include; eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative delivery models and ensuring that all plastic packaging produced is reusable, recyclable or compostable. The initiative also aims to help build a stronger recycling system with the government to ensure that UK recycling targets are met. Other countries are expected to replicate the Plastics Pact as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Initiative.
UK pledges new funding to battle plastic pollution
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged £61.4 million in funding to fight plastic pollution on entering into a new anti-plastic initiative. On 15 April, May announced the new Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance – an agreement between the UK, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ghana to join forces in the fight against plastic pollution. According to conservation group WWF-UK, the group has pledged to ban microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products, as well as to cut plastic bag use, by 2021. As part of the drive, the governments will work with organizations and businesses to protect the environment. From the funding announced by May, £25 million will be used to help researchers investigate the issue of marine plastic from a scientific, economic and social perspective. A further £20 million will be used to curb plastic and other environmental pollution generated by manufacturing in developing countries and prevent it entering the oceans. The remaining £16.4 million will be devoted to improving waste management at a national and a city level to stop plastics entering the water.
Plastic Whale now has 10 boats made from plastic waste
World’s first plastic
fishing company First boat made from more than 10 000 plastic bottles
A GROUP of environmental ‘warriors’ have taken the collection of plastic waste to the next tier! Plastic Whale was founded in Amsterdam in 2011 by Marius Smit. It is the first professional plastic fishing company in the world. The company’s first challenge was to build a boat. This challenge was met and Plastic Whale made their first design boat from more than 10 000 bottles fished from the canals of Amsterdam. That was only the start; Plastic Whale now has 10 boats made from plastic waste. Looking at their figures up until 31 December 2017, 11 008 fishermen have fished 105 105 plastic bottles out of the canals in Amsterdam and the harbour in Rotterdam. Plastic Whale’s mission is to make the world’s waters free of plastic and create things of value from the waste. They ultimately want to go out of business, as this would mean that there would no longer be any plastic
in the water to fish out. The company doesn’t just get the job done alone, they organise free events for the public and team building events for businesses to come and fish for plastic. Plastic Whale also partnered with Vepa, and in February 2018, they launched an exciting line of office furniture: Plastic Whale Circular Furniture. This furniture range is inspired by the forms and lines of the whale and is made from plastic taken out of the canals of Amsterdam. This furniture range is inspired by the forms and lines of the whale and is made from plastic taken out of the canals of Amsterdam
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2018/06/07 08:23