Plasticity Looks at the Next Life of Plastics
Gayle Putrich
Published on 03 July 2014
More often than not, debates about end-of-life problems with plastic results in industry vs. environmentalist finger-pointing, stalemates — and no viable solutions.
But not at the Plasticity Forum. The one-day event examining the future of plastic, held June 24 at Tribeca Rooftop in New York, brought together would-be opponents for a day of collaboration and discussion on how to treat plastic as a resource and not waste.
Plasticity Forum Looks at Plastic's Life Cycle
Published on 02 July 2014
The third annual Plasticity Forum took place in New York City on June 24, 2014, with a discussion on scaling design, innovations and features of a world with a reduced discarded plastic footprint. William McDonough, author of Cradle to Cradle, and CEO of McDonough Innovations, declared the need to “redesign, renew and regenerate” when people think of the lifecycle of products.
Pound-for-pound plastic has a value greater than steel, according to the event’s organizers, but it too often is treated as waste after its initial use.
Ocean Plastic Pollution Costs $13 Billion a Year, and Your Face Scrub Is Part of the Problem
Published on 30 June 2014
The good news is you can be part of the solution by recycling and being choosy about what you buy.
Don't Design for "End of Life," Design for "What's Next"
Published on 28 June 2014
The third annual Plasticity Forum took place in New York City today with a discussion on scaling design, innovations and solutions for a world with a reduced waste footprint. Noted author of Cradle to Cradle ,William McDonough, CEO of McDonough Innovations, declared the need to “redesign, renew and regenerate” when we think of the life of our products.
Former President of Costa Rica, Jose Maria Figueres, said “even though Costa Rica is known for being one of the most eco-friendly countries in the world, we also have a big problem with managing waste and recycling. We need the collective work from the experts and participants of Plasticity to bring scaled solutions to both our businesses and countries to drive the opportunities that can be harnessed from treating waste as a resource.”
Report: Companies need to measure and report their plastic use
By Gayle S. Putrich
Published on 23 June 2014
The consumer goods sector spends $75 billion a year on plastic, with the food and soft drink industries leading the way in spending, though companies’ willingness and ability to disclose how much plastic they use varies wildly and is often nonexistent, according to a unique new report on consumer plastics being released today.
The Possibilities for Plastic will be the Focus of the Plasticity Forum
Gayle Putrich
Published on 22 June 2014
When experts gather to talk about plastics, it’s more often than not a discussion about problems. But for at least one day in New York, it will be a discussion about possibilities.
The Plasticity Forum is a one-day event examining the future of plastic, innovations in design and materials, all aimed at preventing plastic from becoming a waste product, will be held June 24 at Tribeca Rooftop in New York.
The third annual event moves to the United States for the first time in 2014, after kicking off in Rio de Janeiro at the 2012 Rio+20 Earth Summit, followed by partnering with the Asia Society to bring the event to Hong Kong in June 2013.
Pilot project seeks to bring multi-material pouches into recycling, reuse stream
Jim Johnson
Published on 20 June 2014
There’s the blue bag for traditional recyclables and the red bag for medical waste and the black bag for regular old trash.
Now comes the purple bag, officially known as the Energy Bag.
And it’s aimed squarely at multi-material pouches and other plastics that typically aren’t recycled.Use of Standardized Signs to Help Boost Recycling Rates
Jim Johnson
Published on 20 June 2014
As part of the Recycle Right campaign, the standardized recycling labels are designed to boost recycling rates by providing a clear message about what is accepted at each container.
News of the campaign comes as TerraCycle is promoting the debut of “Human Resources,” which is described as “a half-hour comedy that documents the nonstop, deadline-driven world of TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based company whose mission is to eliminate waste on a global scale.”
President Obama to Order Ocean Protections with Executive Powers
Suzanne Goldenberg
Published on 17 June 2014
Kerry called on leaders to take immediate steps on overfishing, pollution, and changes in ocean chemistry caused by rising carbon dioxide emissions.
“No one should mistake that the protection of our oceans is a vital international security issue,” Kerry said.
“Most people under-estimate the enormous damage we as people are inflicting on our oceans every single day.”
Barack Obama will – once again – use his executive powers as president on Tuesday to announce new efforts for ocean protection, Kerry told the summit.
Leaders will also be looking at how to stop plastic waste from ending up in the sea, and for reducing the amount of fertiliser which flows from farmland into waterways, creating ocean deadzones.
New Report on the Cost of Top Global Companies' Plastic Use and Impact Will be Discussed at New York Event
Published on 12 June 2014
A new report, the first ever of its kind, has analysed the world’s top companies and the natural capital valuation of plastic use in the consumer goods sector. This report will be being explained for the first time by one of its creators, Richard Mattison, CEO Trucost, at a major event in New York City, the Plasticity Forum.
“Valuing Plastic: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry” developed by the Plastic Disclosure Project (PDP) in partnership with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Trucost, articulates the business case for companies to measure, manage and disclose information on their annual use and disposal of plastic. The report uses natural capital valuation to identify ‘hotspots’ of pollution or resource use in the consumer goods industry.
