With the news, and our minds, constantly focused on the pandemic, the vaccine rollout and the usual daily life shenanigans, it is easy to miss good news out there! Particularly the positive environmental news and achievements that have been happening recently. Yes, it is not all doom and gloom about climate change, as there are some great advances being made by companies looking to improve their environmental practices.

Don’t believe us? Read below! 

1. Corona launches biodegradable packaging made out of surplus barley

Good news in the beer world! Corona has launched a new, circular packaging for its six-packs made out surplus barley. 

Whilst the barley seed is used to make the beer, this new innovation uses barley straw, a leftover from farmers’ harvests, through a unique pulping process. This, combined with 100% recycled wood fibres, creates a paper board used in the new packaging that is as strong and durable as a regular six-pack, but better for the planet.

Turning barley straw into paper fibre uses 90% less water in its production than the traditional virgin wood process, along with less energy and fewer harsh chemicals.

The best bit is that should this pilot programme work, AB In Bev (Corona’s owner) will roll it out to other brands, meaning less water usage and paper waste across the board!

Read the story: https://www.greenmatters.com/p/corona-biodegradable-six-packs

2. Facemasks that turn into flowers

For the past year, facemasks have become ubiquitous in our society, so have finding discarded masks on the streets and busy walking routes, they are even showing up in our shores!.In fact, disposable masks are causing enormous plastic waste across the globe. 

Enter Marie Bee Bloom, a new brand of biodegradable facemasks made from rice paper that will bloom into flowers when planted. 

Flower seeds are embedded in the fabric, so once you’re done wearing them, you can plant it in a pot, window box or garden and add a bit of colour to your house. 

Read the story: https://www.wionews.com/world/these-biodegradable-facemasks-bloom-into-flowers-when-planted-after-use-372504 

3. Peruvian community grows organic coffee in the shade

Coffee, such a popular product consumed by millions in the world. However in order to produce it, a lot of times large areas of forest have to be cleared to provide space for plantations.

However, the Mayni people are harvesting shade-grown coffee from under the canopy of mature trees, with huge benefits for wildlife and the community.

Shade-grown coffee from around the world is providing a viable alternative to the sun-tolerant coffee plants that have been developed since the 1970s, which require clearing land for vast plantations that deplete the soil over time.

Not only is shade-grown coffee better for the forest, it also adds a huge amount of biodiversity and stores carbon in the soil. 

Read the story: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/16/ecofriendly-peruvian-coffee-biodiversity-indigenous-aoe 

4. Wilko to launch first face mask recycling scheme in the UK high street

What do you do with your used single-use masks? You’ll be forgiven if you pop them in the bin - where else are they meant to go, right? You can hardly put them in the recycling bin… are they even recyclable?

Well, soon they will be! Retail chain Wilko will be launching the first recycling scheme for single-use face masks in the UK. 

The plan is for customers doing their essential shopping to bring their used disposable masks and safely place them in the collection bins at the front of the stores. The masks will then be recycled into sustainable building materials, furniture and even PPE collection bins.

No excuses now! 

Read the story: https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/first-high-street-recycling-scheme-20252891 

5. New biodegradable packaging for Skittles

Confectionery giant Mars Wrigley has announced that its world-famous Skittles candy will be sold in biodegradable wrappers. The company has partnered with Danimer Scientific to advance home-compostable packaging.

Danimer Scientific has developed a biodegradable packaging called Nodax polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) made entirely out of natural materials, which is produced through natural fermentation processes. It as an alternative to traditional plastic and is certified biodegradable in both soil and marine environments

Mars Wrigley’s are targeting late 2021 or early 2022, to launch the new packaging for its Skittles brand in the United States.

Read the story: https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/mars-wrigley-to-create-biodegradable-wrappers-for-its-candy-brand-skittles/ 

6. More resources to help companies reach zero emissions

Finally, going green doesn’t have to be hard. Companies such as SINAI Technologies, help corporate clients devise decarbonisation strategies to transform and manage their impact on the planet. Armed with software that measures, price and helps you reduce emissions, SINAI also has a vast knowledge base on their blog, with articles that help educate and guide you through every aspect of lowering your carbon emissions. For example, their latest blog explores how companies can reach net-zero and proposes 5 actions businesses can take to make it happen. Read more about it here: https://www.sinaitechnologies.com/post/co2-reduction-how-companies-can-reach-net-zero

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