Kroger to Phase Out Single-use Plastic Bags by 2025

Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT, SABIC and Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced their collaboration in an innovative circular economy pilot project which aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of closed-loop recycling of single-use facemasks. Due to COVID-19, use of billions of disposable facemasks is raising environmental concerns especially when they are thoughtlessly discarded in public spaces, including – parks, open-air venues and beaches. Apart from the challenge of dealing with such huge volumes of essential personal healthcare items in a sustainable way, simply throwing the used masks away for disposal on landfill sites or in incineration plants represents a loss of valuable feedstock for new material. “Recognizing the challenge, we set out to explore how used facemasks could potentially be returned into the value chain of new facemask production,” says Dr. Peter Dziezok, Director R&D Open Innovation at P&G. “But creating a true circular solution from both a sustainable and an economically feasible perspective takes partners. Therefore, we teamed up with Fraunhofer CCPE and Fraunhofer UMSICHT’s expert scientists and SABIC’s T&I specialists to investigate potential solutions.”

Not all monsters are bad, at last those by design that carry an environmental message aimed at kids.  Wild Republic, an international toy company committed to the development of high quality plush and toys that nurture children and encourage a love of nature, introduces Monsterkins, “a ground-breaking, new eco-friendly plush line just in time for Earth Day.”  “Created for the Earth by the Earth”, Monsterkins are sustainably made and arrive with a en eco-friendly backstory: the monsters eat discarded plastic water bottles.  As part of the company’s greater social initiative, Promise to the Planet, a portion of the proceeds from the new line will support animal rescue.  “It was important for us to develop a fun and innovative plush line like Monsterkins made from 100% recycled water bottles, and that also helps to educate our children about the importance of improving our planet,” says Vishnu Chandran, president of Wild Republic. “The fun story behind the line engages children to learn more about our planet, different ecosystems, and the importance of conserving and respecting our planet.