You may have recently seen an ad discussing Pepsi and Coca-Cola's newest sustainability initiative. The ad was created by the American Beverage Association. In the commercial, three actors talk about how major water and soda companies are now going to make their plastic bottles more recyclable.What may seem like a step in the right direction for plastic producers is run-of-the-mill greenwashing.
You’ve heard about corporate sustainability and think it sounds like a good idea — but you’re not entirely sure what it means or why it’s important.
Well, the truth is that corporate sustainability has never been more critical than right now. That’s why we’re breaking it down to the basics so you can be in the know.
You’re in the kitchen, cutting your vegetables. You’re wondering if you have a jar big enough for the celery nub you’re cutting so you can replant it. You're immersed in the idea that vegetables can regrow a whole entire plant when you slice your finger.
Luckily, the damage isn’t too bad, even if it does sting like the worst paper cut in the history of the world.
At this point, it’s no secret – we love our recycling.
But once we’ve dropped our items into the recycling bin, most of us don’t stop to think about where they go. We’ve done our part – from there, someone else picks up the torch, right?
But recycling is more than just a bin in your kitchen. It’s a global, billion-dollar industry.
And you may have heard little whispers that the recycling industry is broken. That somewhere along the way, recycling went wrong. But what, exactly, happened?
Recycling is one of the biggest topics in the sustainability world. It's also one of the first steps people take when they want to live with less impact on our beautiful planet – and with good cause.
For one, it’s fairly easy to do, and once you’ve learned how to recycle, you’ve got your bases covered. Right?
Well… about that. There’s one thing we rarely discuss when it comes to recycling – the fact that some materials are easier and better to recycle than others.
Imagine being able to buy an item you frequently buy just once. When you get it, it doesn’t come in a giant package that takes up half of your storage space. It’s also not 400 rolls or 1,000 items. It doesn’t require a trip to a giant department store on a busy Sunday. Imagine once a year, you bought something… like a plastic snack or sandwich bag and then didn’t think about buying bags again until the next year.
Now, imagine it’s not plastic.
Finding a durable, sustainable doormat can be, well, a pain. Some of the most durable outdoor mats come with a plastic coating on the bottom. As you probably already know, plastic isn’t great for the environment. At the end of a doormat’s life, whether due to being made of mixed material or being straight up plastic, doormats often can’t be recycled or composted. Instead, you have to send them off to a landfill and live with that little bit of extra environmental guilt. Yikes.
In the sustainability world, recycling has long been everyone’s favorite pet. And for good reason – it’s impactful and simple to do, which is guaranteed to give us earth-lovers a good kick.
But the world is always turning, and new solutions are constantly being invented. So, while you might be very familiar with recycling… have you heard of upcycling?
