Retailers

Fashion producers should pay a penny per item to fund waste collection, say MPs
Fashion producers should pay a penny per item to fund waste collection, say MPs

Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) is calling for a one pence producer responsibility fee to be paid by fashion brands and retailers on each item of clothing they sell in order to fund better textile waste collection.


In a new report released yesterday (19 February), entitled ‘Fixing fashion: Clothing consumption and sustainability’, the EAC has called for the fashion industry to... More

A disposable coffee cup in a bin
Businesses join forces to tackle Scotland’s coffee cup waste

Some of the UK’s biggest disposable coffee cup retailers, recyclers and producers, including Frugalpac, have teamed up for the Cup Movement, a new recycling and reduction scheme in Scotland.

Used and second hand clothing
Textile collections must improve to boost clothing recycling, says WRAP

A new report sets out how the fashion and textiles industry can increase its use of recycled fibres and move to a more circular business model.

EAC report finds leading retailers lagging behind on fashion sustainability
EAC report finds leading retailers lagging behind on fashion sustainability
By
Rob Cole
| 31 January 2019 |
A group of major UK retailers are not doing enough to reduce the environmental and social impact of the clothes they sell, according to an interim report published by Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee.
Iceland to trial Northern Ireland’s first reverse vending machine
Iceland to trial Northern Ireland’s first reverse vending machine
By
Rob Cole
| 28 January 2019 |
UK retailer Iceland has introduced the first in-store reverse vending machine in Northern Ireland as it continues its efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of single-use plastics on the environment.
Waitrose offers £1m for plastic waste reduction projects
Waitrose offers £1m for plastic waste reduction projects
By
Kate Dickinson
| 28 January 2019 |
A £1-million fund is on offer from Waitrose & Partners, with support from behaviour change charity Hubbub, for projects aiming to reduce plastic pollution.
Tesco and Jamie Oliver launch cookery school for food leftovers
By
Kate Dickinson
| 27 January 2019 |
Community cooks will receive lessons in how to best use surplus food from retailers as part of a new training programme from Tesco and food redistribution charity FareShare.
Global brands get behind waste-free online shopping platform
By
Kate Dickinson
| 27 January 2019 |
Recycling company TerraCycle and some of the world’s biggest household brands have launched Loop, an online shopping platform where products are sold in reusable packaging, 
France to force online retailers to tackle compliance free-riding
By
Rob Cole
| 27 January 2019 |
The French Government is set to introduce new rules obligating online marketplaces, such as Amazon, to ensure that the collection and recycling of waste arising from products sold through their sites is properly financed.
ERP joins OPRL scheme
ERP UK joins OPRL scheme
By
Rob Cole
| 22 January 2019 |
The European Recycling Platform UK (ERP UK) has become the latest company to join the expanding membership of the On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) scheme as it seeks to boost consumer engagement in recycling and boost recycling rates.
Plastic bag floating underwater
$1bn alliance launched to end plastic waste
By
Kate Dickinson
| 18 January 2019 |
More than 25 international companies, including Shell, Veolia, Suez and Procter & Gamble, have launched a new partnership to tackle plastic waste.
Volunteers with food redistribution charity Fareshare
Defra opens £5m food redistribution fund
By
Kate Dickinson
| 15 January 2019 |
The first round of government funding has opened for food redistribution organisations across the UK.
Instructions for disposal on a compostable wrapper
Guardian switches to compostable wrappers
By
Kate Dickinson
| 14 January 2019 |
The Guardian has become the first national newspaper to be delivered in a compostable wrapper, but there is confusion over whether the material can be disposed of in food waste bins.
South Korea latest country to ban single-use plastic bags
South Korea latest country to ban single-use plastic bags
By
Kate Dickinson
| 3 January 2019 |
The South Korean Government has banned single-use plastic bags, with potential fines of over £2,000 for businesses that do not comply with the new rules.
It’s time to vote for your Legends of Waste in this year’s Hot 100!
It’s time to vote for your Legends of Waste in this year’s Hot 100!
By
Rob Cole
| 20 December 2018 |
Who across the waste and resources world has done enough to etch their name into the pantheon of greats as this year’s Legend of Waste? You can tell us now by voting in this year’s Hot 100.
Industry welcomes ‘bold and radical’ Resources and Waste Strategy
Industry welcomes ‘bold and radical’ Resources and Waste Strategy
By
Rob Cole
| 18 December 2018 |
Key stakeholders have largely welcomed the publication of the Resources and Waste Strategy by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), calling it a “blueprint for the future” and “bold and radical”, though some reservations remain.
Resources and Waste Strategy outlines government’s circular ambitions
Resources and Waste Strategy outlines government’s circular ambitions
By
Rob Cole
| 18 December 2018 |
Plans to introduce separate food waste collections to every household in England by 2023 and ensure producers pay for the costs of managing their waste packaging have been included in the long-awaited Resources and Waste Strategy.
Ecosurety and Danone partnership to increase UK recycling investment
Ecosurety and Danone partnership to increase UK recycling investment
By
Rob Cole
| 13 December 2018 |
Global food and beverage company Danone has announced a three-year partnership with Ecosurety that will see the compliance scheme manage its packaging and waste recycling obligations in the UK.
Bioeconomy Strategy aims to make UK world-leader by 2030
Bioeconomy Strategy aims to make UK world-leader by 2030
By
Rob Cole
| 7 December 2018 |
The UK Government has released its Bioeconomy Strategy, which outlines how the UK can build a world-class bioeconomy by 2030 and lead the way in easing the reliance on fossil resources.
New recycling scheme for pet food packaging
New recycling scheme for pet food packaging
By
Kate Dickinson
| 30 November 2018 |
TerraCycle has launched a recycling scheme for pet food pouches and flexible packaging.
Valpak: Collaboration is key to achieving plastics targets
Valpak: Collaboration is key to achieving plastics targets
By
Kate Nicholson
| 22 November 2018 |
Compliance scheme Valpak, the data partner for the UK Plastics Pact, has called for collaboration and innovation among signatories to help achieve the Pact’s targets.
Promote repair and reuse to increase fashion sustainability, MPs told
Promote repair and reuse to increase fashion sustainability, MPs told
By Resource |
19 November 2018 |
As part of the EAC’s inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry, designers and campaigners have called on government to better support repair and reuse of clothing and provide more information for consumers on the environmental impacts of their fashion choices.
UK Plastics Pact launches Roadmap to 2025 targets
UK Plastics Pact launches Roadmap to 2025 targets
By
Kate Dickinson
| 15 November 2018 |
The UK Plastics Pact has published its Roadmap to 2025, a document setting out how Pact members can achieve its ambitious targets to reduce plastic packaging waste.