Sustainability alert: SC Johnson expands line of concentrates

Every minute, one million plastic bottles are purchased around the world. As an early champion of concentrate products nearly a decade ago, SC Johnson, Racine, Wisconsin, is continuing to address the “plastic scrap crisis” by expanding and widening access to its concentrate offerings, according to a news release.

"Plastic waste is becoming a bigger and bigger environmental problem," says Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. "We hope more people can give concentrates a try as every single time you use a concentrate bottle you use nearly 80 percent less plastic waste."

Since the unveiling of Windex concentrates in 2011, SC Johnson has steadily expanded its refill options to other popular cleaning brands.

The new line of SC Johnson concentrates will begin rolling out in the U.S. and Canada this month, with Scrubbing Bubbles, Windex and fantastic bottles and two-count refills set to hit Amazon and other e-commerce retailers, including Target and Walmart, websites first. The next wave of concentrate refills will be available for purchase online in Mexico this July and in the United Kingdom starting in August. China and Japan will follow in September.

SC Johnson says benefits of concentrate refills are “primarily environmental.” SC Johnson trigger bottles, for example, deliver more than 10,000 sprays and can be refilled dozens of times. By purchasing bottles with such a long lifespan, millions of pounds of plastic scrap are stopped from ending up in landfills.

"Refilling with a concentrate is a small change that could make a real difference in minimizing plastic waste," Johnson says. "Together, we can reduce plastic waste and work towards a cleaner planet."

Bristol Airport introduces paper cup recycling scheme

Nearly one ton or 54,500 standard size paper coffee cups have been recycled as a result of a new process introduced at Bristol Airport, England, in March.

Working in collaboration with catering partners and waste management company SWRnewstar, the airport introduced the scheme to “ensure paper cups are recycled and not placed in landfill," according to a news release.

The process has been designed to be “as easy as possible for passengers." Paper cups are discarded in waste bins before being separated at source and segregated for collection. The paper cups are then recycled at a specialist facility and reprocessed for further use.

“It shows that recycling is taken seriously at the airport and that when all stakeholders are engaged in a process it can produce really positive results,” says Dan Brown, corporate sector director, automotive and logistics at SWRnewstar.

Bristol Airport employees have their own reusable “keep cups” and refill water bottles, in addition to the paper cup recycling scheme.

“We are delighted with the successful results achieved so early in the scheme,” says James Shearman, head of sustainability at Bristol Airport. “We wanted a system that would be easy for staff and passengers, and it could not be simpler. We are working with the various business partners on site to continue our efforts in maintaining our reuse, reduce, recycle principals.”

Coca-Cola releases 2018 Sustainability Stakeholder Report

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), London, has launched its 2018 Sustainability Stakeholder Report, outlining key achievements in the company’s sustainability journey in 2018.

The report provides an update on the progress Coca-Cola European Partners has made on its joint sustainability action plan with Atlanta, Georgia-based The Coca-Cola Company, which launched in 2017.

This is Forward sets out three action areas on drinks, packaging and society and three supporting actions on water, climate and supply chain with “ambitious and measurable” 2025 targets. Here are some highlights of the 2018 CCEP Sustainability Stakeholder Report:

• 98 percent of packaging was recyclable and 27.6 percent of PET used in bottles was from recycled PET
• 100 percent of electricity purchased from renewable sources
• new investment to purchase 100 percent recycled PET from Loop Industries
• partnership with New Jersey-based TerraCycle and Carrefour to trial new circular shopping system and reuse model

Reflecting on the progress made in 2018, Damian Gammell, CEO of Coca Cola European Partners, says:

“We want to be a force for good, for people and the planet. It’s therefore crucial that sustainability underpins every part of how we do business.”

“I’m proud of the progress we’re making on our sustainability commitments, particularly the fact that we’ve achieved three of our targets two years ahead of schedule. These include purchasing 100 percent renewable electricity and cutting our greenhouse gas emissions in half.”

“However, we know that there is still much more we can do and we certainly can’t do this alone. We are continuing to listen to and work with our stakeholders to make tangible changes which help build a better future for our business, for people and for the planet.”