Tim Hortons has partnered with TerraCycle to bring reusables to its restaurants, becoming the first QSR to join the company’s Loop recycling platform. Set to be piloted in Toronto next year, customers will be given the option to pay a deposit to receive their drink or food order in a reusable container. The containers are then returned to a restaurant, where they will be cleaned for reuse and the customer will get their deposit back. Loop is a TerraCycle program that has partnered with retailers and brands to create sustainable, reusable packaging for grocery, household and personal care products. Once used, the empty containers are returned in a milkman-style system using a tote, which is placed outside a customer’s home for Loop to pick-up, with the containers then cleaned by the company and returned to the customer for reuse. Customers will have their refills returned directly to their door.

The next Whopper you order may look a little different when you take it out of the bag. In fact, the bag may look different, too. Fans don't need to worry: Burger King's packaging is changing, but the Whopper itself is staying the same. Thanks to a partnership with the brand Loop, Burger King will soon test reusable boxes, bags, coffee and soda cups, and more packaging—and it may end up saving customers money. Loop is a "circular packaging service" specializing in zero-waste wrappers and storage containers. All of its products may be cleaned, sanitized, and reused. Starting next year, Burger King will test the new packaging: Customers who opt-in to receive the Loop wrapping pay a deposit, which is refunded upon return. Once the packaging is back in the hands of Burger King, it will be cleaned before its next use. (Related: How did Burger King sales do this year? Check and see if the burger chain is part of the 9 Restaurant Chains That Closed Hundreds of Locations This Summer.)

Truly ethical and sustainable beauty brands aren't easy to find. Can Jessica Jones go a whole year without using anything else? Zero waste products might be the future of clean beauty but they have yet to reach the mainstream. The lack of accessibility and convenience when purchasing zero waste items means that it is significantly easier to just buy non-recyclable products.   When switching to sustainable beauty I found that I had many products which I needed to use up before searching for better alternatives. These were mostly half used makeup items in non-recyclable packaging, often with different parts and materials such as a mascara wand or a foundation pump, which makes it impossible to recycle them in local council bins.   Introducing TerraCycle.   TerraCycle is a recycling scheme for waste that cannot easily be recycled. Founded by Tom Szaky in 2001, who was then a student, the concept is simple: free recycling programmes are funded by worldwide brands, manufacturers and retailers in order to allow us to collect and recycle our hard-to-recycle waste. All you have to do is pick the programmes you want to use, collect waste in your home, school, office or organisation, download a free shipping label and finally, send your waste in to be recycled. Points are earned and can be exchanged for rewards for your school or a non-profit. Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle(TerraCycle)   Since it was established, TerraCycle has rapidly become a global leader in recycling and to date, over 202 million people in 21 countries have collected billions of pieces of waste, raising more than 44 million dollars for charities all over the world.   TerraCycle is not just for makeup and personal care products; there are programmes designed for almost every kind of waste from bread bags and empty medicine packets to childrens’ toys and disposable gloves. The ones I was most interested in were the Garnier personal care and beauty recycling programme and the Maybelline makeup recycling programme.   Although the names suggest that only Garnier and Maybelline products can be recycled, they actually accept waste from all brands. The Garnier programme allows waste to be sent in however the Maybelline programme works slightly differently, yet is still free and easy. All you have to do is find your closest store through their maps and drop off your empty (clean) packaging to be recycled.   Once your empty waste has been received it is sorted by material type, shredded and pressed into plastic pellets, which can then be reused for various new plastic products. Recycling waste earns points that are redeemed as financial donations so the more waste that is recycled, the more that is donated to various charities such as Mind. Beauty brands such as Weleda, Baylis & Harding and Colgate also have their own individual recycling schemes.   TerraCycle is a revolutionary way of recycling, reusing and upcycling waste to prevent it being incinerated, which produces huge amounts of pollution, or landfilled, which generates the high levels of methane gas and CO2 that contribute to global warming. Waste is redirected from a linear system with a finite end to a circular one, which keeps it flowing in our economy.

Zero waste products might be the future of clean beauty but they have yet to reach the mainstream. The lack of accessibility and convenience when purchasing zero waste items means that it is significantly easier to just buy non-recyclable products. When switching to sustainable beauty I found that I had many products which I needed to use up before searching for better alternatives. These were mostly half used makeup items in non-recyclable packaging, often with different parts and materials such as a mascara wand or a foundation pump, which makes it impossible to recycle them in local council bins. Introducing TerraCycle. TerraCycle is a recycling scheme for waste that cannot easily be recycled. Founded by Tom Szaky in 2001, who was then a student, the concept is simple: free recycling programmes are funded by worldwide brands, manufacturers and retailers in order to allow us to collect and recycle our hard-to-recycle waste. All you have to do is pick the programmes you want to use, collect waste in your home, school, office or organisation, download a free shipping label and finally, send your waste in to be recycled. Points are earned and can be exchanged for rewards for your school or a non-profit. Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle(TerraCycle) Since it was established, TerraCycle has rapidly become a global leader in recycling and to date, over 202 million people in 21 countries have collected billions of pieces of waste, raising more than 44 million dollars for charities all over the world. TerraCycle is not just for makeup and personal care products; there are programmes designed for almost every kind of waste from bread bags and empty medicine packets to childrens’ toys and disposable gloves. The ones I was most interested in were the Garnier personal care and beauty recycling programme and the Maybelline makeup recycling programme. Although the names suggest that only Garnier and Maybelline products can be recycled, they actually accept waste from all brands. The Garnier programme allows waste to be sent in however the Maybelline programme works slightly differently, yet is still free and easy. All you have to do is find your closest store through their maps and drop off your empty (clean) packaging to be recycled. Once your empty waste has been received it is sorted by material type, shredded and pressed into plastic pellets, which can then be reused for various new plastic products. Recycling waste earns points that are redeemed as financial donations so the more waste that is recycled, the more that is donated to various charities such as Mind. Beauty brands such as Weleda, Baylis & Harding and Colgate also have their own individual recycling schemes. TerraCycle is a revolutionary way of recycling, reusing and upcycling waste to prevent it being incinerated, which produces huge amounts of pollution, or landfilled, which generates the high levels of methane gas and CO2 that contribute to global warming. Waste is redirected from a linear system with a finite end to a circular one, which keeps it flowing in our economy.

CEO of Bel Group Antoine Fievet and Cécile Béliot, Executive Vice-President in charge of strategy, growth levers and markets, expressed strong shared convictions today during a joint conference. Bel’s unique business model provides concrete solutions for healthier and responsible food for all, especially in these uncertain times. During their joint presentation, Bel’s executives were able to review the Covid situation and to illustrate the acceleration of the Group’s transformation, through the numerous innovation projects developed in different markets.   In summary:   §  Despite a difficult and still uncertain context, Bel withstood the first part of the crisis. §  Bel is pursuing its transformation strategy and remaining focused on its long-term vision of contributing to a new food model. §  The year 2020/2021 is marked by the acceleration of the innovation strategy for all core brands of the portfolio, with major launches in the plant-based category. §  The first functional product lines carried by Mini Babybel® will be launched in 2021 in the United States. §  The Group is continuing its actions to promote biodiversity and is joining the Act For Nature initiative at the international level. §  Bel has made a concrete commitment to the fight against food waste and is implementing innovative pilot actions in the area of responsible packaging.   A family group that coped with the disruptions of the Covid crisis   In a very difficult context, Bel resisted well during the first part of the crisis. In the first half of the year, results were up by 4,8%. This growth was notably driven by products such as The Laughing Cow^® and fruits compotes, with MOM. Faced with the uncertainties of a lasting crisis, the two executives have expressed the necessity to remain cautious and stay focused on the long-term vision of Bel’s unique family model.   Antoine Fievet took this opportunity to reiterate that maintaining the food chain during the crisis would not have been possible without the mobilization of all, including farmers, suppliers and distributors. An example of solidarity that he wishes to see extended beyond the crisis.   “There is no future without responsibility”: in the age of COVID, Bel is more convinced than ever that its unique inclusive model combining performance and responsibility is the only way to face challenges and to stand the test of time. We are keeping our course, remaining determined in action, and accelerating.” said Antoine Fievet.   Responsibility at the heart of the Bel model   To bring to life the “For All For Good” signature reveled a year ago, Bel is taking concrete actions in five areas: sustainable agriculture, healthy food, responsible packaging, the fight against climate change and product accessibility. The Bel model, which combines responsibility and performance, is now reflected in the Group’s organization, reflects in the Group’s organization, which has chosen to combine Finance and CSR within a single General Management team headed by Frédéric Médard.   Bel is reinforcing its environmental commitments with an inclusive approach. In 2020, the Bel Group, with the expertise of the WWF France, structured a biodiversity policy aggregating the commitments made by the Group. The specificity of this approach is that it takes into account the entire value chain, from farm to plate.   Since October 1, 2020, Bel, which had already joined Act For Nature France, has continued its commitment by joining the international Act For Nature initiative at the international level, which brings together companies, public authorities, scientists and associations to create a true international collective dynamic to protect, enhance and restore biodiversity.   According to Cécile Béliot: “For the past year, we have been accelerating the Group’s transformation, with the conviction that a responsible and profitable growth is possible: an enlightened ‘capitalism’ that is moving from a logic of balance of power to a logic of value sharing, beyond any major stakes. This is what guides all the Group’s actions today.”   Innovation at the service of “eating better” and the environment   The Group is continuing to transform its brand portfolio by strengthening its strategy in three complementary areas: dairy, fruits and plant-based.   In 2019, 54 products were updated with nutrients-enriched recipes in markets where specific nutritional needs are expressed. Significant work has been done on simplicity with a new Kiri^® recipes that was just been launched using only French milk and cream, water, salt and ferments. It will be produced in Sablé sur Sarthe. In the spring of 2021, a brand new recipe for The Laughing Cow will be put on the market with an equally short list of ingredients.   Bel is also innovating through functional product lines. Babybel 5G Proteins was launched this year in several European countries. Babybel Plus, another line enriched with nutrients, will be launched at the end of 2020 in the United States and in Great Britain with one product containing probiotics and another one enriched with vitamins.   “Our strength is our positive and accessible brands. That is why we wanted them to carry our commitments and play a driving role in innovation” said Cécile Béliot.   The new plant-based challenge: Bel aims for leadership in the category   The Group’s ambition is to provide a plant-based offer for each one of its core brands. As of January 2021, Bel will launch « The Laughing Cow® Blends” in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany, countries where The Laughing Cow is mainly consumed by adults and where there is strong potential among flexitarians. Three references with cheese, vegetables and spices will be offered.   A plant-based version of Boursin^® will be sold on the American market through the Amazon Fresh platform as of the end of October 2020.   To go even further, Bel is developing a plant-based Mini Babybel project that should be launched next year in the United States and is preparing, in the coming months, the launch of a new international brand fully dedicated to plant-based products.   Innovating for the planet   In mid-2019, Bel joined the Steering Committee of the Consumption Date Pact initiated by Too Good To Go in France. In March 2020, Bel was one of the first companies to concretize its commitment with Too Good To Go through The Laughing Cow. The Group uses the divider that separates the portions of its famous cheese to raise consumer awareness and encourage them to trust their senses to “observe, smell, taste” the product once the date has passed, before throwing it away. Within the Bel Group, MOM has also joined the Too Good To Go Pact. Bel is considering the development of similar operations in other countries.   Concrete advances in the area of responsible packaging are being made by the Group, which aims for 100% recyclable and/or biodegradable packaging by 2025. To date, 84% of packaging is already biodegradable or recyclable.   Major innovations are being introduced via Mini Babybel, including a partnership with Terracycle (in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Germany) to create national packaging recycling programs. By the end of the year, the cellophane that wraps Mini Babybel will be compostable and a statement will be added on the packs in order to educate consumers. Finally, a bulk pilot project is underway in the form of a partnership between the DayByDay network and Mini Babybel Original/Mini Babybel Organic. A 6-week operation (from September 21 to October 30) is being launched in 6 stores: Strasbourg, Limoges and 4 stores in the Ile de France region (including 2 in Paris).   Products accessible everywhere, for all The Group is also strengthening its product accessibility strategy. The “Simply” Laughing Cow version has been launched in July in Algeria with a recipe rich in Calcium, vitamin A and D, and at a price in line with the local economic and social context. Bel is also pursuing its strategy of democratizing organic products. Since September 2 and for six months, Mini Babybel organic has been offered in Happy Meal menus in the 1,490 McDonald’s restaurants in France. According to Antoine Fievet: “I am convinced that we must build a food model that can have a positive impact on our entire ecosystem. All BEL employees are mobilized to open a new path with our partners for a more sustainable and responsible future of food“.   About Bel   The Bel Group is one of the world leaders in the branded cheese sector and a major player in the healthy snacking segment. Its portfolio of differentiated and international brands such as The Laughing Cow®, Kiri®, Mini Babybel®, Leerdammer®, Boursin®, Pom’Potes® and GoGo squeeZ®, as well as around twenty other local brands, enabled the Group to achieve a turnover of €3.4 billion in 2019.   12,400 employees in more than 40 subsidiaries around the world contribute to the deployment of the Group’s mission: a commitment to healthier and more responsible food for all. Its products are produced in 32 production sites and distributed in nearly 120 countries.

The cannabis industry has a packaging problem.   Hemmed in by regulations, the Canadian industry has created thousands of tons of needless plastic pollution over the last two years, and consumers have noticed. A quick search of social media will reveal some common complaints, including that shipping one-gram orders of cannabis in thick plastic containers might not be the best approach.   Under Health Canada’s regulations, packaging needs to be child-resistant, prevent contamination and ensure that the product is kept dry.   According to Plastics Engineering, one packaging solution could be grown right alongside the bud.   Hemp.   Cannabis packaging is more complicated than it might seem. It needs to retain moisture, while also keeping moisture out, and the product could end up sitting on a shelf for months before a customer opens it up.   Too wet and the bud could get mouldy; too dry and it could arrive underweight, brittle and with diluted potency. There’s also the issue of odour, as well as protecting the bud from light and static, which can further damage the product.   Creating the needed “barrier protection” can reduce the package’s recyclability or compostability, according to Plastics Engineering.   Earlier this year, speaking at the Plastics in Cannabis Packaging conference, Ron Kander, founding dean of the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said hemp has the potential to be a sustainable raw material with nearly endless industry applications. But converting hemp into plastic is not easy.   “As it sits in the ground as a mature plant, it is carbon negative — it sequesters more carbon than it takes to grow. So, the question, as engineers and scientists, is how much energy is needed to transform that plant as it comes out of the ground into a useful product, without negating that benefit of being carbon negative initially,” Kander said. “That’s the systems problem we’re trying to solve.”   Some companies, such as Sana Packaging, are already working with hemp, but James Eichner, chief scientific officer and co-founder of the company, told Benzinga earlier this year that the hemp industry is limited by a lack of infrastructure.   “The hemp industry is definitely growing and becoming a lot larger year by year. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s still a really small industry with very limited infrastructure,” Eichner said.   Harvesting hemp is also labour-intensive, and growing the crop requires significant amounts of water, reports Ministry of Hemp.   Still, when stacked up against traditional plastics, the potential of hemp is unmistakable. While most plastic takes a thousand years to decompose, hemp bioplastics are completely decomposed within six months, reports Cannabis Industry Journal.   Speaking at the Plastics in Cannabis Packaging conference, Kander said there remains a need “to develop a better basic understanding of the hemp plant, not as an agricultural product, but as a raw material.”   In the meantime, consumers can drop off their used cannabis materials at any Tweed or Tweed-partnered retail store to be recycled. In 2018, TerraCycle partnered with Canopy Growth on a national recycling program, which now operates two streams: one recycling program for packaging and related materials, like joint tubes and plastic bottles, and another for disposable vape cartridges and batteries.

I know, I know, I know: This is the third time in the last 18 months I’ve written about reducing or redirecting kitchen waste.   Humour me please, because as an enthusiast home cook I’m evangelical on the topic. Righteously so, I think, given that the 2.2 million tonnes of avoidable household food waste created annually by Canadians is equivalent to 2.1 million cars on the road, according to Love Food Hate Waste Canada, an awareness campaign delivered by the National Zero Waste Council.   Love Food Hate Waste Canada has great tips for reducing food waste. But even the most careful cooks will have scraps. The good news is that products, programs and processes that lessen kitchen waste are coming to market.           I recently tested, for example, the FoodCycler FC-50 that Vitamix launched in July. It transforms kitchen waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment (aka fertilizer) that can be used to enrich indoor or outdoor gardens, is free of pathogens, and can be stored pest-free for months.   Taking up about one cubic foot, the unit can live under a sink or on a countertop. The removable waste collection bucket has a snugly-fitting carbon-filter lid; I had no problems with odours from the basket or with pesky fruit flies.   The machine takes fruit cores, vegetable peels, dairy, chicken bones and more. The cycle is supposed to run between three and eight hours; it’s always been done in four or less with the loads I’ve made.   I first tried the FoodCycler ($500) in my home in the city. Feeding a family of four, with a diet that’s heavy on plant-based choices, I was filling it up every on average once a day.   While I found it useful and effective, I am also notoriously reluctant to give up counter or cupboard space. I’m also very happy with Toronto’s municipal green bin program, but I know that friends in condos and apartments don’t all have access to that service.   Indeed, one audience that’s given the unit rave reviews online is homeowners living in multi-residential urban settings where there may be no composting program, or where outdoor composting encourages varmints.   With that in mind, I took the FoodCycler with me for a three-week working stint at my cottage, where all waste has to go to a dump, and where there is no community composting program.   It’s a perfect fit. There’s less smell and fewer drippy messes inside — as food waste goes into the recycler rather than a garbage bag. There’s also less smell — and no pests so far — in the garbage container that stays out in a bunkie between dump runs, which I’ve also cut down on. I expect I will doubly appreciate fewer trips to the bunkie — and the dump — during cold and icy weather.   The geraniums and herbs I grow in pots all got a dose of the soil enhancer, and did so well on it that I’m considering starting an indoor herb and micro-green garden this winter.       Many online reviews say the process is odourless; but once or twice, my mix has exuded a slight, vaguely vegetal odour. It’s completely inoffensive to me, but if I didn’t like it, I’d simply turn the machine on at night when I am out of the kitchen. There is absolutely no odour from the finished material.   In another home-related category, Rubbermaid www.rubbermaid.com has partnered with international recycling company TerraCycle www.terracycle.com to make their glass and plastic food storage containers recyclable in the United States and Canada.   Rubbermaid product is famously durable, but when its natural life does come to an end, it’s good to know it can be re-used. Once collected, containers are cleaned and melted into hard plastic or glass that can be recycled into park benches, bins, and other consumer products.   The program is open to individuals, schools, offices, and community organizations. For more on initiatives from both companies, go to www.aroundthehouse.ca  

Late last year, videos of teenagers trying their hand at using a rotary phone went viral on the internet. Some tapped at it, others prodded at the holes, while a couple more just did not have a clue. But all-in-all, we were all amused on different levels, depending on what stage of the internet takeover we were born in. Toronto’s new cannabis retail store, The Neighbourhood Joint (TNJ), is creating a buzz among connoisseurs by bringing back to use an outdated communications system: the pneumatic tube system. The mechanism—inspired by the system used by newspapers like Toronto Star to send reports efficiently between buildings—is a key element at the outlet, located at 1987 Queen St. E. “The idea came about when we were faced with the challenge of having our storage room in the basement and our customers on the main floor. We quickly realized that having a “runner” physically run up and down the stairs, all day to deliver the product just wouldn’t be realistic or provide the best customer service. After doing some research we decided pneumatic tubes would be the perfect solution. On top of the functionality and increased speed efficiencies, it is a nod to Toronto’s newspaper history of using pneumatic tubes to deliver news between City Hall and the newsroom,” says co-owner Andrew Rhodes.

At just 27, Jodie Comer is already a household name. Defining roles in Doctor Foster and Killing Eve, in which she plays impeccably-dressed assassin Villanelle, have made her one of the most sought-after actors right now. But in addition to her on-screen career, Comer has a side gig as the face of global skin-care brand Noble Panacea. The partnership makes total sense, seeing as Comer’s smooth, radiant skin is one of her calling cards — and yes, it really is that good up close. We caught up with Comer over a socially distanced coffee to talk treating hormonal breakouts, makeup must-haves, and the simple skin-care routine she swears by every day. On Her Role As A Skin-Care Ambassador “For me, everything is about integrity, including my acting,” Comer told Refinery29. “I’ve got to believe in something if I’m going to put my time into it, and I was blown away by Noble Panacea’s ethos and attitude towards what beauty is.” The brand was founded by Sir Fraser Stoddart, the 2016 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, and champions active ingredients such as probiotics, which strengthen the skin’s barrier, and acids for gentle exfoliation. “There is so much science that has gone into these products and I think that’s authentic,” Comer said.