There's more and more pressure -- both internally and externally -- for companies to help the environment. But it can help companies, too

    Recycling isn't just about protecting the planet; it's also about profit. With market rates for recycled plastics at all-time lows, companies can build new products out of used ones for a fraction of the cost of fresh materials. A McKinsey analysis found that plastics reuse and recycling could produce up to $60 billion in new profits by 2030, or almost two-thirds of the plastic industry's potential profit growth. For entrepreneurs, that's a win-win. Cheaper and more widely available recycled materials mean lower production costs. Building products from recycled materials is also a brand differentiator, particularly with the growing cohort of socially conscious consumers. Which companies are getting ahead by giving products a new life? Four firms stand out:

1. Patagonia

Long known for its environmental stewardship, Patagonia goes beyond donating money or even company time: The outdoor apparel brand's Worn Wear program buys back used Patagonia products and resells them online. What sets Worn Wear apart from other used clothing programs is its educational component. Patagonia brand ambassadors travel around the U.S., showing people how to repair their own gear. It also posts product care guides online that explain how to sew up seams and patch tears. Consumers see product education as an added value. Minimize your carbon footprint and build brand loyalists by helping customers trade in or extend the life of their purchases.

2. Pela

Pela, which makes ecofriendly smartphone accessories and sustainable products, skipped straight from packaging to product recycling. Founder Jeremy Lang was inspired to start the company after seeing piles of plastic waste floating in the pristine waters off Hawaii. To that end, Pela created the world's first fully compostable phone case. Customers who don't compost can send their old cases back to Pela, who recycles the cases for them. What about the millions of other plastic phone cases that get thrown away each year? Pela announced at CES an expansion to its Pela 360 program, which is to accommodate all phone cases, no matter the manufacturer. If you've got a plastic product, why not let customers do double duty as suppliers? Making people feel like part of your initiative is the single best way to scale it.

3. Procter & Gamble

Consumer packaged goods, by their nature, have a short life cycle. From toothpaste to dish detergent, products that make our home lives comfortable tend to be disposable. What can be done to keep them out of the trash? Procter & Gamble has partnered with TerraCycle's Loop e-commerce platform to tackle that very question. Loop is a sustainability program that cuts down on waste by using refillable and recyclable packaging. Hair care brand Pantene is introducing shampoo and conditioner bottles made from lightweight aluminum. Tide's Purclean plant-based laundry detergent will feature a stainless steel bottle instead of its conventional plastic one. Crest Platinum mouthwash will be sold in refillable glass bottles.

4. Coca-Cola

It's barely 2020, but Coca-Cola already has big plans for 2030. By the next decade, the beverage giant plans to make all its bottles and cans fully recyclable anywhere in the world. What's more, it expects to build those bottles out of at least 50 percent recycled material. For a company the size of Coca-Cola, that's a herculean task. To get there, it's investing around the world in recycling awareness. Although recycling programs exist in nearly every country, many consumers are still unsure which materials can and can't be recycled. Take your cue from Coke: Start with your product's packaging. Not only is the container the portion sure to be thrown away, but it's generally easier to build containers out of recycled materials than it is goods like computers or clothing. Doing the right thing doesn't have to be costly. Through recycling, reusable packaging, and consumer education, plenty of companies are protecting their profits by protecting the world. Keep production costs down and customer satisfaction up by giving new life to old products.

A Ana Zattar é uma daquelas pessoas sempre dispostas a ajudar e que não tem o menor pudor em dividir seu conhecimento como empreendedora. Há dez anos ela está a frente da empresa Ana Criativa Canecas Presentes Personalizados. Seu trabalho é lindo e ela personaliza peças em porcelanas, e busca valorizar os momentos do dia a dia com quem amamos por meio da utilização das louças. É como se todo o amor e carinho fosse gravado em cada peça sua.

Staples Canada has teamed up with EcoKids and Earth Day Canada for the 10th annual Superpower your School Contest. Elementary and Secondary schools across Canada are invited to enter the contest for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $20,000 in new technology from Staples.       From now until January 31, 2020, schools can share their eco-initiatives that have positively impacted their school and community and submit their entries on the contest website, staples.ca/PowerEco.   "Each year, the Superpower your School Contest recognizes schools and students that have implemented exceptional eco-initiatives to help their communities and the environment," said David Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Staples Canada. "We are happy to continue empowering these students by rewarding them with the latest technology to support them as they continue to build their awareness, consciousness and understanding of the environment."   To date, the contest has awarded 90 environmentally conscious schools with the latest technology to empower students to continue learning and developing their passion and awareness for the environment. Each year, the contest receives hundreds of entries from schools across Canada, sharing inspiring stories of what their teachers and students are doing to create a more sustainable future in their community.   To help schools prepare entries, Staples Canada, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada have assembled a series of resources, including:  

• A step-by-step entry guide
• Eligibility and entry criteria
• A set of frequently asked questions
• Rules and regulations
• Excerpts from past winning school entries

  The contest is held in collaboration with national charities, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada. EcoKids offers programs and resources for children, parents, educators, and communities in Canada to engage in environmental education. Earth Day Canada helps people and organizations reduce their environmental impact.   "We are thrilled to be working with Staples Canada again to celebrate the inspiring environmental initiatives taking place in schools across the country," said Cristina Greco, Interim Executive Director of EcoKids. "We are proud to support innovative approaches to stewardship and reward the valuable environmental work of Canadian schools and their communities."   Staples Canada helps schools make a difference Staples Canada is committed to helping schools do their part to save the environment by offering several recycling programs:  

• School Ink Recycling : Every year 300 million ink cartridges end up in North American landfills. Schools across the country can participate in this program by signing up to receive a free ink cartridge collection bin. For details and to register for a free ink bin visit canadaschoolrecycling.ca.
• Battery Recycling : Staples Canada partners with Call2Recycle to collect used batteries (rechargeable and alkaline) from all store locations and its Home Office for recycling. The partnership began in 2004 and to date over 1 million kilograms of used household batteries have been collected and safely recycled through the program.
• Writing Instruments: In 2012, Staples Canada launched a writing instrument recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle®. The program encourages customers to drop off used writing instruments, such as pens, pencils, markets and highlighters at local stores, which are then shipped to TerraCycle for recycling.
• Electronics Recycling : Staples Canada and its national electronics recycling partner eCycle Solutions take back end-of-life electronics at almost all of its retail locations (excluding stores in Calgary, Alberta). Recyclable items accepted include cell phones, computers, computer parts and more. To date, Staples Canada has collected 20.5 million kilograms of e-waste for recycling through its electronics recycling program.

Join the Conversation Follow Staples Canada on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation using #PowerEco.

De máscaras faciais a lantejoulas, a Vogue mapeia os produtos que você precisa se atentar ao tentar reduzir o plástico

The statistics are sobering. Virtually every piece of plastic ever produced still exists and there is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way, according to Earth Day Network, Washington, D.C. It is thus little wonder that 100,000 marine creatures die every year from plastic entanglement—and those are the ones that are found, according to Ocean Crusaders, an organization based in Australia that specializes in waterway cleaning. These same creatures consume the plastic, which we humans then consume from our dinner plates, meaning there’s plastic in us too. Containers and packaging constitute 30% of all waste, per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the large amount that isn’t recycled is dumped into landfills or is incinerated, leaving behind noxious air pollution. It’s a compounded problem that continues to mount, with forecasts predicting that the amount of plastic will increase fourfold by 2050. But moves are afoot to change this dire state of affairs. Retailers and consumer packaged goods companies are looking for new ways to provide products that eliminate or vastly reduce packaging, such as proliferating bulk food sections and experimenting with processes that use less plastic. Scientists are also devising ways to make CPG packaging compostable or 100% recyclable while circular systems are being developed in which consumers refill containers for commonly used household items. But to make change happen on a big scale, everyone needs to be on board. Urged on by consumers that are increasingly decrying excessive packaging that is perceived as being wasteful at best, and reckless at worst, many American companies, which are also not happy with the present state of affairs, are looking for solutions to what is becoming a very grave problem of crisis proportions. The solutions are complex and multifold. “When you think about the myriad products, and the ways consumers use them, we need lots of solutions,” says Meghan Stasz, VP of packaging and sustainability for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), Arlington, Va. Reducing packaging is important not only to minimize the effect it’s having on the world but also to improve public perception. The people who care most about packaging waste are millennials and Gen Zers, who are increasingly the customers of tomorrow. “Packaging has become a hot topic of late because shoppers are becoming more concerned about their impact on the environment, especially younger shoppers,” says Tory Gundelach, VP of retail insights for New York-based consulting agency Kantar. “And more and more, they’re happy to put their dollars behind the companies that align with them.” According to research from Kantar, nearly two-thirds of millennials and Gen Z consumers say they prefer “brands that have a point of view and stand for something.”

The Circular System

The solution to plastic and packaging reduction that’s perhaps gaining the most traction is the system of refillable, reusable containers. Loop—which offers products in reusable glass and steel containers that are delivered to and picked up directly from consumers’ homes—launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a year ago. It has since debuted pilot programs in New York and Paris. Developed by Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle, Loop has the backing of CPG giants such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Danone and Nestle, as well as smaller companies such as Nature’s Path. It offers about 100 brands and is constantly adding more, including private label items. “We treat small companies the same as large ones,” says Benjamin Weir, business development manager of North America for TerraCycle. “We help them expand and show them that packaging is a great way to differentiate.” Photograph courtesy of TerraCycle The more brands involved, the greater consumer adoption of Loop is likely to be, he says, because shoppers will be able to meet all their needs at one store—or through one e-commerce site—“and we can capture as much of their basket as possible.” Here’s how Loop works: Customers purchase products through its website, and when the products are depleted, they leave the empty packages on their doorstep for free collection by UPS, a Loop/TerraCycle partner, which returns them to Loop for sanitization and reuse. Each container requires a deposit, which is refunded upon its return or at the end of a subscription. Items that can’t be reused, such as diapers, can be collected for recycling. Retailers are joining the Loop throng too. The Kroger Co. and Walgreens are credited as founding retailers in the U.S. “Our commitment to innovative solutions on our path to Zero Hunger Zero Waste aligns perfectly with Loop’s mission to create a convenient circular packaging platform for consumers,” Jessica Adelman, president of The Kroger Co.’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation, has been quoted as saying. Being involved with Loop is almost the cost of doing business today, says Virginie Helias, chief sustainability officer of Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble. “Nine of 10 consumers now say they have a more positive image of a company when it supports a social or environmental cause, and half say they make purchase decisions based on a shared belief with the brand,” she says. Procter & Gamble is committed to making huge changes, and it fully backs the Loop system. “The idea of getting rid of disposable packaging and replacing them with beautiful, durable, refillable packaging is a huge idea and we are very committed to make it work,” Helias says. All of the companies involved with Loop are faced with a new and exciting challenge: creating new packaging. This packaging is much more durable, plastic-free and is good-looking enough to sit on any home’s counter.

In—and Out of—the Loop

Companies need to step up and take responsibility, says Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist for the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York: “If you introduce a package, your responsibility has not ended, and it should not be the responsibility of the consumer. [Companies] need to say they’re responsible for packages through the end of their life. That’s what’s powerful about a program like Loop.” Gundelach of Kantar supports a program such as Loop because it takes that responsibility away from the consumer. “It’s more likely to resonate than asking the shopper to do it themselves,” she says. And while this isn’t a perfect solution—she points to the emissions from the pickup vehicles, for example—Gundelach believes it’s a step in the right direction. “To do this on any meaningful scale is extremely complicated and takes the partnership of many different parties, but I think this is a longer-term solution,” she says, adding that companies in the CPG industry will have to reach some agreements that they will use the same sort of process. The losers in the Loop system could be the retailers, who may see sales declines for products that are now delivered by the modern-day “milkman.” But Stasz of GMA doesn’t anticipate that, noting that she “can’t imagine it would have more of an effect than e-commerce.” While the e-commerce model is phase one for Loop, eventually consumers will be able to shop for Loop in the stores of the company’s retail partners. This should start in 2020, Weir says, and is phase two. This program will be implemented through retail partners such as Kroger. It will go live in Kroger and Walgreens at 25 to 50 stores in a condensed geographic area. At these stores, consumers drop their used packaging in a Loop bin and pick up a new product in reusable packaging from the shelf. This would be a pay-as-you-go model vs. the e-commerce program, which offers consumers the option of subscription on demand. Consumers “will be able to shop and act as normal and have the option for durable, reusable packaging,” Weir says. He could well be right. According to GMA, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans say they’d be very likely to buy goods in refillable packages.

The Product Line

CPG companies are making their own mark on plastic reduction. Two years ago, Pepsi launched Drinkfinity, a reusable bottle/recyclable pod system for flavored water. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is making a bottle from recycled marine plastics; Colgate unveiled a new recyclable toothpaste tube; Nestle committed to 100% reusable and recyclable packaging by 2025; and Unilever has vowed a 50% plastic reduction by the same year. London-based Unilever is also going out on many different limbs. In the Philippines, it launched the Hair Refillery, a shopping mall pilot that lets consumers refill bottles from brands such as Dove and Tresemme. In the U.K., Cif cleaning spray is now sold with refill cartridges that consumers put in existing bottles and fill with water. The trigger heads on the original spray bottles are designed to be used thousands of times. And in Chile, Unilever is piloting an app-powered, intelligent dispensing system that uses electric tricycles to deliver laundry detergent to homes. Companies are either reducing the plastic (using less per product), finding a plastic that can be 100% recycled or exploring alternatives, which include bioplastics produced with bacteria, seaweed, corn, mushroom rot, wood pulp and even shrimp shells. However, CPG companies are still facing some backlash because they’re still producing single-use products. “We’re continuing to see a major commitment by the CPG companies to improve their packaging,” says Stasz of GMA. “That means different things to different companies. To packaging design, to new kinds of materials, to delivering products to consumers in new ways and in new formats. From research we did this year, all the largest 25 CPG companies in the world have made public commitments that 100% of their packaging be recyclable or compostable by 2030 and some as soon as by 2025.” Recycling in itself has become a problem. In 2018, China stopped accepting U.S. imports of recyclable materials, and across the U.S., recycling is becoming more expensive. So much so that many towns and municipalities to eliminate curbside recycling programs. This is all the more important because recycling is becoming a big issue: Less than 14% of plastic packaging—the fastest-growing form of packaging—is recycled, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Eighty-seven percent of Americans told GMA they are very concerned about single-use plastics and packaging waste. It’s vital that more emphasis be placed on recycling, says Melissa Craig, senior manager of packaging sustainability for Unilever North America, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Unilever’s new packaging is designed with PCR (post-consumer resin), but in order to have sufficient PCR, “we need everyone contributing to the circular economy, which means ensuring everyone is recycling. The more we can get consumers to recycle, the greater the supply of PCR for packaging so we can use less virgin plastic.”

At the Store Level

Retailers also play a big part in reducing the amount of plastic packaging waste by taking a stance. Monrovia, Calif.-based Trader Joe’s announced it had removed nearly 4 million pounds of plastic from its stores last year. This included the introduction of biodegradable bags for flowers and greetings cards, removing excess packaging and switching to recyclable trays for fresh meat. Walmart has committed to incorporate at least 20% PCR content in the packaging of its private label line by 2025. This, the retailer says, will also be 100% recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable. The Bentonville, Ark.-based chain is also encouraging suppliers to eschew all PVC (polyvinyl chloride) by 2020. Minneapolis-based Target will eliminate expanded polystyrene foam packaging from private label products by 2022, and Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco ditched PVC clamshell packaging, which not only can’t be recycled but also releases toxic chemicals into the environment as it degrades. So it’s no surprise that Whole Foods Market is making a difference too. Its changes include switching to smaller bags for produce; replacing hard-plastic rotisserie chicken containers with bags that use about 70% less plastic; eliminating polystyrene/Styrofoam meat trays; and using salad boxes made of 100% commercially compostable material in its prepared foods department.

Away From Home

More is happening abroad. South Africa’s Pick n Pay grocery chain is experimenting with “nude zones,” where consumers fill their own containers with produce laser-etched with codes. Metro in Quebec started allowing customers last spring to fill their own reusable containers with meat, seafood, pastries and ready-to-eat meals, and Ekoplaza in Amsterdam now carries more than 700 products in plastic-free packaging, which looks like plastic but is actually made from all-natural, biodegradable materials. In the U.K., Waitrose has introduced packaging-free aisles; Tesco has asked its suppliers to look into packaging solutions and vows to have only recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025; Iceland is getting rid of plastic packaging for its entire private label line and has also committed, over the next five years, to using recyclable paper versions of food trays to enable it to become plastic-free by 2023; Sainsbury’s is halving its packaging by 2020; and the Co-op says a whopping 80% of its products will be “easy to recycle” by 2020. In Europe, there have been many moves to reduce plastic. Americans are simply less concerned than Europeans, says Neil Saunders, managing director and retail analyst for GlobalData Retail in New York. “Americans have more of an ambivalent attitude toward environmental issues and this results in less pressure on the industry to institute change,” he said. “Regulation is likely more lax in the U.S. than in some parts of Europe, where recycling is now mandatory for householders.”

Bulk Foods Bulk Up

What can make an enormous difference in the amount of packaging waste a store produces is having a bulk department. At Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market, bulk food sections are large and even larger in new and remodeled stores. In some locations, bulk accounts for a massive 30% of a store’s selections. However, as anyone who’s ever used them can attest, refilling containers—particularly liquids—can be time-consuming and messy. Neil Stern, senior partner with McMillanDoolittle, Chicago, thinks bulk sections have their place in stores “where the customer is sufficiently committed, such as stores offering a broad selection of natural/organic products.” However, he says, conventional stores may need to offer more convenience and experience, such as “some sort of concierge service,” where customers would drop off their containers to be refilled and pick them up at the end of their shopping trip. Around the world, packaging-free stores are opening up, aimed at reducing the swathes of plastic and heightening consumers’ awareness of this problem. The trouble is, are these stores catching on yet, or are they just attracting the ultra-eco-conscious? In New York’s Brooklyn, there’s Precycle and in Vancouver, British Columbia, there’s Nada, where customers can use their own containers or buy them. There’s also The Refill Shoppe in Ventura, Calif.; the Filling Station in New York; and Zero Market in Denver, which sells personal care and home products. Lyndsey Manderson, co-founder of Zero Market, is planning to open a second, larger location to sell food.

 The Supply Chain Situation

The picture painted of plastic packaging is not a complimentary one, but plastic does have its place and is used for a reason. It helps preserve food and protect food during its journey to store shelves. The supply chain is responsible for a lot of packaging, says Gundelach of Kantar. “The brands aren’t adding packaging just for fun, but more times than not the packaging is designed for the end shopper [and] how is that product making it through the supply chain.” However, because of geography and distance, U.S. supply chains, especially for perishable products, can be more complex and demanding than those in Europe. “This pushes a lot of companies into using plastic to protect products,” says Saunders of Global Data. “Plastic is also a relatively cheap and lightweight solution, which helps keep distribution costs down, something that’s vital in a low-margin sector where the consumer demands low prices and value for money,” he says. “In Europe, this remains an issue but the more compressed supply chain makes it easier for many operators to look to alternatives.” Susan Selke, director and professor for the School of Packaging at Michigan State University in East Lansing, says there could be problems if packaging is reduced because it could lead to more product waste if the interior goods are damaged. “There are generally more environmental costs associated with that product waste than benefits associated with less packaging,” she says.

Throughout the month of November, the ecological committee of the Triolet school collected the Halloween candy packaging in order to send it to the waste management company TerraCycle, which will recycle it.   Thank you to the students who are helping to save the planet, one small gesture at a time!          

At NRDC we choose quality goods and services that reflect our values and support companies that align with our mission. Even with the best of intentions it can be difficult to understand who to purchase from and what to look for.   Upon reading a recent study, we found pyramid shaped tea bags, like the ones we were using, are leaking billions of microplastics. We decided investigate further the impact of bioplastic in the hopes of findings a better option.

What is bioplastic?

It is made from plants or other biological materials, and most commonly created by converting sugar from corn or sugarcane to polylactic acids (PLAs).

Is bioplastic compostable?

Bioplastic, even if it is certified ASTM D6400 compostable, cannot be composted at home and most municipal composting facilities rarely accept or are able to process this type of material. For it to biodegrade it takes a very specific environment of 122 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 percent humidity.

How is bioplastic disposed of?

Ideally, the bioplastic item is sent to a compatible compost facility. The more likely routes though are the item is either:

• Tossed in municipal recycling. Here bioplastic will contaminate the petroleum-based plastic that is in the process of being recycled causing the entire batch to be sent to the landfill or incinerator.
• Ending up in our ocean. Once there, it will not biodegrade instead it will break down into micro-sized pieces, lasting for decades, and presenting a danger to marine life.

Who is our new tea supplier and why?

We decided to begin purchasing from Numi Tea because their company:

• Aligns closely with the NRDC Catering Policy which means catering purchases (like tea) must reduce damage to the environment, exploitative labor, and food shortages for others. More specifically Numi Tea:
  • Creates tea that is Fair Trade Labor Certified and Certified Organic.
  • Is a Certified B Corporation. This means it meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
  • Purchases carbon offsets for its corporate office, staff travel, and tea, spice and herbal materials shipments.

How do we dispose of our new tea?

In Vision 3 of the NRDC Sustainable Operations Plan, we make a commitment to achieving zero waste. With this in mind, it is very important we understand the post-consumer life of the tea: The natural hemp-based unbleached filter-paper tea bag can be composted in at home bin or by any commercial facility. The outer packaging can be discarded in a TerraCycle box. While we try to avoid purchasing items packaged or made with hard to recycle material that requires TerraCycle, Numi Tea’s outer packaging is printed with soy-based ink, packaged with no plastic shrink wrap, and made from 85 percent post-consumer waste. By purchasing goods that utilize post-consumer waste we are helping to support the recycling industry.

Seeing Your Purchases Through a New Lens

Take a look around your home and ask yourself if your purchases support your health and the health of planet. One of the first steps could be learning more about materials in your home that are hiding hazardous chemicals. Together, as consumers, we can begin to prioritize purchases that support the future we want.

 

Se houvesse um mês para marcar a organização da casa, certamente seria janeiro. A chegada do novo ano desperta o desejo de tornar tudo mais limpo, fácil e organizado. Para debater esse assunto, reunimos, em um bate-papo, duas especialistas: a designer de interiores Mayra Prieto, personal organizer da Organize-se Já, e a arquiteta Heloísa Dallari, professora da Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado e consultora dos princípios do Feng Shui, arte chinesa de harmonizar ambientes. As dicas delas são valiosas e imperdíveis para quem quer começar 2020 de maneira positiva.

Sales of environmentally friendly dental care products are steadily on the rise, but as business editor Maria Slade finds it isn’t easy being green. Sorry planet Earth I’ve tried, truly I have, but I just can’t do bamboo toothbrushes. The feel of the rough wooden handles in my mouth is like fingernails on a blackboard. And yet I’m not happy about tossing out a non-renewable plastic implement once every couple of months, either. The website of UK bamboo toothbrush maker MyBambooBrush claims Britons use a whopping 192 million toothbrushes a year. Whatever the veracity of that statistic, it is fairly evident a shedload of petrochemical-based nylon goes into landfills annually as a result of the modern human’s dental hygiene habits. How to care for your pearly whites without adding to this environmental burden is something more and more New Zealanders are thinking about. A recent poll by customer insights agency Perceptive found that a quarter of Kiwis are now using an eco-friendly toothbrush. That figure is even higher among people aged 18-24, and of those who have not yet gone down the natural route 82% would consider giving it a go. But as with most environmental issues, being eco-friendly in your oral care presents a number of conundrums. There is currently no straightforward way of recycling toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes in New Zealand, and many natural toothpastes that are supposedly better for the planet are also fluoride-free, which the dentistry profession warns is a tooth decay epidemic waiting to happen. The Perceptive omnibus survey of 1000 New Zealanders found that of those using an eco-friendly toothbrush 38% are opting for bamboo. The New Zealand Dental Association is fine with bamboo brushes, saying they clean your teeth as well as anything else. Yet as my own experience shows they aren’t for everyone and from an environmental point of view it still involves chucking something in the rubbish. Environmentally friendly cleaning and body products company Ecostore launched an oral care range in 2018. Its toothbrushes are made out of renewable castor oil-based nylon and can be sent back to Ecostore for recycling via its purpose-designed scheme. While overall the oral care category is flat, sales of the new range are growing steadily, the company says. Ecostore R&D manager Huia Iti says it chose not to go down the bamboo route for several reasons. Firstly it prefers goods made from recyclable materials that remain in use rather than disposable items. Ecostore’s toothbrush handles are ground into chips and moulded into spanners which wholesale customers use to open its 20 litre bulk containers, for example. Secondly, bamboo toothbrushes still have a metal staple in the head holding the bristles in place, and that is going into landfill. Toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes can’t be put into standard curbside recycling collections, and the Ecostore scheme relies on consumers proactively sending their used products back, Iti concedes. There is no perfect answer. “You choose the best most sustainable option you’ve got and keep making improvements,” he says. “You can’t just sit back and wait until the perfect solution is there.” New Zealanders haven’t embraced natural toothpastes at quite the same rate as they have environmentally kinder toothbrushes, but still the Perceptive survey shows 19% are using a ‘natural’ product and of those who don’t the vast majority would consider doing so. There are a wide variety of products on the market, and one company offering a solution to the packaging dilemma is homegrown startup Pop Care. Its mint-sized Pop Tabs are chewed before the user brushes their teeth, and come in a single tin of 125. While Pop Tabs contain fluoride, many natural dental care products including the Ecostore range do not. Ecostore wants to offer consumers choice, Iti says. “Based on our understanding and interpretation of the science, we have our doubts about fluoride itself and we’ve taken the precautionary approach and decided to avoid it.” The company was forced to amend its claims about fluoride after a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority soon after the launch of its range, however. Rival natural toothpaste maker Grin meanwhile allegedly ran foul of Massey University, with the two organisations disagreeing over use of university research commissioned and funded by the company. New Zealand Dental Association president Katie Ayers says it’s not always made clear that products are fluoride-free, and dentists want to see better labelling so that consumers are aware they may be putting their oral health at risk. “We’re seeing some individuals who have previously had minimal tooth decay suddenly developing a lot of new cavities after they have changed to a fluoride-free ‘eco’ toothpaste, sometimes without realising that their new toothpaste was not effective,” she says. The profession has no issue with products being plant-based or leaving out additives such as sodium laurel sulphate which makes the paste foam. The problem is the absence of fluoride. A recent analysis of studies into the effectiveness of toothpaste was pretty clear, she says. “It basically found if you haven’t got fluoride in your toothpaste you might as well not bother.” The good news is some natural toothpaste products now do contain fluoride, such as Grin’s Natural Whitening and Colgate’s Nature’s Extracts. Colgate is also attempting to address the packaging issue with a recycling scheme in conjunction with TerraCycle, although once again it requires consumers to proactively drop off used goods at a collection point. While the trend towards more earth-friendly oral care is clear and growing, in the medium term the onus will remain on the consumer to do the mahi and research their options. Meanwhile could someone please invent a bamboo toothbrush that doesn’t feel like I’m sanding my mouth?

Staples Canada has teamed up with EcoKids and Earth Day Canada for the 10th annual Superpower your School Contest. Elementary and Secondary schools across Canada are invited to enter the contest for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $20,000 in new technology from Staples.       From now until January 31, 2020, schools can share their eco-initiatives that have positively impacted their school and community and submit their entries on the contest website, staples.ca/PowerEco.   "Each year, the Superpower your School Contest recognizes schools and students that have implemented exceptional eco-initiatives to help their communities and the environment," said David Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Staples Canada. "We are happy to continue empowering these students by rewarding them with the latest technology to support them as they continue to build their awareness, consciousness and understanding of the environment."   To date, the contest has awarded 90 environmentally conscious schools with the latest technology to empower students to continue learning and developing their passion and awareness for the environment. Each year, the contest receives hundreds of entries from schools across Canada, sharing inspiring stories of what their teachers and students are doing to create a more sustainable future in their community.   To help schools prepare entries, Staples Canada, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada have assembled a series of resources, including:  

• A step-by-step entry guide
• Eligibility and entry criteria
• A set of frequently asked questions
• Rules and regulations
• Excerpts from past winning school entries

  The contest is held in collaboration with national charities, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada. EcoKids offers programs and resources for children, parents, educators, and communities in Canada to engage in environmental education. Earth Day Canada helps people and organizations reduce their environmental impact.   "We are thrilled to be working with Staples Canada again to celebrate the inspiring environmental initiatives taking place in schools across the country," said Cristina Greco, Interim Executive Director of EcoKids. "We are proud to support innovative approaches to stewardship and reward the valuable environmental work of Canadian schools and their communities."   Staples Canada helps schools make a difference Staples Canada is committed to helping schools do their part to save the environment by offering several recycling programs:  

• School Ink Recycling : Every year 300 million ink cartridges end up in North American landfills. Schools across the country can participate in this program by signing up to receive a free ink cartridge collection bin. For details and to register for a free ink bin visit canadaschoolrecycling.ca.
• Battery Recycling : Staples Canada partners with Call2Recycle to collect used batteries (rechargeable and alkaline) from all store locations and its Home Office for recycling. The partnership began in 2004 and to date over 1 million kilograms of used household batteries have been collected and safely recycled through the program.
• Writing Instruments: In 2012, Staples Canada launched a writing instrument recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle®. The program encourages customers to drop off used writing instruments, such as pens, pencils, markets and highlighters at local stores, which are then shipped to TerraCycle for recycling.
• Electronics Recycling : Staples Canada and its national electronics recycling partner eCycle Solutions take back end-of-life electronics at almost all of its retail locations (excluding stores in Calgary, Alberta). Recyclable items accepted include cell phones, computers, computer parts and more. To date, Staples Canada has collected 20.5 million kilograms of e-waste for recycling through its electronics recycling program.

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