Materials & Packaging
The latest developments in materials, feedstocks and processes that are transforming the way many conventional products are made and packaged — and eliminating their negative impacts
Inside a Powerful New Campaign to "Unplastic" Our Homes and Daily Routines
Grove Collaborative and the Oceanic Preservation Society have launched "The Unplastic Shop," a curated marketplace of 500 products that pivots plastic from an environmental issue to a personal health crisis, empowering consumers to eliminat... View More
Materials Science Breakthroughs & The Try, Try Again Model
If innovation had a lab soundtrack, it wouldn’t be a triumphant drumroll—it would be the quiet hum of “try again.” Dow’s research in food packaging and recycling technology reflects that rhythm: every experiment, win or lose, adds something... View More
Sustainable Packaging’s Biggest Challenge? Human Nature
As EPR laws take hold and consumer expectations rise, the window for proactive collaboration is closing. Brands can put aside their fears around collaboration or risk falling behind. ... View More
EPR Helping Push Sustainable Packaging to a New Level
EPR has already shown the potential to help us enter an era where sustainable packaging plans apply a new set of three Rs: refine, redesign and reimagine. ... View More
Microbes, Milk & Potato Peels: The Future of Sustainable Plastics?
In this Innovation Watch, five breakthroughs offering real-world options for brands banking on a sustainable future for plastics and packaging. ... View More
Plastic Pollution Devastating Human Health, Costing Trillions
As final global plastics treaty negotiations take place in Geneva, The Lancet elevates plastic pollution as a grave, global threat to human health. ... View More
RePak Helping Retailers Ratchet Up Bottle-Recycling Efforts
HydraPak has expanded a successful pilot that redirects harder-to-recycle plastics toward potential reuse, but reaching viable scale remains a work in progress. ... View More
Why Recycled Plastic Won’t Solve the Packaging Pollution Problem
As brands roll back packaging pledges, recycled plastic is taking center stage — but at what cost? Here's why integrating alternative materials into supply chains makes the most business sense. ... View More
5 Best Practices to Discover EPR Cost Savings in Your Packaging Data
Businesses are required in certain states to collect and report packaging data — so if your company must gather packaging data anyway, why not use it to reduce packaging waste (and EPR fees!)? ... View More
The 5 Product Categories Best Suited for Reusable Packaging
New study from Closed Loop Partners and the US Plastics Pact identifies the top 5 consumer product categories poised for near-term reuse success in US retail. ... View More
First Citywide Reusable Cup Project Shows Viability of Reuse at Scale
In three months, the first citywide program in the US to offer a free reuse-and-return system for to-go cups produced environmental benefits when compared with a single-use alternative. ... View More
US Voters Support Policies That Reduce Single-Use Plastics
Oceana releases new poll, calls on lawmakers to continue momentum behind solutions to problematic plastics. ... View More
Latin Innovators Unseating Conventional Leather with Circular, Biobased Alternatives
Polybion and Mabe Bio are future-proofing leather production with local and circular strategies that utilize waste, boost local economies and empower rural communities. ... View More
Meet the Startup Remolding the Future of Fashion
Simplifyber is redesigning fashion production with a cellulose-based, liquid fiber that can be molded for a variety of applications, including shoe uppers — bypassing 60% of traditional manufacturing steps and significantly reducing waste, energy u... View More
How Can Businesses Rethink Packaging to Support Circularity?
Prioritizing packaging made from recycled materials that can be recycled again simplifies sustainable choices for consumers. The easier the process, the more likely consumers are to participate — reducing the chances that packaging ends up as waste... View More
BMW, Volkswagen Eyeing Plant-Based Future for Car Interiors
The auto giants are collaborating with makers of hemp- and flax-based materials that reduce weight and manufacturing emissions and enhance recyclability. ... View More
How Does Consumer Behavior Challenge the Circular Economy?
Economic models shift slowly, and consumer habits are hard to break. A shift from linearity to circularity won’t happen overnight, but there are tangible ways businesses can help consumers shift their behaviors today. ... View More
erthos: Giving the Plastics Industry an AI-Driven, Biobased Upgrade
The Toronto-based startup creates high-performance biomaterials that seamlessly integrate into manufacturing systems and supply chains five times faster than industry standard — eliminating a barrier to widespread adoption. ... View More
Nissan’s ‘Cool Paint’ Will Cut Car-Interior Heat, Energy Use
The paint's cooling performance is most noticeable when a vehicle is parked in the sun for an extended period. Keeping the interior cooler helps reduce load to the A/C — and in electric vehicles, draw on the battery. ... View More
MIT Team Creates Clean Hydrogen with Seawater, Soda Cans, Caffeine
The engineers believe they have discovered the recipe for running a sustainable hydrogen reactor, which they plan to test first in marine and underwater vehicles. ... View More
