social

A mix of retailers, sole traders and social enterprises have signed up for the Green Street Pioneers Scheme, which offers grants, support and advice on how businesses can proactively champion sustainability in house and with customers, lessening their impact on the planet.

A trade association is calling on melatonin makers to follow new guidelines on labeling and packaging for their products amid a rise in emergency room visits and calls to poison centers for accidental ingestion of melatonin by children.

The exhibition was organised by Takeo Co, a specialist paper trading company established in 1899.

Since 1965, Takeo has presented an annual showcase of paper that explores the material's meaning and value through collaborations with leading designers.

This 49th edition of the Takeo Paper Show occupied two floors of the Kanda Square Hall exhibition venue near the company's Mihoncho Honten store.

The Draft Packaging Act is supported by the extended producer responsibility (EPR) approach that extends the manufacturer’s responsibility to cover the entire product lifecycle, i.e., to specifically cover the management of packaging waste of products after their consumption, such as recycling and disposal.

The K-Beauty, vegan skincare brand Innisfree, has rebranded for the U.S. market with new packaging, a new logo, and clean cruelty-free formulas.

The brand, owned by Amorepacific, also doubled its distribution at Sephora and is now available in over 1,200 brick-and-mortar locations. 

Innisfree has a completely redesigned brand identity to better compete in the US, the brand says, and has had a cult following for several years. Innisfree's latest launch is its Green Tea collection.
 

More than 20 days after the ban was introduced, banned items including plastic bowls, trays, plates, cutlery, balloon sticks, and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) items – such as drink cups and food boxes – are still being openly sold direct to the public by Amazon, eBay, office suppliers and others.

Heritage Store, part of Nutraceutical Corp., issued a recall on February 29 of its Hydrogen Peroxide Mouthwash in Wintermint and Eucalyptus Mint flavors due to a lack of child-resistant packaging, as reported by CNN and others.

Grove Co., Grove Collaborative's flagshift brand, is celebrating Earth Month with a rebranding and repackaging initiative. Grove Co. is unveiling a new identity to enhance its visibility on retail shelves and underscore its commitment to reducing plastic.

Grove Co. says it chose aluminum packaging for its scalability and sustainability. "The packaging highlights the brilliance of brushed aluminum as a symbol of reduced-plastic swaps while also delivering a counter-worthy sustainability badge customers will be proud to showcase," the brand states. 

It said recent research showed UK consumers splurged a £415m on Easter eggs in 2023, with an estimated 3,000 tonnes of Easter egg chocolate wasted each year in the UK, with packaging alone accounting for over 8,000 tonnes of waste annually.

Last year an estimated 4,370 tonnes of card and 160 tonnes of foil packaging were used for Easter eggs.

Despite efforts to promote sustainability, 59% of UK adults believe that Easter packaging remains excessive.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has issued a call for public feedback on Draft Guidelines aimed at preventing and regulating greenwashing practices. These guidelines, available on the Department of Consumer Affairs website, seek to address deceptive or misleading practices related to environmental claims in advertisements.