Here are 10 things you need to know, that’s happening in sustainability around the world this week.
Lots about plastic and animals this week. From banning single-use plastics in India to plastics contaminating our water to how we can reduce our plastic bag usage in Singapore because for some reason, we still won’t ban them even though an entire state in India has taken the lead. And then we’ve got the last male White Rhino dying this week and also Singapore being identified as Asia’s largest importer of reptile skins, it’s not a good week for animals. Here’s is this week’s conscious scoop:
Extreme or perfect solution to India’s insane trash and plastic problem?!
>> Read
2. World’s last male northern white rhino dies
“While prices of rhino horn are falling in China and Vietnam, poaching for horn still threatens all rhino species,” said WildAid CEO Peter Knights. The world’s last male northern white rhino has died leaving only two females left to save the subspecies from extinction.
3. Singapore tanneries: Africa’s largest market for reptile skins in Asia
Our little red dot emerged as Asia’s largest importer of reptile skins from Africa in a recent report by wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic. Surpassing demand from larger economies such as South Korea and China, Singapore snapped up 60% of about 1.6 million reptile skins that Africa exported to Asia.
Don’t believe us? Read the report.
The furniture retailer is looking to use the biodegradable mycelium “fungi packaging” as part of its efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling. Mushroom Packaging, compared to the regular plastic stuff we see everywhere, can be disposed of simply by throwing it in the garden where it will biodegrade within weeks. How long does it take for plastics to biodegrade again?!
We say the more creative the better cause #whynot?
5. Singapore won’t ban plastic bags so here’s what you can do yourself
Since Singapore won’t ban plastic bags or out a levy on it, let’s take this as a challenge. It’s not longer up to the big boys to help reduce our overall access to plastic but it’s in our hands, the people to take the little green step and say NO to that extra plastic bag.
Thanks Honeycombers for the awesome Little Green Steps to get us started.
6. James Cropper wins national sustainability awards
James Cropper’s CupCycling is the world’s first recycling technology dedicated to upcycling disposable cups and turning them into beautiful papers and consumer packaging products. The process has the potential to rescue one billion cups by 2020.
Loving the innovation.
7. To the bottom of the Earth and back
Jessica Cheam, Founder and Managing Editor of Eco0Business, crossed the Antarctic Circle successfully — the furthest that most people have ever travelled south recently. An awesome article about her journey in the cold.
“Once you’ve experienced it, you can’t not want to protect it.” – Jessica
8. Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles
The world’s leading brands of bottled water are contaminated with tiny plastic particles that are likely seeping in during the packaging process, according to a major study across nine countries. Particle concentration ranged from “zero to more than 10,000 likely plastic particles in a single bottle”, said the report.
Them stats don’t lie.
9. Eco-Friendly vegan banana fabric fashion brand sustainability award
US sustainable vegan fashion company, Crop-A-Porter, is the winner of the H&M Global Change Awards in Stockholm, receiving €300,000 of a €1m prize from the retail chain. “The bio-fibre can be turned into textile fabric; and voila – A new sustainable material ready to take the fashion world by storm,” Crop-A-Porter stated.
Voila, sustainable fashion.
10. The livestock industry is a ‘pressing global crisis
The livestock industry is a global sustainability crisis that many overlook, according to David Yeung, founder of Green Monday, a start-up focused on tackling climate change and global food insecurity. The issue is so dire because of its release of carbon into the environment, challenges with food production efficiency, and connection to water scarcity.
Thanks for the input David!
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