This week: The Amazon crisis rages on, while Brazil rejects funds to help put it out. DiCaprio-backed fund donates $5m. Tesco bans brands with excessive plastic packaging and more. Catch up on all you missed this week below.
1. Brazil rejects $22m from G7 nations to help put out the Amazon fires.
If you’ve not read about the Amazon crisis, it’s about time you got caught up. Read all about it and find out what you can do in our comprehensive guide here. From there, you’ll find out that Brazil’s president and his government are some of the chief reasons why the fires are more intense than in previous years. This is also why you won’t at all be surprised to find out that they’re rejecting the G7 aid. “Thanks, but maybe those resources are more relevant to reforest Europe,” Bolsonaro’s Chief of Staff said. Yikes.
Some people are saying the $22m is a dismal sum compared to how much billionaires poured out for the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral.
2. DiCaprio-backed organization Earth Alliance is pledging $5m to the Amazon crisis.
There are so many reasons why we love Leonardo DiCaprio. Last month, the actor co-created Earth Alliance, a new environmental foundation. He joined forces with philanthropists Lauren Powell Jobs and Brian Sheth. On Sunday, the foundation launched the Amazon Forest Fund, and are seeking donations to help repair the rainforest. Funds will be distributed to five local groups working to combat the problem, which is important because also supporting indigenous peoples are the most effective way to fight the crisis (read our guide to understand more about that).
More reasons to love Leonardo DiCaprio!
3. Tesco to ban brands that use excessive plastic packaging.
We’ve seen Asian supermarkets take a stand against plastic packaging before, and Singapore has seen a bring-your-own-bag campaign run recently. But this is an entirely new level. Tesco reserves the right not sell products with packaging that is deemed “excessive” or “inappropriate”. This move is part of a larger campaign to tackle plastic waste, which is in line with the rest of the industry too. Tesco is also calling for the government to introduce a national collection and recycling infrastructure to deliver a closed-loop for packaging.
We’re all for this ban, and fingers crossed it’ll spread across the globe to other supermarkets.
4. Tommy’s FW19 jeans collection is made from 100% recycled denim.
Fashion is a dirty industry. It’s not new news. And we’ve seen many fashion brands, both luxury and high-street, take a stand and try to do better. This time, it’s Tommy Hilfiger Jeans coming on board. They’ve embraced circular fashion in their fall/winter 2019 denim collection. Every piece is made from 100% recycled materials, such as deadstock denim and repurposed materials. While it’s still not quite the circular economy of our dreams, it sure is an extremely encouraging start. And that’s coming from arguably the most popular jeans brand, too.
Share and praise; we need to see more brands doing good like this.
5. Porsche’s new electric car: 100% vegan leather interior?!
You heard right. Yes, we know, cars are still not entirely sustainable for the planet, but this is still a great step forward. The German automobile manufacturer announced that their upcoming 2020 model will have two interior options: real leather, and vegan leather with Race-Tex microfibres, a textile partly made from recycled polyester fibres. The leather alternative generates a whopping 80% less carbon dioxide to produce. As for the flooring of the car, it will feature Econyl recycled fibre, made from recycled fishing nets. While their steering wheels are still animal-based leather, their electric cars will be fully vegan by 2020.
Something to look forward too, perhaps?
Image credits: Porsche