Post-consumer recycled plastic is finally gaining the value it should have gotten long ago, due to its environmental friendliness compared to virgin material By Steven Crook / Contributing reporter Household appliances contain plastic components. Medical devices made of sterile plastic, such as disposable syringes and plasma bags, are indispensable toContinue Reading
It could be argued that the adverse impact of medicines manufacture on the environment is an unfortunate, but necessary, side effect of the drive to produce life-saving medicines. But this reasoning is seriously flawed. The pharmaceutical industry produces significant amounts of waste products and pollutants — more than any otherContinue Reading
Scientists and engineers at USC are confronting pollution with innovation. From chemists to materials engineers, USC faculty are concerned about the accumulating waste — much of it non-biodegradable. They are developing their own biodegradable replacement materials to end global dependency on plastic and come up with better, more sustainable alternativesContinue Reading
In the past few decades, organizations have warmed to corporate social responsibility and environmental, social, and governance issues. Whether to drive cost and efficiency improvements or to help heal the planet, many companies have adopted sustainability goals such as reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or committed to even more loftyContinue Reading
MANITOULIN—Lines of round hay bales wrapped in white plastic are a common sight on Manitoulin farms. A 2011 study found that Ontario farmers use nearly 7,000 tonnes of plastic as part of their annual operations, with plastic film such as silage film and bale wrap accounting for nearly half ofContinue Reading
You can imagine the scale and magnitude of the problem from the fact that approximately 11 million metric tons of plastic waste are dumped in the ocean annually. Based on a report by Systems IQ and The Pew Charitable Trusts, this figure is expected to triple by 2040 if effectiveContinue Reading
By Daniella Segura, Contributing writer Stephanie Cochrane was on vacation in Nepal when she decided she wanted to embrace sustainable living. The then-dental hygienist was backpacking through the Sagarmāthā Valley, in which the Nepalese side of Mt. Everest stands, in the fall of 2016 when she saw something she wouldContinue Reading
When Leo Baekeland invented the first fully synthetic plastic in 1907, he marked the start of the modern plastics era. His invention delighted consumers, who had access to a vast array of highly desirable, yet affordable items, such as nylon stockings, telephones and kitchen utensils. Fast-forward eleven decades, and it’s aContinue Reading
Close up view of a partially degraded seedling pot, showing plant root growth (Eucalyptus maculata “Spotted Gum”) through the walls and base of the pot after 6 months of leafy plant growth. Advantageously, these super functional seedling pots solve the inherent problems with plastic pots: excess watering, nutrient runoff andContinue Reading
energy, and fertilizer that went into growing, processing, and distributing the food is wasted. On the other end of the supply chain are cash-strapped consumers, who have been further distressed in recent years by factors like the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation. Spoiler Alert, a company founded by two MIT alumni,Continue Reading
