Weatherbys Joins Forces With Two Sides To Champion Sustainable Printing

The European Parliament has approved a ban on disposable plastic products, bringing the ban one step closer to reality. The ban would affect a wide range of products that have alternatives, such as straws and cutlery. The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in support of a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution from the discarded items in waterways and fields. The Parliament backed the ban 560-35. EU member states have given their support but need to vote on the measure for it to go into effect. The ban would be implemented from 2021 and would affect a range of plastic products that have reasonable alternatives, such as plastic cutlery, foam takeout food containers, straws and drink stirrers. Click Read More below for additional detail.

Sustainable development is usually described as encompassing three main pillars: Environmental, social, and economic. But there are other important dimensions that need to be addressed. “Sustainability is about much more than just the environmental, social and economic dimensions. It is also about the dimensions of space and time, both of which need to be addressed for sustainable development to make a real difference on the ground,” said Thorsten Arndt, Head of Communications at PEFC International, at the 2nd International Convention on Sustainable Trade and Standards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “The dimension of space means that we have to translate our global understanding of sustainable development into the local context and address the unique local framework conditions, which are different from country to country,” Mr. Arndt explained. “The dimension of time takes into account that our understanding and our expectations of sustainability change over time, so we need to adapt it on a regular basis,” he continued.

Highlights from 2016 include: •Collaborated with North American customers to bring sustainable ReAl® aerosol cans to the U.S. ReAl cans include a proprietary, Ball-developed aluminum alloy that allows the lightweighting of its impact extruded aerosol cans by 20 percent. This lightweighting reduces a 150-milliliter ReAl aerosol can's carbon footprint by 18 percent when compared to a standard can. •Continued work on the Joint Polar Satellite System satellite, which is currently completing environmental testing for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. JPSS will enable critical measurements of global atmosphere, ocean and land surfaces and provide essential data for weather forecasting, storm tracking and continuity of NASA's long-term environmental data record. •Educated, inspired and empowered stakeholders to strategically strengthen curbside recycling in the U.S. through our support of The Recycling Partnership. Over the past three years, the Partnership has reached 17 million households in 424 cities, placed 400,000 new recycling carts on the ground, reduced contamination rates by 30 percent in targeted communities, and catalyzed investments in collection and recycling of approximately $27 million. Click Read More below for more of the story.