In our second instalment of our environmental news roundup, we update you on the latest developments in the waste, recycling, and wider environment sector.  Here at UNTHA UK, we understand the importance of keeping up to date with industry trends, triumphs, and tribulations, as we work together towards a more sustainable world.

What’s encouraging to see as we highlight some of the hottest news from Q2, is that companies are using their platforms to put environmental issues on the world stage…

Plastics continue to dominate the news

This month is #PlasticFreeJuly and we hope the hashtag goes crazy on social media to get this important topic out to the masses. There’s definitely more work that needs to be done to tackle the use of plastics. In the news recently, the BBC recently reported that the plastic in take-away food is continually polluting the oceans, and that half of ‘fast fashion’ is made out of new plastics, rather than recycled!

Some encouraging signs however, from Good News Network – a yacht racer in France has designed an ocean cleaning, Waste to Energy sailboat, that is powered by the plastic waste it collects. Expected to be 70% self-sufficient, sucking up around three tons of waste an hour, the boat is due to take to the seas by 2024.

G7 Summit

Climate change was one of the key themes at the recent G7 Summit, where world leaders met in Cornwall.

Ahead of the summit in June, a sculpture named ‘Mount Recyclemore’ was erected in Cornwall made from electronic waste in the shape of the G7 leaders, aimed to demonstrate the damage that incorrect disposal of electronic devices can have on the environment.

Campaigning for a greener world

Elsewhere we’ve seen some really creative visual campaigns that are also stopping people in their tracks.  In April, Greenpeace recreated iconic locations around Chile to highlight the country’s plastic pollution problem, with only a shocking 8% of 990,000 tonnes recycled.

In June, we also saw Mastercard change card expiry dates to reflect potential wildlife extinction dates in a really impactful campaign in partnership with Conservation International.

It’s great to see the industry getting some impactful exposure on the back of these emotive and important campaigns.

 

Stay tuned for our next news roundup and be sure to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, for more environmental updates and developments from UNTHA UK.