News from 14 January 2015 on edie

Waste as a resource: Five industry viewpoints…

The commonly accepted waste hierarchy is not working and two centuries of the 'take-make-waste' ethos are degrading the health of global ecosystems. In light of this, Liz Gyekye asks a few industry experts to explain whether waste should instead be treated as a valuable resource.

Circular economy

EIU: Renewable energy demand to significantly outgrow fossil fuels in 2015

Demand for renewable energy is predicted to increase by 13% in 2015 as 'dirty coal goes out of fashion' and global governments impose tighter environmental rules.

Scottish fashion designers encouraged to apply for textile fund to aid circular economy

Textile and fashion designers in Scotland are being encouraged to apply for funding from Zero Waste Scotland to help them reduce textile waste.

‘Green’ biomass boilers may waste billions in public money

Billions of pounds of public money is to be spent supporting 'green' boilers, despite evidence from the government's own experts and industry that they will do little to help the UK meet its clean energy targets.

PepsiCo defends Doritos’ palm oil policy

Doritos parent company PepsiCo has fired back at an environmental campaign which attacked the snack brand's 'destruction of rainforests' and 'unsustainable use of palm oil'.

EU must limit carbon permits, says Corporate Leaders Group

The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) must be reformed to include a Market Stability Reserve (MSR) by 2017 at the latest, to keep the continent on track for developing a low-carbon economy.

Thomas Cook halves electricity use

Travel and tourism giant Thomas Cook has slashed electricity use across its entire office and retail network by 55% and total energy use by 35% since 2010.

Government launches second phase of £5m ultra-low emission vehicle scheme

Up to 35 public sector organisations are being given the chance to bid for funding from a £5m scheme to support ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV), as part of a drive to get electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles into the fleets of central government.

Finnish dairy firm claims ‘world first’ with use of bio-based carton pack

Valio, a Finnish dairy company, has claimed that it has become the first company in the world to sell products to consumers in carton packaging made entirely from plant-based materials.

Day: 14 January 2015