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In the October edition of Set in Stone®, we’re shouting from the rooftops about a report that confirms bags Made From Stone™ are the most sustainable in the market, keeping an eye on the recycling industry, and learning about the dangers of greenhushing.
OKEANOS ® BUSINESS NEWSLETTER – October 2024
In the United States, California leads the country in groundbreaking environmental legislation. However, despite its reputation for charting a path toward a greener future, the state’s recent lawsuit against global petrochemical company, Exxon, still came as a surprise to most.
This lawsuit marks the first time a state has brought a civil suit over false recycling claims, highlighting what Bonta calls Exxon’s “deceptive marketing” practices. By convincing the general public that most single-use plastics are recyclable when in fact less than 9% of plastics are recycled into new products, California Attorney General Rob Bonta believes that Exxon “has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they knew this wasn’t possible.”
Latest Update October 30th: Lawsuit Expands to Include Pepsi and Coca-Cola:
Los Angeles County, the most populous US county, filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo & Coca-Cola, alleging the beverage giants mislead consumers about the environmental impact and recyclability of their bottles.
Low recycling rates and a more informed public have resulted in an industry-wide shift toward “chemical” or “advanced” recycling, which uses high heat or chemicals to break down plastic into its chemical building blocks for reuse. However, the cost and this technology’s impacts on human health are still to be determined.
In Episode 3 of Okeanos’ podcast Mastering Sustainability airing on November 1st, hosts Madeline Armstrong & Ray Loflin speak with Ruben Nance of the Association of Professional Recyclers, about the future of the industry’s current challenges, and the technologies shaping the future.
Subscribe to Mastering Sustainability on Apple, Spotify, or TuneIn to be notified when this episode drops!
As we anxiously await the forthcoming iteration of the Federal Trade Commission’s “Green Guides,” a tool created to help businesses avoid making deceptive statements about the environmental benefits of their products, we’ve been reflecting on the way we at Okeanos, and others in the industry measure success.
For years, organizations acting as self-appointed industry watchdogs, have been calling out companies who use misleading environmental claims in their marketing. While this practice of spotlighting those who are intentionally deceptive has helped consumers make more informed buying decisions, it appears that some of this intense scrutiny is having the opposite effect.
In recent months, several consumer brands and banks back quieted down about their environmental commitments in fear of not hitting their established targets, or to avoid attracting unwanted negative attention. As we watched global CPGs and financial institutions begin removing environmental goals from their websites and backing away from stated pledges, this new phenomenon, called “Greenhushing,” has caused us to stop and think about the perception of incremental change. Is it “good enough” to try and improve or do our efforts have to produce significant results? Who decides what is “significant enough”?
As a technology based on source reduction, we champion the concept of measurable incremental change. If we can remove 20%, 40%, or even 70% of virgin plastic from a product, we think that’s a success for our clients, and for planet Earth and we’ll shout about these meaningful reductions in plastic and CO₂ emissions from the rooftops! We even provide our clients with a platform to do just that; starting a transparent conversation with their consumers through a QR code with a dynamic life cycle analysis.
We can all learn from each other’s successes and failures. Only together will we find a solution to our global problem.
Get your customers excited about your brand’s sustainability efforts!
In just a few weeks, our Global Government Affairs team members will join world leaders, NGO’s, and private-sector stakeholders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Okeanos team will connect with representatives from our target countries there to continue expanding our global footprint and learn about about forthcoming plastics and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation being written around the world.
Meet our Government Affairs team at COP29 to learn how Okeanos works alongside governments to reduce plastic and CO₂ emissions today.
Exciting news! Bags Made From Stone outperformed all alternative packaging materials in 10 of 11 impact categories including global warming potential (GWP), water use, acidification, eco and human toxicity!
Propelled by a Colombian environmental law that limits the use of alternatives to materials that outperform plastic in environmental impacts, an Okeanos partner, Plasmar, pursued the third-party independent report conducted by the Plastic and Rubber Training and Research Institute (ICIPC) and ARDITEC.
In this recently conducted Life Cycle Analysis report (per the provisions of ISO 14040 and ISO 14044), bags Made From Stone came out ahead of all currently available plastic alternatives in Colombia including kraft paper, biodegradable plastics (PLA and PCL) and reusable packaging (cotton and polypropylene).
Okeanos believes that Life Cycle Assessments are a valuable tool for assessing the environmental impact of products and processes. While many companies are looking to move away from plastics entirely, this report demonstrates that not all alternatives to plastic have less environmental impact.
A few notable findings from the report include:
Unless a cotton bags is reused over 75 times, it will have a larger environmental impact than a single bag Made From Stone.
Environmental and Human Impacts Comparison of Single-Use Packaging
These were the specific impact categories in which Bags Made From Stone excelled, securing the top position as the least environmentally harmful option:
If you would like to bring these bags to your business in Colombia, click here to contact Plasmar.
Curious about the environmental benefits of making the switch to Made From Stone?
Connect with our sustainability team!
“It’s a moment of clarity when they realize they can achieve the same product quality with less plastic or even improve it while reducing plastic use”
This month we’re celebrating Patricia Gyalus, Data Analyst Manager. Read on to learn how Patricia’s passion for the environment fuels her sustainable habits at work and at home.
What is the most obvious sign of climate change where you live? How has your country addressed it?
In September, Budapest faced one of the worst floods on the Danube River after heavy rains across Europe. The water rose more than 8 meters to close to 2013 record levels. The situation required flood defenses, including sandbag barriers, around vulnerable areas like Margaret Island and the Hungarian Parliament.
What inspired you to work in this field? How have you integrated sustainability into your daily life since you started at Okeanos?
The idea is to align my career with my values and the planet’s future, as the sustainability field offers both challenge and reward. Since I started at Okeanos, I have become more aware of how traditional packaging materials like plastic are major contributors to environmental pollution, especially in oceans. So, when I am shopping, I usually opt for sustainable packaging, and eco-friendly materials that can lower the carbon footprint of products.
Where have you always wanted to travel?
I like being close to nature, especially the beach, so I really want to visit Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and other countries in the region.
What motivates you?
I am motivated by the hope that the work we do today will have a positive impact on future generations. Also, by the possibility of inspiring and challenging the search for innovative and creative solutions that help the environment.
Want to join our Okeanos team?
Global News You Should Know:
Black Plastic Kitchen Utensils Linked to Toxic Chemicals – People Magazine
People Vastly Underestimate the Carbon Footprint of The 1% – New Scientist
