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In this issue of Set in Stone®, we’re celebrating global momentum, spotlighting real progress in sustainable packaging and climate accountability. As Plastic Free July approaches, we’re leaning into smarter solutions and collective action. Dive in for updates, inspiration, and a glimpse into how brands around the world are choosing stone over plastic—starting at the source.
OKEANOS ® BUSINESS NEWSLETTER – June 2025
Every July, we rally around a shared vision: a future without plastic pollution, touted on social media as #PlasticFreeJuly. This vision inspires action and awareness. However, while the dream is clear, the path forward is more complex.
Plastic is deeply embedded in our daily lives. It helps keep food fresh, ensures medical safety, and supports global infrastructure. In many cases, it is not just useful, but essential. A plastic-free world is, therefore, not something we can achieve overnight.
That is why we focus on making practical progress.
Instead of aiming for an all-or-nothing solution, the plastic industry should prioritize source reduction. Source reduction is the practice of reducing waste and pollution at the source, before it is even created. In the context of plastic and sustainability, it means designing products and processes in ways that use fewer raw materials, especially plastics, from the very beginning. This means finding realistic, scalable approaches that reduce plastic today.
This Plastic Free July, we are not asking the world to give up plastic entirely. We are, however, encouraging a smarter, more thoughtful approach to how we use it.
What progress looks like:
Designing packaging that uses less plastic overall
Replacing plastic with lower-impact, natural materials where possible
Supporting systems that prioritize reuse, refill, and recyclability
Encouraging innovation that fits within today’s infrastructure
Plastic Free July is not about being perfect. It is about making better choices, one step at a time.
The future is not just about eliminating plastic.
It is about using it wisely, responsibly, and only where it truly matters.
Charleston, South Carolina is one of various U.S. cities to challenge Big Oil in court under a new wave of climate lawsuits. With rising seas, political pushback, and national security on the line, this case could change everything.
In May, the City of Charleston sued 24 fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, and BP, for damages caused by climate change. The city is seeking to hold them accountable for the rising costs of climate change, including flooding, sea-level rise, and infrastructure damage.
Charleston’s case is part of a growing legal movement. More than 30 similar lawsuits have been filed by cities and states across the United States, all aiming to hold fossil fuel producers financially responsible for climate-related harm. But Charleston’s case is the first to reach a courtroom under a new and highly politicized backdrop.
In an escalation, President Trump issued an executive order declaring these lawsuits a threat to national security. The order argues that allowing such cases to proceed could result in “crippling damages” to the U.S. economy. The Justice Department has since filed lawsuits against Hawaii and Michigan in an attempt to block them from pursuing their own climate claims. Despite this, Hawaii has moved forward, and Michigan’s attorney general has signaled she will do the same.
Charleston’s hearings were the first to directly confront the implications of this executive order. The city’s legal team argued that climate change itself poses a far greater threat to national security than any lawsuit ever could. Rising seas, overwhelmed infrastructure, and increased disaster response costs are already straining local and federal systems.
Why this matters:
It reframes climate change as a national security issue, not just an environmental one.
It highlights growing legal tension between local governments and federal authorities.
It could set a precedent for how climate accountability is handled in U.S. courts.
It signals that cities are not backing down, even in the face of political pressure.
Sustainability is not only about innovation. It is also about responsibility. Whether through smarter materials or stronger legal frameworks, meaningful progress depends on recognizing the full cost of inaction and standing up for communities already feeling the effects.
From tech giants to consumer brands, well-resourced companies are increasingly sharing their sustainability strategies to showcase progress and empower others.
In the world of software development, “open source” refers to code that is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and build upon. It’s a philosophy rooted in collaboration, transparency, and the belief that shared knowledge accelerates progress. Increasingly, we’re seeing this same spirit emerge in the world of sustainability, where well-resourced companies are opening their playbooks to help others, especially smaller businesses, make meaningful environmental progress.
Let’s look at a few examples:
Google: Sharing the Blueprint
Google has published environmental guides, such as the Plastic Free Packaging Design Guide, and other tools to help organizations measure and reduce their carbon footprint. Much like open-source software, these resources are designed to be accessible and adaptable, giving others a head start on their own sustainability journeys.
IKEA: Supporting Small Businesses
Through its partnership with the SME Climate Hub, IKEA is helping small and medium-sized enterprises transition to greener practices. By sharing its expertise and offering practical tools, IKEA is making sustainability more achievable for companies that may not have the same resources.
Microsoft: Making Emissions Data Accessible
Microsoft’s Sustainability Calculator gives Azure customers detailed insights into the carbon footprint of their cloud usage. It helps businesses make informed, lower-carbon IT decisions without needing to build the infrastructure themselves.
Unilever: Investing in Scalable Solutions
Unilever’s €1 billion Climate & Nature Fund supports projects that rethink how products are made and disposed of. The fund is designed to scale solutions beyond Unilever’s own supply chain by inviting collaboration with partners and co-investors.
These initiatives reflect a growing trend: companies using their scale not just to lead, but to lift others up. By making their sustainability strategies more accessible, they are helping raise the bar for everyone. This is the kind of collective action we need to tackle climate change at scale.
At Okeanos, we believe that while every company’s material strategy is different, access to knowledge should not be. That is why we champion the power of education and the value of sharing. We support the idea that companies, big and small, deserve the tools and information to make informed decisions about their packaging and their impact.
When sustainability is shared, everyone benefits.
Q: Tell us about your new detergent bottles.
A: At Ecoterra, we have launched a new line of packaging that contains a significant percentage of calcium carbonate, a natural mineral also known as limestone. These containers are designed to reduce the use of virgin plastic, lower our carbon footprint, and offer a more sustainable alternative without compromising the functionality of our packaging.
Q: Why did you make the switch to stone?
A: We decided to make the switch as part of our commitment to the circular economy and to decrease the environmental impact of our packaging. Calcium carbonate significantly reduces the amount of plastic polymer needed, which translates into decreased consumption of fossil fuels and fewer CO2 emissions during production. It’s also a concrete step toward a more responsible future for the planet
Q: Are your customers typically sustainably minded?
A: Yes, most of our clients strongly value sustainability. Many choose Ecoterra precisely due to our ecofriendly approach, our biodegradable ingredients, and our refill policies. We have created a community that seeks cleaner, more conscious solutions and values the positive impact they can generate through their consumer choices.
Q: What does sustainability mean to Ecoterra?
A: For us, sustainability is both a responsibility and an opportunity. It means integrating practices that reduce environmental impact, promote reuse, and support a more conscious production and consumption model. It also means educating, innovating, and demonstrating that it is possible to create high-quality products while respecting the environment.
Q:How would you describe Ecoterra’s core mission and values?
A: Our mission is to offer effective, safe and planet-friendly cleaning products that encourage responsible consumption. Our core values are transparency, sustainable innovation, environmental responsibility, and our commitment to our communities.
Q: What makes Ecoterra’s products standout?
A: What differentiates us is a combination of efficacy, safety, and sustainability. We use biodegradable ingredients, nontoxic formulas, and more responsible packaging. We also offer a refill system in our Bioshop stores that allows customers to reuse their packaging, reducing waste and promoting more sustainable habits.
Q: What are you most looking forward to achieving through this partnership with Okeanos?
A: We hope to strengthen our transition toward more sustainable packaging and scale our positive impact. With Okeanos, we want to demonstrate that it is possible to replace traditional plastic with materials that are more environmentally friendly, without sacrificing functionality or accessibility for consumers.
Q: Were there any challenges in transitioning to stone-based packaging? If so, how did you overcome them?
A: Yes, as with any innovation process, we had technical challenges, especially in adapting the material to our production lines and performing endurance tests. Finding plastic packaging companies willing to adapt their processes to work with calcium carbonate in Ecuador was also challenging. But thanks to the collaboration with Okeanos and our development team, we were able to overcome these challenges with rigorous testing and design adjustments.
Q: What’s next for Ecoterra on your journey toward greater sustainability?
A: We are working to expand the products we offer with mineral-based containers, improve the traceability of our raw materials, and strengthen our network of refill points. We also want to continue educating our consumers about the impact of their choices and foster a culture of reusability.
Q: Where can our readers find Ecoterra products?
A: Ecoterra products are currently available exclusively in Ecuador. We offer nationwide shipping and have multiple points of sale in cities across the country. Our official Ecoterra Bioshop stores are located in:
Monteserrín, Quito – Río Pindo Building, De las Alondras-03 and De las Amapolas (Sector)
Cumbayá, Quito – Madero Sector, Calle de las Avellanas
Puembo, Quito – Av. Oswaldo Guayasamín, Entrance to Puembo
You can easily find these locations on Google Maps by searching for “Ecoterra Bioshop”, where our three official stores in Quito will appear.
We also invite you to connect with them and explore their products through our social media channels:
TikTok: @ecoterra.ec
Instagram: @ecoterra.ec
Facebook: @ecoterra.ec
LinkedIn: Ecoterra Ecuador
This month’s rockstar is Luciana Veneziale, B2B Marketing Specialist, who has recently joined the Okeanos team in Argentina! She has started off strong, bringing a can-do attitude and solution mindset. Learn more about her start, interests, and background here.
I work in the dynamic Marketing Department and my job is B2B Marketing Specialist.
Before joining Okeanos, I built my marketing experience across both B2B and B2C roles, and hold degrees in Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility from Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales in Buenos Aires.
The Made From Stone application I’m currently most excited about is food packaging, because it’s a category where sustainability and safety must go hand in hand — and we’re proving that you don’t need to compromise either.
When I’m working, I’m listening to string covers of popular rock and pop songs.
For news, I’m always tuned into social media—because greenwashing and real innovation both go viral.
Outside work, I’m currently reading the most recent novel by Isabel Allende, Mi nombre es Emilia del Valle.
Number of countries lived in: 1—so far!
Next place I want to travel: Portugal—coming soon!
Learn more about career opportunities at Okeanos
Connect with our HR Team Today!
Global News You Should Know:
Native American tribe steps up to protect Florida lands for wildlife – The Guardian
Giant Planet Discovered Orbiting Tiny Star – Environmental News Network