Inaugural CFP Report Benchmarks Progress, Best Practices in Chemical Management 
In the first initiative of its kind to publicly benchmark corporate chemicals management, the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP) has published its inaugural report. The results provide valuable insights into how leading companies manage chemicals in their products and supply chains, and how all companies might manage these issues in the future. Last year, a select group of 24 leading businesses – including Levi Strauss & Co.; Seagate Technology, PLC; and J&J – signed onto CFP.
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Analysis Finds GMOs Are Safe, But May Not Increase Crop Yields 
Genetically engineered crops may be completely safe for human consumption – but they also are an unlikely solution to world hunger. A comprehensive new analysis found that genetically engineered crops, often called genetically modified organisms or biotech crops, do not appear to pose health risks, nor have they accelerated increases in yield.
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PACKAGING
5 Reasons EPR Is the Answer for Plastics Recycling 
The debates around extended producer responsibility for packaging — an approach whereby consumer goods companies pay some or all of the costs for managing packaging materials – have been raging in the U.S. for more than six years. Here we lay out the details on this growth of EPR acceptance in the U.S. and describe why the plastics recycling sector has good reason to get on board with the policy push.
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WRAP Breaks Down Food Waste in UK Grocery Supply Chain, Finds Millions in Potential Savings 
The most in-depth examination of the grocery supply chain in the United Kingdom was released last week by the waste reduction experts at WRAP. The organization estimates that 1.9 million tonnes of food is wasted by UK grocery retailers and food manufacturers every year, and for the first time, broke down the overall avoidable food waste figures into manufacturing sub-sectors such as meat and dairy. According to the report, action to increase prevention of food waste could save businesses £300 million a year.
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BRAND INNOVATION
Starbucks Issues First-Ever U.S. Corporate Sustainability Bond, Aimed at Driving Social Impacts in Supply Chain 
Starbucks Corporation recently announced that it completed the underwriting of an initial public offering of senior notes, including its first-ever U.S. Corporate Sustainability Bond. The Seattle-based coffee giant said it will use the proceeds from $500 million in 2.45% Senior Notes due in 2026, to help enhance the company’s sustainability programs centered around its coffee supply chain management programs through a variety of eligible sustainability projects.
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LIBRARY | RESEARCH REPORT
Delivering Sustainable Growth: How the Resource and Waste Management Industry Benefits People, the Environment and the Economy 
In this report, the waste management trade group Environmental Services Association (ESA) explains that the UK is unlikely to reach its target of a 50 percent household recycling rate by 2020 due to rising household waste volumes, strained local authority finances, and a drop in commodity prices that has affected investment in waste infrastructure. Urging the government to ensure “recycling and diversion rates do not go backwards,” the group provides four recommendations which it believes will create a more resilient waste collection system and aid the push towards a circular economy.
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