Sustainability News | Breaking Headlines from Week 28, 2020

 

This week in headlines: Luxiders Magazine brings you the most important sustainability news from across the world. From plastic tax proposals to fashion week updates and Boohoo’s modern slavery scandal, Luxiders lets you stay informed so you'll never have to miss an update.

 
 

Amazon Air Announces Plans for Sustainable Aviation Fuel

From bananas to bicycles, Amazon is able to deliver anything within 2 days due to its giant fleet of aircraft. However, such instantaneity does not come without a heavy environmental price. Last year, Amazon’s carbon dioxide emissions reached 4.4 million metric tons alone, exceeding the carbon footprint produced by some small countries . To address this, Amazon has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 and has agreed to purchase 6 million gallons of ‘sustainable’ aviation fuel. That is, fuels that have been derived from plant oils, reusable waste products or crops, in order to cut their aircraft emissions by 20%.

 
 

Sustainable Milk Startup Wins $1 million Prize In Liveability Challenge

This year The Liveability Challenge was won by TurtleTree Labs’, a Singaporean dairy start-up that aims to provide a clean, cell-based alternative to milk. Without comprising on the taste or functionality of animal derived milk, TurtleTree Labs offers high-quality dairy products that bypass the ethical and environmental issues caused by the industrial dairy industry

 
 
 
 

 

New Growth Report Published on the Sustainable Packaging Market

A new report on the sustainable packaging market has recently been published by Quince Market Insights (QMI); detailing the most important market dynamics for the sustainable packaging market between 2020-2028, in addition to analysing current growth parameters and identifying future predictions within this business sector.

 
 

Oxfam Warns The Hunger Crisis Linked To Coronavirus Could Kill More People Than The Disease Itself

Oxfam reports that by the end of this year, over 12,000 people could die each day from hunger linked to COVID-19: ‘the pandemic is the final straw for millions of people already struggling with the impacts of conflict, climate change, inequality’.  In response to this, Oxfam is endorsing an urgent call to take action, to help build a more resilient food system looking to the future and minimise risk.

 
 

Plastic Tax To Be Launched 2022: Are Cosmetic Brands Prepared?

When the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer presented his Budget to Parliament this year, he confirmed that as of April 2022, companies will have to pay £200 per tonne of packaging made from less than 30% recycled plastic. The cosmetics industry, notorious for its use of plastic in regards to both the containment of its products and its packaging, is expected to be significantly affected by the upcoming tax.

 
 
 
 

 

12-Year-Old Model and Racial Justice Activist Celai West Calls For Greater Diversity In Fashion

Racial justice activist, CEO and model Celai West was the youngest professional model to walk in New York Fashion Week, and has since become a major player in changing the fashion industry’s perception of black girls for good. Renowned for her beautiful, natural hair, Celai is dedicated to promoting the inclusion of natural hair types in the media and empowering women to love their true, organic selves.

 
 

Paris Fashion Week Welcomes Sustainable Fashion Designer Gabriela Hearst

This September brings the return of physical fashion shows since the breakout of Covid-19, where sustainable luxury fashion label Gabriela Hearst will be joining Paris Fashion Week for the first time.

 
 

Virgil Abloh Raises $1 million To Provide Scholarships For Black Individuals Seeking Careers In The Fashion Industry

Founder of Louis Vuttion’s menswear collection and his own coveted Off-White label, Virgil Abloh has raised $1 million through his ‘Post-Modern’ Scholarship Fund, in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) to provide sound financial support, career services and mentoring to black students wishing to kickstart their fashion career.

 

 
 
 
 

 

Sydney Switches To 100% Renewable Energy

The city of Sydney, Australia is officially powered by 100% renewable electricity, owing to the numerous wind and solar power plants, such as the Shoalhaven solar farm, which deliver energy from New South Wales.

 
 

Online Fast Fashion Retailer ‘Boohoo’ Under Investigation For Modern Slavery

An investigation by the Sunday Times found evidence of modern slavery in Boohoo’s UK Leicester factories. Garment workers were subject to unsafe working conditions, receiving wages of £3.50 an hour (significantly lower than the legal minimum wage of £8.72). In response to this, Boohoo claims to be ‘shocked and appalled by the Sunday Times’ findings and vows to pledge an initial £10 million to eradicate supply chain malpractice.’ However, such efforts to put these claims into practice have yet to be seen.

 
 

Costa Rica Set To Become Plastic-Free and Carbon-Neutral By 2021

Costa Rica currently produces 99% of its energy from five renewable sources: hydropower (78%), wind (10%), geothermal energy (10%), biomass and solar (1%)By 2021, it aims to ban its remaining usage of fossil fuels, potentially making it the first carbon neutral country in the world. In 2017, Costa Rica became the first country to launch a comprehensive strategy to ban the use of single use plastics. If progress in light of these commitments continues, Costa Rica will become the first plastic-free and carbon-neutral country by 2021.

 

+ Words:  Stephanie Frank,  Editorial Intern at Luxiders Magazine

London-based student and  journalist Stephanie Frank has become dedicated to repurposing fashion as a force for good and is committed to writing about the interfaces between sustainability, fashion,  lifestyle and culture.

Find her on Instagram and LinkedIn