A curated roundup of news impacting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Plant-Based Innovation CNBC PepsiCo and Beyond Meat’s joint venture will reportedly launch a plant-based jerky (19 January 2022)- Beyond and Pepsi announced the joint venture, called The PLANeT Partnership, nearly a year ago with the goal of creating plant-based snacks and drinks together. The partnership gives Beyond, a relative newcomer to the food world, a chance to leverage Pepsi’s production and marketing expertise for new products.
- New numbers show the impact of Upcycled Certified™ on food waste prevention is much higher than originally anticipated. “Upcycled Certified™ has been even more successful than we imagined,” said Turner Wyatt, CEO of Upcycled Food Association.
- There is issue with the company’s new promotion, which allows customers to receive random selections of free, limited-edition toys with their meals. That has led to people rushing to buy too much food with no intention of eating it, according to a scathing statement by the China Consumers Association.
- New York’s Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law officially went into effect on January 1st of this year. This law, passed as part of the New York State budget in 2019, requires businesses and institutions that generate an annual average of two tons of wasted food per week or more to: 1) donate excess edible food and 2) recycle all remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles of an organics recycler (composting facility, anaerobic digester, etc.)
- The UAE Circular Economy Council convened its first meeting for 2022, which was presided over by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment.
- The certificate, issued by Beijing Public Security Bureau on 5th January 2022, indicated recognition for the Foundation’s work in China and will enable the Foundation to scale up its operations, better collaborate with local stakeholders, and more effectively work towards our mission to accelerate the global transition to a circular economy, with the guidance and support of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
- Many governments and organizations are working hard to deal with plastic waste and pollution. But the problem’s getting worse and efforts aren’t keeping pace. We believe the world needs a UN treaty to truly tackle the issue.
- The Ocean Cleanup recently launched its Interceptor™ Original trash collection system for testing in the Can Tho River in Vietnam, one of 15 major rivers where the solar-powered solutions will be deployed as part of a global partnership with The Coca-Cola Company.
- The endorsement by the Ocean Decade marks the third time ever that a for-profit company has been highlighted by the Ocean Decade, an awareness campaign run by the U.N. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
- This past year, many new and wonderful things happened in the realm of ocean science! There is still a lot to be excited about, and with solutions coming forward every day to threats the ocean faces, there is even more reason to feel optimistic and hopeful for the future.
- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s (SFI) updated forest certification standards provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges.
- The annual SDG Pioneers program honors company professionals who are using business to advance and advocate for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The role of climate legislation (and climate litigation) in humanity’s shared future is essential, and it is an intrinsic part of countless struggles ranging from fracking to human rights. Here are some of the most groundbreaking environmental bills, laws, and orders to watch in 2022.
