3 Feel Good Sustainability News in September

Thu, Sep 24, 20

Hello Stroodlers! I feel like the world's morale lately has taken a depressing turn. All we hear in the news is disheartening on all fronts... With this monthly post, I'd like to turn the tide. I want you to focus on all the good things that are happening around you, and hopefully put a smile on your face! Let's kick off with...


The Millennial Entrepreneurs Creating a More Sustainable World

 

Sustainable entrepreneurs

Credit: Euronews

We can't undo how previous generations mistreated our planet unfortunately, but we can say "no more!". That's exactly what these young entrepreneurs are doing, setting up businesses that have sustainability at the heart of their operations.

These are the 2 ideas that we loved the most, but I suggest you read the full article on Euronews as they are all worth knowing about.

Capture - The CO2 Tracker App

Abdul and Josie set up Capture, an app that allows you to track, reduce and offset your CO2 footprint. The app first calculates a user’s baseline emissions and then sets a monthly target of reducing this figure by 7.6 per cent. This figure has been specifically chosen as, in order to meet the 2030 1.5 degree warming goal.

Having a more sustainable lifestyle will be as easy as counting your daily steps!

FoodCloud - Surplus Food to Charities App

Iseult and Aoibheann O’Brien founded the FoodCloud, a Dublin - based online platform and app connecting British and Irish businesses with surplus food to local charities. Food retailers on the FoodCloud system upload descriptions of surplus dry and canned goods, and charities then receive a notification telling them that food is available for collection.

To date, the social enterprise has saved approximately 20 thousand tonnes of food, saving charities more than €61.5 million. That's a result!


Waste Not: How Designers Are Making Their Spring 2021 Collections With Leftover Fabric, Old Patterns, and Renewed Clarity

 

Sustainable Fashion

Credit: Vogue

COVID has challenged many businesses to reinvent themselves and it seems like the fashion world has been no exception. Designers who make party dresses tried their hand at jeans and T - shirts; tailored suits were replaced by their quarantine counterparts—sweatshirts and joggers.

Beyond the creative challenges, cash flow came to a grinding halt for many designers. Retailers canceled their pre - fall orders, saddling labels with mountains of unsold inventory, and clothing sales hit record lows in the spring. For those who wanted to show something new, the only option was to get resourceful. They used leftover materials from seasons past, revived old patterns, and relied on working with their hands, sewing, draping, embellishing, and dyeing garments at home.

The article on Vogue describes how designers like Hearst and Moscone have shifted their creative process to put sustainability in the driving seat. They are paving the way to inspire their peers to reuse and repurpose, in order to avoid as much waste as possible.

Sandra Capponi, the cofounder of Good on You, the site known for rating brands’ sustainability efforts, rightfully says that consumers have a huge part to play in this. But our hopes are high, Gen Z shoppers demand transparency and sustainability from the brands they love - we should all follow their example and help shape a more eco - friendly fashion industry!


Lego to Switch to Eco - friendly Paper Bags in Its Packaging

Lego Paper Bags Packaging

Credit: brothers-brick.com

It's about time if you ask me!! Finally one the of games I loved the most as a kid (and still do!) is taking steps towards reducing single - use plastic in its packaging. Lego says it will invest a whopping £310m in sustainability over the next three years in the effort to replace the clear plastic bags with easy - to - open recyclable, sustainably sourced paper bags – certified by the Forest Stewardship Council – as part of a new trial.

The Lego Group Chief Exec said that this shift towards using paper bags has been pushed by kids around the world who sent many letters to the company asking to remove the single - use plastic packaging. Well done kids!! This goes to show that you are never too small to make a difference ;)

Read the full article on The Guardian


This is all for this month! I'll be back with more good news in October.

Mr. Stroodles