Kickstart: It's not easy being green

Global giant Nestlé has joined the group of brand name companies pushing for more sustainable packaging.

On Jan. 16, the Swiss food and drink maker pledged more than $2 billion to accelerate the shift to food-grade recycled plastics, a move it says will help it reduce its use of virgin plastics by 30 percent.

The move builds on Nestlé's 2018 pledge that it would make all of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

"No plastic should end up in landfill or as litter," CEO Mark Schneider said in a news release.

But, as Nestlé and other companies have discovered, wanting to use recycled materials doesn't mean that those resins will be there when you need them. The entire value stream must work together, which means providing a market for food-grade recycled plastic and helping to finance development of the circular economy.

Even as consumer brands are backing more recycled content, though, the issue on the ground in cities and states remains complicated.

On Jan. 13, the New Jersey Legislature failed to pass an expected ban on one-use plastic bags, apparently due to a lack of agreement on whether the ban would also impact paper bags. The law would have also banned expanded polystyrene takeout containers. But two days later, officials in Chicago raised the prospect of a citywide ban on EPS takeout containers, as well as requiring shops to use reusable or recyclable cutlery and other foodservice items. (Chicago already bans most single-use plastic bags.)

And don't think new efforts on sustainability will pass you by because you don't make bags or foodservice items or packaging.

Auto supplier Faurecia SA's CEO said during CES in Las Vegas that the company will shift buying for Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers to a "green" strategy, which could mean that suppliers currently in Eastern or Central Europe, supplying a plant in Western France, may be dropped from the supplier list to reduce Faurecia's carbon footprint by reducing their transportation network.

If all that news has you on edge, how about a little Muppet magic to make you feel better?

Yes. It's time to celebrate the figure who first told us that being green wasn't easy: Kermit the Frog.

The Detroit Institute of Arts is displaying one of Jim Henson's early Kermits, made of cloth, foam and plastic eyes converted from ping pong balls.

Henson made this version of Kermit in 1969 and donated it to the DIA in 1971. It remains on exhibit until late March.

So let's close out this week with a reminder. It's not easy being green, but as Kermit told us, it's what we want to be.