Kickstart: Microchips, masks and US manufacturing

Microchips and masks are both being covered in an executive order signed by President Joe Biden on Feb. 24 aimed at promoting the production of vital items in the United States.

As the coronavirus pandemic proved, it is difficult to keep needed items in stock if they're not made in your region. U.S. manufacturers already have stepped up to make face masks, shields, respirators and other needed medical equipment.

The new order also covers microchips. A shortage of chips has prompted assembly plant shutdowns by automakers globally, impacting all carmakers in the U.S.

U.S. semiconductor firms account for 47 percent of global chip sales but only 12 percent of production, because they have outsourced much of the manufacturing overseas, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association in a report from Reuters news service.

The executive order will also direct reviews in six key economic sectors to identify shortages and solutions. The order will also cover training American workers to bring production to the U.S.

Burt's Bees, the maker of lip balm, moisturizers and soap, has set itself a "net zero plastic to nature" goal for 2025, which doesn't quite commit itself to using no plastic, but it does mean more use of bio-based plastics and post-consumer recycled resins.

"We chose to focus our energy on making fundamental shifts in systems that will enable a more connected and stable relationship between people and nature," Burt's Bees, which is owned by Clorox Co., said in its 2020 sustainability report.

"We're focusing first on changes we can make within our value chain — cutting our use of virgin packaging materials (plastic and fiber) by 33 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030," the company wrote.

In addition, it is working with The Recycling Partnership to increase the recycling infrastructure in the U.S. and adapting some of its products to refillable containers.

I don't know about some of the plastic replacement plans, but I admit I'm intrigued by its refillable lip balm container for cellphone PopSockets, regardless of what material is used.

Jason Alexander (not the actor) lives in Ipswich, England, where he collects trash found on walks in the area. He documents his findings on social media as @rubbishwalks and encourages others to join in the effort.

Since the pandemic began, he's also been counting pieces of personal protective equipment tossed aside as litter and creating "garden murals" by arranging the found items into oversized pieces of art.

"Whenever you go out for a walk you're never more than a few feet away from pieces of litter that have been dropped by someone," Alexander told the BBC. "PPE litter has been a real issue during the pandemic."

While he encourages others to join in work collecting rubbish, he says he prefers that people who see his art do something more important: That they do not litter.

"In an ideal world, I'd much rather be creating pieces of art out of ... natural materials," he said.