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There's no question that issues involving sustainability, recycling, single-use plastics and packaging have been getting a lot more attention lately.
Bags are being banned across states. Expanded polystyrene packaging is being abandoned. Straws have turned into political hot potatoes, complete with seaside communities battling for bans even in deeply conservative states. (And that's without even bringing up the branded straws being sold by President Donald Trump's campaign.)
So it should be no surprise that celebrities are ramping up their involvement in environmental causes. Which brings us to Washington, where Tony Radoszewski, the head of the Plastics Industry Association, sat at the same table as the actor Ted Danson during a congressional hearing.
Check out Steve Toloken's coverage of this unusual mix of voices.
As retailers, packaging and consumer companies rush to become more green, the question they all have to face is: "Will buyers care?"
After all, if shoppers can save 50 cents by buying a bottle of window cleaning fluid in a standard package rather than one made with plastics collected from marine debris, many — if not most of them — will.
Some efforts have been mixed, so far. United Kingdom retailer Iceland, for instance, found sales dipped 20 percent at a Liverpool, England, store that tried to go plastic free in its produce section.
But that isn't stopping them, or other retailers. Major retailer Tesco recently announced it would eliminate plastic from its own brands. And Iceland isn't giving up either. It's plastic-free experiment will be tried at another 30 stores yet this year.
Are you part of a woman-owned company? Do you know someone who is?
PN researcher and number cruncher Hollee Keller is creating a database of women-owned businesses. We've counted up 37 so far, just from our own research, but we know there are more.
Check out her blog, and links, for more information.
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]