What does it really mean when a brand says that the fabric they’re using is biodegradable? Is it going to fall apart in the wash? Or worse, is it greenwashing and marketing hype?

Byron Bay based fashion and lifestyle brand, and one of the trailblazers on the path to integrate sustainability into Australian fashion, Spell (they began transitioning their fabrications and looking deeper into their supply chain back in 2015 when sustainability was only in the vernacular of bamboo wearing Yogis!) decided to really put their claims to the test. Over a four month period, they put six fabrications from their Summer collection into their office compost worm farm (which by the way, is super beautiful, check it out here) to see what happened.

It turns out, the claims are correct, and all of the swatches broke down in the compost, with the exception of their swimwear fabrication (a synthetic fabric made from recycled polyamide and elastane, that gives new life to pre- and post-consumer nylon waste like carpet and

abandoned fishing nets).What does this mean for your clothes? It doesn’t mean they are going to fall apart or that the fabrics are not hearty, but what it does mean is that in the right conditions (like in a compost where microorganisms are flourishing and the ratios of nitrogen and carbon are in balance) the fibres will break down and return to the land, rather than slowly decaying in less than ideal settings.

Spell’s Sustainability Specialist, Angie Menghini said that whilst they primarily use plant based and certified fibres that are known to be biodegradable, it was really great for the Spell team to see these biodegradability claims in action.

“We always ensure the facts we share have documented evidence and have our annual Impact Report fully audited by an external auditor each year to verify all of our claims. Unfortunately there is little to no regulation at the moment on what brands can claim, which can make it hard for consumers to know what to believe!” Angie said. “Terms like ‘natural’ and ‘biodegradable’ have become such buzzwords as brands try to communicate their sustainability efforts and materials used, so for our team, this was an amazingly involved experiment to see first-hand that these fibres break down.”

According to a report by the Australian Fashion Council, Australians are currently sending 260,000 tonnes of their wardrobes to the landfill each year. That’s equal to about 10kg of clothing per person every year.

Check out Spell’s 15 week experiment:

We chose six of our fabrications from our Summer 2022 collection to be a part of our fibre composting experiment:

• 100% linen

• 45% LENZINGTM ECOVEROTM viscose 55% viscose

• 100% LENZINGTM ECOVEROTM viscose

• 50% organic cotton 50% LENZINGTM ECOVEROTM viscose

• 100% organic cotton poplin

• 85% recycled polyamide 15% elastane

After cutting each swatch to the same size, we secured a waterproof label to the fabric with a cable loop before tethering them to the side of the compost and burying them into the humus.

We use our office compost to dispose of our HQ team’s food scraps each day and balance the nitrogen with carbon by adding shredded paper from printed documents that are no longer needed. One to two times a week, we stir the compost in order to mix and aerate. There is also an abundant worm population that helps to break down the food, aerate the soil and keep unwanted bacteria populations in check. At the end of each week, we dug up our fabric swatches, snapped photos and noted the changes.

The final check at the end of week 15–all that remained was a couple tiny scraps of linen and organic cotton poplin! Visibly, the recycled polyamide blend still had not changed much, but the fabric quality, stretch and rebound has deteriorated (think of your very old bikini from the back of the drawer you pull out and stretch to put on but they crackle and don’t bounce back).

Shop Spell! https://usa.spell.co/

At the Miss England pageant event held in Birmingham on the 17th and 18th of October 2022, Theron Mahoney was the star.

He was recognised for his effort for setting up his own crowdfunding page and raising £100 to help get commonwealth countries out of poverty by helping them plant 200 trees to provide food for their families and oxygen for the planet.  

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/plant-a-tree-with-me-for-50p-1

Instagram: @theronmahoneyofficial clearing 6 bags of rubbish at his school bus stop using a litter-pick.

He received two ECO awards, one from a company called ‘We do Ethical’ and the other from ‘WASUP’  – World Against Single Use Plastic. Presenting him the WASUP Trophy and a book called ‘The Story of Three Plastic Bottles’ for primary schools Prof Gatrad the founder of WASUP said, ‘we should all be inspired by Theron who is showing us all the way to help save our planet. If this world had many more like him, we will avert an Armageddon by the end of the century.’  Receiving a WASUP Trophy from Prof Gatrad Theron said, “My wish is that all wildlife continues.”

As WASUP also has a climate change agenda Prof Gatrad has offered to mentor Theron as he becomes the youngest WASUP Ambassador. Joining in the mentoring will be Jennifer Carless, an 18 year old who is the Chief International WASUP Ambassador and also the Miss England WASUP Queen who is also both Miss East and North Yorkshire.

Theron with a trophy presented by Professor Gatrad founder of WASUP.

Professor Gatrad and Jennifer Carless showing Theron the WASUP Sign.

Theron with an Eco Hamper and a trophy presented by Kelly Levell founder of We do Ethical.

Unfolded launches Zero Waste Kidswear Collection to Fund Kids Education 

This is Unfolded – the clothing brand making fashion sustainable, affordable and impactful has launched its first Kidswear range. Unfolded Kids allows you to dress a child and educate another from just £10!

Unfolded is on a mission to remove the waste from fashion, why? 

Well 30% of new clothes made every year are never sold, this year alone that’s estimated to be over 24 billion items destined to head straight to landfill! Combined, the production of these will generate 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. 

That’s right, 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from clothes that are never sold…   

Unfolded makes clothes without this waste and uses the money saved to create positive impact in the world. 

The Unfolded Kidswear range has been designed in collaboration with over 500 parents – testing and finessing everything from styles to colour, to fit and fabric. Our unique ‘production post order’ process and direct to factory model means there is no overstock created. Not only is it sustainable but the unisex range is fun, funky and durable and has already proved a big hit with our child testers and models (all This is Unfolded customers’ children).

The financial savings created with the no waste model are used to offer affordable prices for sustainable and ethically made clothing and to fund children living around our factories in India, to learn to read and write. 

The limited edition Kidswear range for 3-10 year olds consists of fun and durable PJs, tops, dresses, dungarees and tracksuit sets ranges in price from £10 to £25, with each item funding from one to two months education via our partner charity Pratham.

The collection is designed to be the perfect Christmas present for the child in your life and for children in India as well. 

This is Unfolded customers have already supported 3,500 children to read and write through purchases from their womenswear collections. For background, 74% of people in India can currently read and write – every purchase helps change this future.

Cally Russell, co-founder and CEO said; “The idea for a Kidswear range came from some of our existing Unfolded customers who have been educating us on just how wasteful childrens clothing can be. It felt like a perfect fit to introduce a Kidswear range helping educate future generations of UK children in making sustainable fashion choices while at the same time creating long term impact amongst children in India by supporting them to  learn to read and write.”

In just over 16 months over 10,000 customers in the UK have joined Unfolded, with a super high repeat purchase rate and a return rate of just 10% of the industry standard. 

This is Unfolded is rated 4.9 on Trustpilot. Shop now!  https://thisisunfolded.com/

As recent events in Hawaii have shown volcanic eruptions remain a clear and present danger to life on earth.  If eruptions can be predicted early enough it can save many lives.

Leading product design company Wideblue has worked with the University of Glasgow on building a gravimeter device which can detect minute changes in local gravity caused by magma flow which provides early warning of a potential eruption.

Several of the devices have now been deployed in the field on Mount Etna in Sicily, to start collecting valuable data which can be used in conjunction with other early warning systems. The device, called Wee-G, measures the flow of lava (shifting of mass) at the summit of the volcano.  It uses the same MEMS technology (Micro-electromechanical)  found in mobile phones (as accelerometers) to produce an ultra-sensitive gravimeter which can measure tiny changes in local gravity.  The silicon springs used in the device are ten times thinner than a human hair which makes the accelerometer very sensitive to any changes in gravity.

Barry Warden, managing director, Wideblue said: “We have been working closely with the Institute for Gravitational Research at the University of Glasgow on the product design and development of the Wee-G.  Our role was to develop a self-levelling mechanism to allow remote levelling adjustment of the device as well as create a watertight enclosure to protect the electronics and MEMs from moisture.  We also created an insulation system to prevent the MEMS being subject to temperature fluctuations from the external harsh environment.”

He added: “A key consideration in designing the device was cost.  Commercial gravimeters are very expensive.  The comparative low cost of the Wee-G means that several can be deployed out in the field simultaneously creating what is known as a gravity imager.  This will provide much richer data sets for scientists and volcano experts to study and hopefully help them predict potential eruptions with more accuracy.”

For further information about the Wee-G project please visit: http://www.newton-g.eu

For further information about Wideblue please visit

www.wide-blue.com

One year on from the start of their partnership, leading smart charging company Ohme and Motability Operations continue to see the number of drivers choosing an EV increase.

The EV proportion of the Motability fleet has more than tripled in the past year as increasing amounts of those customers turn towards those greater freedoms that EV driving can bring. Motability Operations is the largest fleet operator in the UK and its Scheme serves more than 650,000 customers.

Over the past twelve months, increasing numbers of drivers on the Motability Scheme have decided to make the switch to an electric vehicle. Ohme has been enabling those drivers to save money when charging by enabling Scheme customers to take advantage of off-peak electricity tariffs to help reduce their everyday running costs.

“At Ohme, putting our customers at the heart of everything we do and building strong relationships are two of our core values, so we feel privileged to be helping the Motability Scheme customers with their move towards electric vehicles,” said David Watson, Ohme CEO. “Compared to traditional cars, electric vehicles can enable all drivers to enjoy greater mobility, freedom and independence as well as saving money with reduced running costs. Ohme is very happy to be part of enabling that journey alongside Motability Operations.”

“We are endeavouring to make the transition to electric as smooth as possible for our customers, so we have to find practical and affordable ways for them to charge their vehicles,” said Andy Newbold at Motability Operations. “We have been delighted to work with Ohme during this first year of our partnership and have been impressed by their excellent level of customer service throughout. As more of our customers make the switch to electric vehicles, we’re looking forward to continuing the strong relationship between Motability Operations and Ohme.”

“Through its work with Motability Operations, Ohme has used the past year to continually refine and improve its working practices among the customer service team and throughout the business to meet the specific accessibility requirements of all our customers,” said Russ Morgan, Ohme’s Customer Experience Director. “In addition to our work with Motability Operations, Ohme has an ongoing relationship with the disability charity Leonard Cheshire to enable us to better understand the needs of all our customers and make the transition to electric motoring as easy as possible for everyone. The result has been consistently high customer service results as seen with our Trustpilot rating of 4.7.”

Ohme’s Home Pro smart charger can connect with the national grid in real time and automatically adjust its charging for drivers to take advantage of all the times of low price charging with smart off-peak tariffs. Ohme also offers drivers the option to charge their car when renewable energy generation on the National Grid is at its highest, further lowering their CO2 impact.

Ohme is the official charger provider for the Volkswagen Group in the UK and has been named as the Best Electric Charging Point Provider by Business Motoring.

      Fledgling non-profit reaches milestone two years into operation, outpacing others in the space

●        Foundation works with community and government organisations to clear heavily polluted waterways in Thailand to stop waste from entering the ocean

●        Some 80 percent of the plastic waste in the ocean is transported via rivers or coastlines

●        The TerraCycle Foundation sends nothing it collects to landfill

The TerraCycle Global Foundation, a non-profit founded by TerraCycle, has cleared 581 tonnes of waste from waterways – roughly equivalent to the weight of more than 350 cars – in its first two years.

The Foundation has operated in canals throughout Bangkok since June 2020. It partners with local community and government organisations to stop waste from reaching the ocean where it degrades and becomes harder to capture and recycle.

Using innovative wildlife-safe traps, the Foundation collects all types of waste, including plastic, reducing the chance of the waste breaking down into microplastics and other hard-to-capture particles.

Some 80 percent of the plastic waste in the ocean is transported via rivers or coastlines, demonstrating the importance of collecting it as far upstream as possible.

“In its relatively short lifespan, the TerraCycle Global Foundation has already had a significant impact on the health of our planet,” said Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle. “Not only has the Foundation made waterways cleaner and safer places for wildlife, but we have seen real benefits to the local communities as well”

“We’re proud of our team members for their dedication to driving our mission forward and showing how crucial collecting waste before it has reached the ocean really is.”

Since June 2020, the TerraCycle Global Foundation’s operations have provided safe and quality employment for 11 people from the local Lat Phrao community in Bangkok, and have created healthier environments for over 7,000 households alongside the canal with a cleaner environment.

There are three river traps currently in operation in Thai canals, and each trap collects about 150,000 -175,000 pounds of waste directly from the water per year. The Foundation is looking to expand across a number of regions of the world suffering from heavily polluted waterways.

Local authorities across Greater Brighton are taking great strides forward in their joint push towards net zero living and working.

A report for the Greater Brighton Economic Board (GBEB) shows that extensive progress is being made by councils within the city region towards their climate pledges.

Under Greater Brighton, which includes seven local authorities in Sussex as well as universities, further education colleges and business leaders, the partners are working innovatively together to combat climate change by reducing their net carbon emissions to zero, using a set of pledges known as the GB10.

A key success named within the GBEB report includes the fact that several authorities are successfully phasing out diesel vehicles from their fleets in favour of electric equivalents.

More than 1,200 homes have been visited by Southern Water in the last 12 months to help households to reduce their water consumption and improve their energy efficiency, working towards the company’s commitment to reduce water consumption to 100 litres per person per day by 2040.

The report also highlights examples of Greater Brighton councils successfully upgrading and replacing infrastructure in order to facilitate a transition to zero carbon, for example the use of ground source heat pumps to help decarbonise heating in council-owned homes and public buildings, the use of solar panels, and the widespread installation of electric vehicle charging points.

Commitments to biodiversity and nature also feature in the pledges, with good progress also highlighted in the reports. In Brighton, a successful ‘Rainscape Campaign’ by The Aquifer Partnership has provided a specially landscaped solution to managing surface water that will improve water quality and biodiversity in Wild Park, Moulsecoomb.

Meanwhile, the Sussex Kelp Restoration Project is seeing promising signs of growth in a planned kelp forest off the Sussex coast, which would act as a carbon sink as well as improving coastal and marine biodiversity. When complete, the kelp forest alone could remove 70,000 tonnes of carbon per year from the atmosphere.

Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty, the chairman of Greater Brighton Economic Board, said: “Throughout the Greater Brighton area, every local council is committed to reducing our carbon emissions and the GB10 pledges are the driving force behind this work.

“The annual pledge report is a powerful and timely reminder of the commitments we need to make to protect our environment.

“Over the past year, unprecedented weather conditions have been a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat climate change by moving to net zero. At the same time, the spiralling cost of living has highlighted the need to transition to energy sources that will drive down energy bills and help us to address inequalities and tackle fuel poverty in our communities.

“This year’s annual review shows the strong progress that’s been made on these pledges by local councils and the other valued organisations through the region, but there’s still considerable work to do.”

To find out more about the GB10 pledges, visit: https://greaterbrighton.com/work-here/net-zero/gb10/

The Greater Brighton city region covers 7 local authority areas, stretching from Bognor in the west to Seaford in the east, and up to Crawley in the north of Sussex. Greater Brighton Economic Board was formed in 2014 to protect and grow the city region’s economy through creative, innovative initiatives which coordinate economic development activities and investment.

O! has teamed up with ChopValue UK for its latest restaurant opening in Speke, Liverpool, with a view to a national rollout

–          YO! Speke will recycle every chopstick in the restaurant, with the chopsticks becoming desks, furniture and more

–          Everton footballer Tom Davies is behind the chopstick recycling initiative and joined the team at YO! to support the launch

–          YO! has also developed a special Scouse dish just for Speke

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, YO! has joined forces with ChopValue UK to launch their new Merseyside restaurant as they look to save millions of chopsticks from landfill and instead create incredible new products.

Every pair of chopsticks used at the new Japanese restaurant will be upcycled into beautiful new products for homes, offices and businesses, such as coasters, desks, shelves, and more.

Everton midfielder, Tom Davies, is a Director of ChopValue UK and joined the YO! team at the restaurant ahead of its opening today (5^th December).

YO! is trialling the service in Liverpool – where ChopValue UK has its first microfactory – with a view to rolling the initiative out across the UK should it prove to be successful. Approximately 1.5 billion chopsticks end up in landfill each year so YO! are looking at ways to reduce this waste and instead find a new use for their bamboo chopsticks.

In addition, YO! is introducing a new Liverpool-inspired dish which will be available on launch week as part of a giveaway. The ‘half and half’ sushi roll is coated in Panku crumb and fried until golden, cut in half and topped with YO! fries, drizzled with curry sauce and sprinkled with chives. The recipe celebrates the Liverpool chippy tradition of ordering half rice, half chips and curry sauce.

Everton footballer and ChopValue UK director, Tom Davies, said “It’s our mission to leave no chopstick behind and this partnership with YO! is a massive opportunity to save tonnes of chopsticks going into landfill and instead giving them a new life. It’s important that we all take steps to protect the future of this planet and I feel we all have a role to play in that. I’m looking to use my profile and platform as a footballer to help spark people into thinking about how they can make a difference. The truth is that many chopsticks go to waste unnecessarily, if I can help to stop that then I’m happy to do so. With YO! coming on board with ChopValue we hope we can save millions of chopsticks and give them a second life.”

Victoria Mathers, UK Head of Marketing at YO! said: “We are delighted to be working with ChopValue UK at our new restaurant in Speke. This partnership is a small step in our commitment to being as sustainable as we can be as a company and is a signal to how we want to evolve and ensure we are looking after the planet around us. Bamboo chopsticks can have a second life as a number of products, as the ChopValue team have demonstrated and we’re really excited as to how the partnership here can evolve. Tom may have goals on the pitch but he’s also very passionate off the pitch too about the steps we can all take to be more sustainability focused, we’ve enjoyed working together and long may it continue. We’re really looking forward to welcoming new customers to YO! Speke and have got a menu that will whet the appetite for all”.

The menu is packed full of delicious Japanese cuisine including as a range of sushi, hot street food, curries and more. There is also a wide selection to meet all dietary requirements, with a third of their menu being vegetarian or vegan. 

The new YO! can be found at the New Mersey Retail Park in Speke and opens from 5 December 2022.

01 NOVEMBER, LONDON –This Christmas, Lidl has rolled out the red carpet to celebrate two returning festive favourites – its iconic Lidl Branded Christmas Jumper and sell-out Deluxe Pigs in Blanket Pizza – by parodying two of the most popular Christmas movie moments.

The Lidl Branded Christmas Jumper (£7.99) returns for 2022 with an updated design, while – for a third year in a row – shoppers can once again get their hands on the hugely popular Deluxe Pigs in Blanket Pizza (£3.99).

With one selling every two seconds on first day in store in 2021¹, the Lidl Branded Christmas Jumper is back! This time, modelled in the signature style of Buddy the Elf whilst devouring a bowl of spaghetti and a curious candy concoction. 

Winter’s must-have accessory is available in a variety of sizes and guaranteed to get the whole family in the festive spirit. But shoppers must act fast – the sought-after novelty jumper is set to fly off shelves!

Also making a welcome comeback is Lidl’s infamous Deluxe Pigs in Blanket Pizza, a sell-out success in previous years thanks to its crusty sourdough base and abundance of traditional festive toppings. 

Taking inspiration from Home Alone 2, the pizza is pictured in the back of a limo with Lidl’s very own Kevin McCallister – enjoyed with a glass of Freeway Cola for the full A-List experience.

Shoppers can pick up the Deluxe Pigs in Blanket Pizza on 8^th December and Lidl Branded Christmas Jumper on 24^th November, both available in stores nationwide while stocks last.

Award-winning New Zealand Manuka producer, Taylor Pass Honey Co is passionate about the environment. However, over the past 18 months, the whole company has been a hive of activity completing an intensive verification process to become B Corp Certified.

Taylor Pass Honey Co is proud to be B Corp Certified, as they feel this demonstrates their ongoing commitment towards operating ethically and sustainably to their customers.

B Corporation ™ (B Corp ™) are businesses that have been individually verified in terms of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. It is conferred by B Lab, an independent global non-profit organisation, for companies meeting the highest standards to benefit people, communities, and the planet. Taylor Pass Honey Co was queried to an exceptional level, about their traceability, food safety, and authenticity.

Hadleigh Galt, CEO of Taylor Pass Honey said, “We are delighted to have achieved B Corp certification. Taylor Pass Honey has long incorporated sustainable practices to ensure the quality of our honey and to preserve our remarkable environment for future generations. Our decisions are made with lasting good in mind. Now, it’s wonderful to have the accreditation from B Lab that attests to these high standards.”

Taylor Pass Honey Co produces a range of award-winning honey, which captures a taste of the rugged South Island of New Zealand. The bee-friendly company only use sustainable beekeeping practices working in harmony with the environment, with the highest standard of production and traceability at every step from hive to jar.

Manuka honey is only produced when the Mānuka tree flowers bloom, just a few weeks of the year. This superfood has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Mānuka Honey is now given a certified Unique Mānuka Factor (UMF®) or trust mark rating for healing potency.

Taylor Pass Honey Co Mānuka UMF 5+ Honey recently gained 3 stars at the Great Taste Awards 2022, the only New Zealand honey to win this accolade, while their Mānuka Multifloral Honey was awarded one star.

ABOUT TAYLOR PASS HONEY: It was established in 2001, and it is privately owned and located in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Taylor Pass Honey is available in over 300 independent health retailers throughout the UK in 250g and 500g jars and online with a suggested retail price range of between £9.99 to £29.99. Taylor Pass Honey products are Non-GMO verified, Unique Mānuka Factor ™ rated, Oritain verified, FernMark licensed, Apiculture New Zealand affiliated, and now B Corp certified.