HOLLAND, MICH.—Boxed Water Is Better—the first sustainable alternative in the package water category—is publicly releasing a  life cycle study, conducted by sustainability experts Anthesis Group, which compares the cumulative environmental impacts between a 500ML PET plastic bottle, a 500ML aluminum can, and a 500ML carton of Boxed Water. The full report is available via this link. “With respect to the planet, we need to tap into the much broader impact story beyond recycling,” said Boxed Water CMO, Robert Koenen. “All three materials are recyclable. Yet, recycling alone doesn’t address the front-end of the problem: the environmental impact of oil drilling and...

SOLON, OHIO—Tarkett, a worldwide leader in sustainable flooring, is elevating rubber tile to a new level of style and performance with the introduction of Color Splash Speckled Rubber tile. The new collection offers 50 on-trend standard colors inspired by the outdoors in standard 24” x 24” square tiles, including tonal visuals that work alongside multi-colored chipped colorations. Additionally, Tarkett’s industry-leading Color Match technology for rubber flooring enables the creation of any running line or custom color—precisely, every time, without dye lots. With Color Splash rubber tile, architects and designers can customize the field color or the accents and carry the...

CHADDS FORD, PA.—RWS Facility Services (RWS), a provider of recycling, waste and managed facilities solutions for commercial and residential businesses, announced it has appointed Danica Sierra to the role of Business Development Manager. Sierra brings to RWS more than 20 years in the environmental services industry and is an expert in recycling and waste, environmental compliance, and disposal for commercial, healthcare, and residential facilities. In her new role, Sierra will work with RWS clients on selecting and implementing cost-effective recycling, waste, and facilities services. “I’m truly delighted to join the RWS team and look forward to helping customers solve their...

Every so often someone comes along in our industry with a grand idea to affect major change in hotel operations. I have been fortunate to meet Shawn Seipler, CEO of Clean the World, who has done so much to change the way our industry thinks and acts about soap and amenity waste. Shawn is based in Orlando. Another person I have met is also based in Florida but in Sarasota. His name is Richard Ferrell, and he is President of Purlin, LLC. I first wrote about Purlin in 2018. Richard’s vision is to dramatically change the way hoteliers think...

SARASOTA, FLA.—Purlin, LLC, maker of recyclable linens for the hospitality industry, has won the Lee School Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Hospitality category. The Lee Business School at UNLV and Ted and Doris Lee Family Foundation created a worldwide $1,000,000 Lee School Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the goal of discovering and funding innovative technologies and solutions that make the food and beverage, hospitality, casino, sports and entertainment and travel industries a safe place for employees and guests in the post pandemic world. Purlin’s prize in the hospitality category is $250,000. There were 250 submissions from...

STOCKHOLM—Together with Stena Recycling, Electrolux has developed a vacuum cleaner made of 100 percent recycled and reused materials. The plastic and components originate from consumers’ electronic products, such as used hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, and computers. The project addresses some of today’s key recycling challenges while exploring circularity in household appliances. More than 400 million metric tons of plastic are produced globally every year, but less than 12 percent of this comes from recycled materials. Therefore, manufacturers have difficulty finding enough safe and consistently high-quality recycled material. As a pioneer, Electrolux was first in the industry in 2010 to raise awareness...

AUGUSTINE, FLA.—Every day, 8 million pieces of plastic find their way into the ocean. With the consistent use of single-use plastic, the problem is only getting worse. Frequently used items such as travel-size beauty products and takeaway containers contribute to the planet’s plastic pollution. Sustainability consultant, Tara Dodson, targets this problem head-on by providing businesses the opportunity to switch to plastic-free alternatives. Dodson has created a comprehensive online marketplace for businesses to purchase environmentally friendly products in bulk ranging from bathroom essentials and gift shop items to products used by dining services and property operations. Eco Collections Marketplace is a...

CHESTNUT RIDGE, N.Y.—BioHiTech Global, Inc., a sustainable technology and services company, announced it has received an additional purchase order for its Revolution Series food waste digesters from Princess Cruises, valued at approximately $300,000. BioHiTech expects to deliver these digesters for installation on Princess Cruises’ newest ship, the Enchanted Princess during the fourth quarter of 2020. Utilization of the Revolution Series digesters, equipped with BioHiTech’s proprietary data analytics platform, is part of Princess Cruises’ comprehensive plan to limit food waste, achieve safe onboard disposal, and improve associated environmental outcomes. “We continue to see sales momentum for our digesters in the cruise industry and this...

CALHOUN, GA.—Mohawk Industries has been recognized as a finalist in Fast Company magazine’s 2020 Innovation by Design Awards in the sustainability category. The flooring manufacturer was honored for Continuum, its patented process that recycles plastic bottles and transforms them into sustainable carpet fibers. Mohawk joins other high-profile category finalists including Google, Nike, Perkins+Will, Procter & Gamble and the competition’s ultimate first-prize winner, Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta, the visionaries behind Powerhouse Brattørkaia—an office building that creates twice as much energy as it uses. Mohawk and Continuum were also honored earlier this year with the Best of Surfaces Award in sustainability, and most recently...

RAJA, Europe’s No. 1 packaging supplier, recently studied which countries are winning the war on municipal waste—an important study given that global waste is predicted to grow by 70 percent as soon as 2050. RAJA explored the municipal waste of 29 countries over five years to find out how they handle their waste, and whether they have been able to reduce it year-on-year. You can check out the study yourself here but here is what I found to be interesting: The world leader in recovered waste is currently Switzerland, recovering 100 percent of their municipal waste. However, this is...