World's first road made from cigarette butts
World's first road made from cigarette butts
From ashes to asphalt
The team at
never said
SPONSORED BY 4ocean
You don't need to hit the beach to join the fight against the plastic crisis in our oceans.
4ocean has got a bunch of full-time captains and crews working round the clock, picking up trash from the ocean every single day.
What do they do with all that plastic, you ask? They turn it into 4ocean bracelets! And you can chip in by snagging one of these cool bracelets made from recycled plastic.
Here's the best part: Every bracelet you buy means 5 pounds less trash in our oceans, rivers, and coastlines. How cool is that?
Today’s eco snapshot👇🏽
From ashes to asphalt: Paving the way with cigarettes
Startup of the week: Woola
5 brands that sustainably stand out
Some good news from around the world
3 ways I can help you on your sustainability journey
🚭 From ashes to asphalt: Paving the way with cigarettes
Used cigarette butts are mostly thrown on the ground. They release toxic substances that can pollute the water, soil, and ecosystems.
Only an estimated third of the cigarette butts from the 18 billion cigarettes smoked worldwide every day end up in a rubbish or recycling bin.
Slovakia’s capital Bratislava has found a way to deal with this menace.
Its municipal waste management company plans to use the discarded butts to create asphalt for roads.
The cigarette filters will be made into special fibers that can then become an admixture for the preparation of asphalt to be used on road surfaces.
The city plans to keep special containers in festivals, markets, and other events to collect cigarette butts. This will reduce the waste created by them and will help transform them into a useful product.
Paving the way for a greener future, one cigarette butt at a time.
Time for the quiz of the week ⌛
Answer at the end of the newsletter. No one (including me) can see your response so feel free to vote 😉
✨ Startup of the week: Woola
Wooly Waste…Every year, we churn out tons of plastic packaging, with less than 10% getting recycled. Most of it ends up in our landfills and oceans. On top of that, the textile industry has a wool waste issue, with 90% of sheep wool that's too tough for use getting tossed or burned.
Woolly Winner…So here's where Woola steps in. They take this leftover wool, which would've otherwise been thrown away or gone up in smoke, and turn it into a unique kind of packaging. This stops the wool from adding to greenhouse gas emissions from being burned.
Woolly Wisdom…Sure, wool might not be the greenest option around, but Woola knows that. They call their solution "Not perfect, but better". It's a nod to the worldwide need for solutions to environmental issues that are better, even if they're not perfect.
✅ Brands that sustainably stand out
🛁 Woodio: Ecological, water-resistant wood composite products for bathrooms
👟 Thousand Fell: Makes sneakers from recycled bottles, natural rubber & food waste
🍌 Saathi Pads: Turning banana plant waste into biodegradable menstrual pads
🎧 Raylo: Leases and reuses electronics, making them more sustainable
👚 ManyMoons: A circular retailer that takes back your old clothes
Engage with hundreds of sustainable brands like these by upgrading to a paid subscription. It comes with access to a database of planet-friendly brands worldwide.
😹 Some Good News
Making a Splash: Nations Dive into Dolphin Protection Pact! 🐬
Despite a sharp 73% decline in river dolphin populations since the 1980s, a wave of hope arises as nine countries, with more expected, have signed the Global Declaration for River Dolphins, uniting to protect the six endangered species.
Mexico Shells Out for Nature, Despite Budget Cuts! 🌴
Mexico has declared 20 new protected areas spanning approximately 5.7 million acres, including national parks and sanctuaries, across various states and coastal areas. Despite funding cuts since 2016, this move underscores Mexico's commitment to conservation but also sparks concerns about resource availability for their upkeep.
EU Makes Cosmetics Clean Up Their Act! 💅🏼
Under new draft rules, the EU will make beauty companies bear 80% of the costs to eliminate micropollutants from urban wastewater. This "polluter pays principle" ensures companies contribute significantly to sewage treatment, preventing essential products from becoming unaffordable or hard to find.
🌎 3 ways I can help you
📞 Interested in chatting about sustainability and climate change? Book a free call here
✍🏼 Want to be featured in this newsletter and a LinkedIn post? Submit your story
💁🏼 If you’re a planet-friendly brand, I can help you with your blogs, newsletters, case studies, and whitepapers
Click that 💚 if this added some value to you.
Enjoy your weekend, and see you next week😊