News

Put on a jumper and turn down the thermostat

The Wear Warm campaign is launching after research from Utilita Energy showed that almost half of the nation’s homes are heated to 24 degrees centigrade for half the year - the same temperature as Barbados.
 
Based on 48 per cent of the UK’s homes being heated to 3 degrees higher than the recommended healthy heat (18-21 degrees), that's equivalent to an additional 13 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year - the same pollution generated by around seven million cars each year.
 

Ecosia - the tree planting search engine

You may be among its users, but if you haven't heard about it, Ecosia is an eco-friendly search engine that donates profits to tree planting in Africa.

IKEA opens its first ever second-hand shop

IKEA's first second-hand store is being run by the existing IKEA Västerås store that will provide furniture and home furnishing accessories which for different reasons have been damaged. At ReTuna they will be repaired and sold on.

The collaboration with ReTuna (put all thoughts of tinned fish out of your mind) will help IKEA understand why some of its products are turned into waste, what condition they're in when people discard them and why people choose to donate or recycle products. And of course to see if there's consumer demand for second-hand/repaired items. 

Mattress recycling plant opens in Bolton

 A new facility has opened in Bolton that will recycle up to a 250,000 mattresses thrown away in the Greater Manchester region every year.

This plant will further reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, and make good use of a wide range of materials that can be recycled into products - such as pet bedding, carpet underlay, and even stab-proof vests.

The plant has also created 25 new jobs and its launch is part of the waste management contract between Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK.

B&Q launches new lighting range

B&Q's new collection is split into two ranges and features modern to Art Deco-inspired fixtures as well as traditional and industrial style pendants.
 
With 20 co-ordinated looks, the ‘Collection Range’ helps customers create ambient, task focused and accent light in their rooms. Each ‘look’ features ceiling, floor, table, and wall lights that work together.

The ‘Essential range’ features lamps at affordable prices.
 
Highlights include:

Hydrogen buses for Birmingham

The Clean Air Hydrogen Bus Pilot looks to kick-start the hydrogen market as a viable zero-emission fuel with launch early next year of 20 hydrogen buses in Birmingham. The buses, made by Wrightbus, are the world's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell double deckers, and they'll be use from next April with National Express West Midlands.

Papertale: new technology lets consumers choose sustainable future

The new Swedish blockchain platform PaperTale aims to empower consumers to drive a sustainable economy.  As well as letting you see information about a product's environmental impact, it also shows informatoin about the workers in the factory who made the product, whether they're paid the salaries deemed acceptable in their country and you can even interact with them and pay a tip should you want to. Consumers will have the power to make informed decisions about what they buy and this could strengthen companies that choose to work sustainably.

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