Those ubiquitous plastic bags used in U.S. grocery stores are under attack. Even though a California law banning plastic bags was not passed by the state, individual U.S. cities are taking legal action against them.

The California communities of Fairfax, Malibu, Palo Alto, and San Francisco have outlawed plastic bags. So have Bethel, Alaska, Edmonds, Washington, and Westport, Connecticut. Washington, D.C.'s approach is to levy a 5-cent fee for each disposable grocery bag.

Bryan Early of Californians Against Waste tells USA Today, "There's going to be another explosion of local ordinances." He says Berkeley, Los Angeles County. San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Santa Clara County are all planning to institute bans, now that the statewide ban failed to pass.

Big money is being spent on the campaign. Heal the Bay, a group based in Santa Monica, tapped actor Jeremy Irons to narrate a clever mock PSA (above, produced by DDB in LA) to hammer home the stark reality of California's plastic bag pollution situation.Continue reading...

Given that the Wall Street Journal equated the loudness of its biodegradable eco-bag with the destruction of the human race, it comes as no surprise that Sun Chips is scrapping its earth-friendly (but very loud) packaging. USA Today reports:

Roughly 18 months after Frito-Lay, with great fanfare, launched a biodegradable SunChips bag made from plant material that was billed as 100% compostable, the company is yanking the noisy material from the packages of five of six SunChips flavors immediately. The company is returning them to their former bags that can't be recycled — but won't wake the neighbors — while it works frantically to come up with a new, quieter eco-friendly bag.

Seems like a good opportunity to crowdsource a new eco-bag formula, or at least make fun of the fracas by hiring Spinal Tap to hype its new, quieter bags when they're ready. Or Kermit — it's not easy being green and quiet, it seems.

Nature Made, Kashi, LeapFrog and Nestle Purina have just joined green rewards organization RecycleBank in preparation for America Recycles Day, this November 15. Together, these brands represent four major areas of recyclable materials: plastic, paper, electronics and metal. The companies, in collaboration with RecycleBank, are planning to educate and incentivize consumers to recycle, through digital and social media campaigns.
 
“There is no doubt that sustainability is a top priority for brands today, and we are thrilled to have Nature Made, Kashi, LeapFrog and Nestle Purina join our movement,” said Ian Yolles, CMO of RecycleBank. “Consumers realize that one of the easiest ways they can positively impact the environment is through their purchasing decisions and are increasingly looking to corporations to be the ones driving environmental change.”Continue reading...

In order to stop climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be decreased from today's seven tons per person per year, to one ton (or tonne, depending on where you live).

That's the rallying belief behind One Tonne Life, a green living experiment that will kick off in the new year with the support of three major Swedish brands: Volvo Cars, housing builders A-hus, and energy provider Vattenfall.Continue reading...

Green Mountain Coffee is one of those success stories that keeps the dreams of small business owners alive. The company started as a small coffee cafe in Waitsfield, Vermont in 1981. Twelve years later, Green Mountain went public and it has been on an upward spiral ever since, racking up double digit net sales growth for the last thirty consecutive quarters. Still, the company has been true to its roots, maintaining its corporate headquarters in America's "green mountain state."

Green Mountain Coffee is a well-known brand in its own right, yet it owns other coffee brands as well: Newman's Own Organics coffee, Seattle coffee roaster Tully's, California's Diedrich, and the Canadian brand Timothy's. Green Mountain also acquired Keurig in 2006, renowned as a pioneer in gourmet single-cup (known as "K-cup") coffee brewing systems, after it became the first coffee roaster to enter the single cup business.

Now Green Mountain has added to its impressive brand list with the acquisition of Montreal-based coffee maker Van Houtte for an eye-opening $890 million.Continue reading...

Frito-Lay’s first sustainable trucks hit New York's streets this week. Part of a larger green initiative from PepsiCo, the move is emblematic of a shifting tide in companies’ use of electric commercial vehicles – and a greener consciousness that is becoming part and parcel of good and right business in the 21st century.

Frito-Lay's fleet (the seventh largest in the U.S.) has ordered 176 of the battery-powered delivery trucks. Manufactured by Smith Electric Vehicles, they can run up to 100 miles on a single charge. They boast zero emissions, 75% less greenhouse gas than diesel, "significant" noise pollution reduction and offer a "long-term economically viable solution" for the brand's fleet.

In this initial roll-out, five electric trucks per location will be based in New York City, Columbus, Ohio, and Fort Worth, plus an additional six vehicles in Canada. Brandchannel's Q&A with Mike O’Connell, national director of fleet capability for Frito-Lay, about the change-over is after the jump.Continue reading...

Timberland's latest campaign extends its Earthkeepers eco-friendly collection, which last year partnered with Wyclef Jean as the brand's designated "Earthkeeper hero" for his Haiti relief efforts, even collaborating on a limited collection to celebrate the partnership.

The popular footwear brand is hoping others will want to be Earthkeeper heroes, too, and make a lighter carbon footprint by adopting its eco-friendly products and ethos.Continue reading...

One of the world’s largest personal paper products companies has launched an eco-friendly product for smarter flushing.

Kimberly-Clark just launched a giveaway campaign with 750,000 Scott Naturals Smart Flush bags — toilet-tank inserts that can save an average family of four 2,000 gallons of water annually. The inserts will be attached to eight-and twelve-count packs of Scott Naturals toilet paper through October, available at Walmart, Target and other U.S. retailers.

Doug Daniels, Scott's brand manager of strategy and innovation, told Ad Age he considers it a "first-of-its-kind innovation" for the category. In line with the company's green-focused Naturals line, the new insert can last ten years immersed in a toilet tank.Continue reading...