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All the latest ideas and news from Upstream’s thought leaders and partners.
A historic treaty to beat plastic pollution
On Wednesday, representatives from 175 nations agreed to draft a global treaty that would start to tackle the exponentially growing amount of plastic pollution that we’re facing – essentially a Paris Agreement for plastics.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Launching a Reuse Coalition
After launching a few reuse coalitions ourselves (and supporting others to do the same), we offer the following best practices to help you think about what might work best in your community.
840 billion single-use products could be replaced by new reuse service economy
Reuse Wins, a new report from Upstream, shows how a new reuse economy is emerging to replace the use of single-use products in food service. The key findings in the report draw from life-cycle studies that compare the environmental impacts of disposables versus reusables, and project the potential cost savings to business and local government from transitioning to a new reuse economy.
Self Care Tips from a Small Nonprofit Working to Save the World from Plastic
The pressure to save the world amidst the evolving climate crisis gets bigger by the minute, and it can be daunting and disheartening. In light of Mental Health Awareness Month, this brought me to a question that anyone facing such heavy circumstances, at any moment, needs to know the answer to: How can I practice mental self care when I start to feel small and dejected?
You can help your favorite restaurant go disposable-free. Here’s how.
Handy insights, tips, and talking points for approaching food service businesses to help them save money and the planet at the same time.
Why we need to “Break Free From Plastic” AND embrace reuse
Because the Break Free From Plastic Act does not currently focus on reusables, we organized a working group to develop recommendations for building reusable/refillable requirements into the Act and have been communicating these ideas to the authors of the legislation.
From As You Sow: Using Shareholder Pressure to Get Big Brands to Clean up Plastic Pollution
As You Sow uses shareholder advocacy to press publicly-traded companies to improve their social and environmental practices and policies.
Jumpstarting a just recovery at home
We’re excited to share an idea (and an offer) to start replacing single-use with reuse in your own home today.
Impossible is a dare
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remake the society that we return to, to #ReturnToBetter rather than #ReturnToNormal.