Chelsea FC Environmental Push
Chelsea men's football stars Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell recently swapped their football boots for Wellington boots to engage in a local environmental regeneration initiative.
Chelsea FC has partnered with MSC Cruises, its official global cruise partner, to spearhead a project aimed at revitalizing an area along the banks of the River Mole in Cobham, Surrey. This initiative includes planting 100 trees, which is expected to offer significant ecological benefits to the local habitat. The project enlists the participation of both male and female football players from the club, including Kadeisha Buchanan, Ben Chilwell, Alfie Gilchrist, Hannah Hampton, Melanie Leupolz, and Raheem Sterling. Together with members of the MSC Cruises UK team, they launched the initiative with a tree-planting event. The primary goal of this initiative is to establish a "vital ecological corridor" and enhance biodiversity within the local environment.
Additionally, it aims to improve various environmental factors such as water quality, habitat diversity, and flood management. Claire Cronin, Chelsea FC's Chief Marketing Officer, highlighted the broader vision: "Not only will the MSC Meadow create valuable benefits for the local environment, but we hope it will inspire our millions of fans around the world to play their part in making a positive impact in their own communities."
Chris Goodwin, Environmental Social Governance Manager at Chelsea FC, added: "The MSC Meadow represents a long-term commitment to biodiversity improvement between Chelsea Football Club and MSC Cruises. The trees at our training ground will offer positive environmental and social benefits for years to come. With biodiversity in the UK having declined by an average of 19% since 1970, every initiative—even small ones—counts. Through the MSC Meadow, we hope to raise awareness about the importance Chelsea places on nature." In related news, it was recently announced that the Football Association had donated bibs and drawstring bags—recycled from the 2022 FA Cup final pitch cover—to youth football clubs across the UK.
Gowheels! makes sustainable wheels for carts and trolleys.
Gowheels! is leading the way on sustainable wheels commonly used in the world’s retail sector (and beyond).
A hard plastic is commonly used for the wheel of a shopping cart and a soft plastic is commonly used for the outer tread. Like so many products, cart wheels are made of different materials chemically or mechanically bonded together during the manufacturing process to make a wheel that is not repaired, not reused, and not recycled, it is just ocean-bound plastic waste discarded into our landfills after a short period of use.
After years in the making and with the support of sustainable-minded investors, Gowheels! has made shopping carts infinitely more sustainable and dramatically less expensive to maintain to the benefit of not only store owners, but to the environment and customers alike.
Our estimates are that Gowheels! radical design is the only path to eliminate ~1,000,000 tons of environmental impact and save retailers ~$1.5 billion over the next decade, all without raising prices to the consumer.
This great scourge on the environment will continue unless ESG-minded customers, investors and retailers demand otherwise.
This new cart wheel is now available to retailers in the UK and EU, as well as the US, Australia and Canada.
William Bateman, CEO.
Tesco leverages AI to cut energy consumption.
Tesco has reduced its energy consumption by an impressive 10% as part of a pioneering trial amending the temperature settings of its refrigeration systems. By increasing the chill temperatures by just 1°C across its refrigerated distribution network, Tesco has not only challenged conventional practices but also achieved considerable cost savings.
The trial, conducted over a 21-month period from January 2022 to September 2023, was facilitated by the introduction of Ethos AI technology from Star Refrigeration. This technology was installed across eight of Tesco’s distribution centres throughout the UK. The AI system analysed data to find the optimal balance between maintaining operational efficiency and minimising energy usage. This included strategic changes and maintenance initiatives, such as purging air from condensers and optimising capital expenditure projects.
The results were significant: Tesco saved a total of 4 GWh of energy and reduced its carbon emissions by 835 tonnes. Rob Redfern, Tesco’s Group Energy Manager, expressed pride in the achievement, noting, “We’re very proud to say that we have reduced energy consumption by an average of 10% across those distribution sites, achieving a return on investment in under three months.”
This initiative is part of Tesco's broader commitment to environmental sustainability, which has seen the retailer make substantial strides in reducing its carbon footprint. In its latest full-year results, Tesco revealed it had more than doubled its profits while also reporting a 61% reduction in its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, surpassing its 2025 target of a 60% reduction.
Tesco's approach not only highlights its leadership in adopting green technologies but also sets a benchmark for the retail sector in energy management and environmental responsibility.
Ikea recycles uniforms into homeware range.
In a remarkable sustainability project, Ikea has unveiled its latest homeware collection, the VÄXELBRUK range, ingeniously crafted from 300 tonnes of recycled staff uniforms. This initiative is a part of the Swedish giant’s broader commitment to embracing a circular business model, showcasing its commitment to sustainability objectives.
The collection follows the introduction of new staff uniforms at Ikea. The redesign not only refreshed the brand's aesthetic but also set a sustainable precedent by repurposing the old, outdated, and surplus uniforms. This significant overhaul involved collecting vast quantities of worn-out clothing from employees, complemented by a modest amount of excess stock left unused due to the transition.
The VÄXELBRUK range.
Luca Clerici, Ikea’s New Business Manager, shared insights into the process which converted this old stock into new items.
"The fabric is shredded into fibres, which are naturally shorter than virgin fibres, resulting in slightly lower mechanical performance. However, the overall quality and performance remain comparable to new materials.”
He also highlighted the complexities encountered in navigating regulations, logistical challenges, and diverse industry requirements—a first at this magnitude for Ikea.
The VÄXELBRUK range spans a variety of home décor items, including throws, cushion covers, curtains, and bags. Each piece proudly displays the vibrant and recognisable colours of the Ikea staff uniforms, adding a unique and meaningful touch to the collection.
This launch aligns with Ikea’s impressive environmental and business milestones earlier this year, where the company reported a 24.3% reduction in its climate footprint alongside a 30.9% increase in revenue. This balance of sustainability and economic growth underscores Ikea's role as a leader in sustainable business practices.
Ikea's innovative approach not only recycles material but also breathes new life into what would otherwise be waste, setting a robust example for the retail industry and beyond.
Kraft-Heinz makes sustainable ketchup cap.
Kraft-Heinz is leading the way on sustainable packaging through the release of their new 100% recyclable ketchup cap.
Heinz bottles have always had a signature “squeeze” which facilitated easy and consistent dispensing of sauces, but crucially it required multiple materials, including the all-important silicone valve.
Silicon is a naturally occurring element, silicone is a man-made polymer derived from silicon. Silicone is recyclable but challenging to, as it requires specialised facilities.
Working with Berry Global for 8 years, amassing 45 prototypes and 185 000 hours in development, Kraft-Heinz has developed a new bottle cap made of a single material, which delivers the same experience.
Notably, it not only delivers the same experience, but goes further, squeezing more sauce out of the bottom of the bottle as it begins to run out.
This development has won Kraft-Heinz the Rigid Pack of the Year at the 2023 UK Packaging Awards, and will save approximately 300 million plastic caps from landfill each year.
The new cap is being rolled out UK-wide next month and later into Europe. It adds to Kraft-Heinz’s already impressive ESG commitments, whom have promised to reduce its global use of virgin plastic by 20% by 2030 estimated to be around 100 million lbs.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) favors Gowheels!
The 2023 Spring Semester graduate Master of Engineering Management (MEM) class at Duke Univeristy’s Pratt School of Engineering was assigned to the task of comparing the shopping cart wheel design that domiantes the US retail market to a newly imagined shopping cart wheel by Gowheels, Inc. in Sustainable, Eco-efficient and Economical.
Gowheels Inc. is honored that our sustainably-designed wheel for carts, trolleys and similar applications has prevailed in the LCA comparison as the most Sustainable, Eco-Efficient and Economical cart wheel on Planet Earth.
Left to right: Master of Engineering Management (MEM) candidates Easwar Paidipalli, Sravya Pakanati, Shipra Rajput, and Kevin Rackers, Automation Technologies Inc., Professor Guerry Grune, PhD, Kevin Flynn, Patent Attorney, and Bill Bateman, CEO, Gowheels Inc.