Grains of Salty Truth

  • Bioplastics: No Panacea

    Rather than the cure-all that was proffered, upon closer inspection, bioplastics appear to be a regrettable substitution for conventional plastics. Research shows that bioplastics suffer from toxicity and negative environment impacts like their petroleum-based counterparts.

  • California to Investigate Whether Petrochemical Companies Misled Public about Plastic Recycling Efficacy

    The state of California took an unprecedented step in shattering the plastic recycling illusion recently when Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an investigation into petrochemical companies to determine the extent to which they have known about the futility of plastic recycling and the extent to which they have misled the public.
  • Climate Advocates Meet in NYC while Giant Sequoias Burn in CA

    Climate advocates are convening for Climate Week NYC 2021,while at the same time wildfires in California, exacerbated by climate change, threaten the world's largest tree.
  • Maine Passes First State Law on Plastic Producer Accountability

    In mid-July, Maine became the first state to pass a law holding producers of plastic packaging financially responsible for recycling the materials they generate, paving the way for other states to follow.
  • Littorary Signs Global Plastic Pollution Petition

    Littorary has signed a petition created by the World Wildlife Fund aimed at encouraging the United Nations to create a global and legally binding agreement to stop copious amounts of plastic from leaking into our oceans and waterways. We encourage others to do the same.

  • Pressure Grows for Global Treaty on Plastic Waste

    As plastic pollution grows to be one of the most consequential environmental hazards of our time, so grows the awareness of the problem as one that transcends national boundaries. Citizens across the world are taking notice, and many people, particularly the cohort of younger generations are demanding more attention and action to the problem.
  • Beware of Sophisticated Corporate Efforts to Duck Environmental Responsibility

    “The first carbon footprint calculator was developed and popularized by BP in a $250 million campaign,” said Ash Sarkar, a British political activist. “Why? To individualize the problem, and let big polluters off the hook.”
  • Investors Demand Corporate Accountability on Plastic Pollution

    Corporate America is on notice – continue to ignore your poor environmental record and face the wrath, not of a bunch of granola-munching activists, but of your own shareholders. 81% of Dupont investors voted against management to demand the company keep track of its plastic footprint.
  • Major Producer Attempts to Greenwash Disposable Coffee Cups

    A particularly egregious example of greenwashing in the form of a report by Finland-based Huhtamaki, a global food packaging supplier, compares their disposable coffee cups to reusable alternatives. “Key findings” from the report are misleading at best and entirely false at worst, relying on bad assumptions that lead to a skewed analysis and cherry-picked conclusions.

  • Littorary Goes Climate Neutral

    Littorary has committed to Climate Neutral certification, ensuring that the entirety of our business, including our supply chain, will be in compliance with net-zero emissions goals from the outset.
  • California Becomes First in World to Develop Health Guidelines for Microplastics in Drinking Water

    California will become the first government in the world to develop formal health guidelines for microplastics in drinking water, a sign of increasing concern about the ubiquity of small non-biodegradable pieces of plastic in the environment and their potential harm to human health.
  • Big Plastic Sued over Recycling Claims and Pollution Scourge

    Berkeley, California-based NGO, Earth Island Institute, is suing a number of plastics producers over misleading recycling claims and environmental damage caused by their products. The NGO asserts that most of the plastics produced by these companies cannot be recycled and end up as pollution in the environment, which requires costly cleanup efforts.