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James Cook University researchers are teaming with Australia's Fibercon company to create a greener concrete by using recycled plastic to reinforce it. "Using plastic to reinforce concrete instead of steel can reduce carbon dioxide production by about 50%," said Rabin Tuladhar, associate dean of engineering at the institution. "However, with recycled plastic, you can save 50% more carbon dioxide than you could with virgin plastic -- because you are using plastic that has already been made and repurposing it."

PepsiCo joins the flock of food companies swearing off eggs from caged hens. PepsiCo PEP -0.31% today became the latest company to commit to using 100% cage-free eggs. The company will make the transition in North America by 2020 and globally by 2025. PepsiCo uses eggs in some of its baked products, such as biscuits, cookies, and protein bars, as well as oatmeal.

VF Corporation brand The North Face launched a pilot program this summer to sell refurbished apparel online, extending product life. Called The North Face Renewed, the collection targets consumers looking for affordable gear who also want to reduce their environmental footprints.

Five fashion companies -- Eileen Fisher, H&M, Kering, Zero + Maria Cornejo and Loomstate -- now belong to the Fashion Positive PLUS initiative and will help develop "circular solutions" for clothing materials that can be used and reused. The goal of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute's initiative is to improve commonly used materials, including dyes and yarns, so they have positive health impacts while also promoting change in the industry.

Researchers at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia have developed solar paint containing a moisture-absorbing compound that also is able to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. If water vapor is in the air, then any surface painted with this product can produce hydrogen fuel, researchers said, regardless of the location or climate.

Animal protein consumption is rising worldwide. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Association estimates that the raising of livestock for meat and dairy products contributes to 14.5 percent of human-induced GHG emissions.

Though efforts in sustainable fashion production continue to expand and evolve, the beauty industry has been slow to follow, particularly when it comes to fragrance.

Personal care products containing microbeads will be banned from Canada beginning Jan. 1. A statement from Environmental Defence Canada lauds the ban and sees it as a proactive move, as other nations around the world consider similar regulations.

This month BNP Paribas, the world's seventh-largest financial institution, announced a new palm oil policy that sets responsible palm oil production as a pre-condition for financing. The policy requires that companies receiving financing protect forests and indigenous people. It also requires companies to adhere to strict human rights and labor standards, end the use of hazardous pesticides, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, among other significant measures. The move charts a new path for responsible financing that all major financial institutions should follow - or else face the growing consumer backlash against environmentally destructive institutions.

As FSC's highest decision making body, the General Assembly sets the direction for the organization for the coming years, with several important areas of responsible forest management, conservation and sustainability on the agenda. These include, among others, the protection of High Conservation Value areas such as Intact Forest Landscapes, ensuring the rights and participation of Indigenous Peoples in forest development, and the future directions for forest restoration and conservation, all while permitting forests to continue to supply the vital products the world depends on for many purposes.

Timberland and the Smallholder Farmers Alliance have partnered to provide Haitian farmers with a sustainable economy and to reduce deforestation. SFA will give the farmers who plant trees free cotton seeds, training and tools, while Timberland says it will purchase a certain amount of its global cotton supply from Haiti.

The fashion and textile industries continue to make strides towards circular models with the emergence of new resources and technologies that make a sustainable shift easier than ever before. The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute's Fashion Positive Initiative has unveiled a set of online resources designed to rapidly increase environmental and social outcomes in the fashion industry, while the H&M Foundation and The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel have uncovered a new hydrothermal process that fully separates and recycles fabric blends that can then be reused directly without any quality loss.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding its program to clean up the products it sells, setting a 2022 target for reducing potentially harmful substances and widening the list of chemicals it wants to avoid.

The world's largest furniture retailer has unveiled plans to rent its products to consumers for the first time, as it strives to become a 'net-positive' business by 2030.

Dell continues to make headway on its plans to dramatically increase the amount of repurposed and reclaimed content in its supply chain, with a goal of 100 million pounds of reused materials in its products by 2020 (double its original goal of 50 million, which it achieved in 2017). Its model could provide the entire industry with methods, practices and - through collaboration - opportunities to reduce the growing global e-waste problem and shift towards a more circular economy in the electronics sector.

REI announced that it would roll out rigorous sustainability standards across its supply chain. The more than 1,000 brands that can be currently found on REI's stores or its web site, insists the co-op, will "make it easier for millions of outdoor enthusiasts to choose more sustainable products."