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Palm Oil Free Certification programme launches in UK and Australia A new certification programme has launched to validate consumer products that make no use of palm oil, which has been blamed for fuelling deforestation in Asia. Set up by a group of women experts, the Palm Oil Free Certification Accreditation Programme (POFCAP) is now in operation in Australia and the UK following approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, IP Australia, and IPO UK. Fourteen other nations have applied to introduce the label. Australia-based eco cleaning products company Clean Conscience is the first to carry the label, and the group is working with a host of other companies on certification. Despite improvements to tackle deforestation, POFCAP said "only 17% of all palm oil used can be classed as 'non-conflict'". The scheme is based on extensive research and trusted methods to trace all potential palm oil and palm oil derivative ingredients of a product back to their source. (Business Green)

Carbon Brief analysis shows the UK's CO2 emissions fell by 5.8% in 2016, after a record 52% drop in coal use.

Carbon emissions in the UK are down to 420 million tons annually, or about what the country emitted more than 120 years ago, according to a report from Carbon Brief. A 52% decrease in coal consumption during 2016 fueled an overall decline in carbon emissions of 5.8% for the year.

Deliver Change, a UK-based non-profit focused on sustainable technology projects, launched a campaign this week called "Let's make air pollution visible," which aims to bring together businesses, policy makers and local groups to solve the problem of air pollution in the UK. Deliver Change is also piloting its air-quality monitoring network, AirSensa, to collect data on air pollution in UK cities. 

The world's third largest ice cream manufacturer R&R Ice Cream collaborated with Iona Capital and Veolia to convert inedible ice cream waste - the sugar, fat, and protein left behind after cleaning - into biogas that generates power for the UK National Grid. The company uses an anaerobic digestion facility to convert the ice cream waste into biogas.

Just a day after a group of cross-party MPs called on the UK government to ban microbeads, Greenpeace released a report outlining the science on the impact of microplastics, including microbeads, on oceans and seafood. The non-profit is also urging the UK government to ban microbeads, "both due to the damage they cause to marine life and as a precautionary measure against the risk of human consumption."

Marks & Spencer, Nestlé UK and Ireland, and Unilever were among a group of more than 25 stakeholders in the food and beverage industry to sign on to resource efficiency charity WRAP's Courtauld Commitment 2025. The Commitment aims to reduce food and drink waste by 20%, cut the GHG intensity of food and drink consumed in the UK by 20%, and reduce the impact of water use in the supply chain.

Sainsbury's became the first UK retailer to offer in-store recycling for Easter egg packaging waste, which accounts for 3,000 metric tons of waste in the UK per year.

Transportation company Uber announced its Clean Air Plan, which aims to transition its UK-based "uberX" drivers to 100% hybrid or fully electric vehicles by the end of 2022. As part of the plan, Uber has contributed £2 million toward a dedicated fund that allows its UK-based drivers to "access up to £5,000 towards the cost of upgrading their car to a hybrid or fully electric vehicle." The company will also add a fee to every ride taken through the app in London to grow the fund and extend access to more drivers, with plans to add a similar fee in other UK cities over the next year.

The UK, Denmark and Germany are leading the clean energy transformation in Europe. Since 1990, the UK has reduced its CO2 emissions by 25 percent, while other wealthy countries such as the US and Norway have increased their emissions of greenhouse gases.

Nestlé Waters pledged to source 100% renewable electricity for its UK-based bottling plant in Buxton, England.

Coca-Cola European Partners, Avery Dennison, Viridor and PET UK have teamed up to reduce waste, costs and the carbon footprint of Smartwater production in the UK. The initiative, which turns label waste into products, was rolled out late last year in an effort by CCEP to reduce the carbon footprint of its Morpeth factory by approximately 180-200 tons of CO2. The participating parties expect to achieve annual savings of over $30,000 by simply recycling, rather than incinerating or disposing of bottle liners.

The UK brewing sector says it has met its 2020 carbon emissions target eight years early, is on track to achieve its 2020 target for improved water efficiency and is making significant progress in reducing excess packaging and waste, as detailed in Brewing Green 2013, a new report published by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

Carnival UK says tighter sulfur emissions rules for ships may mean fewer cruises in northern Europe. The cruise company's CEO David Dingle told Travel Weekly that Carnival brands P&O Cruises and Cunard Line have already planned a 28 percent cut in Baltic and Norway cruises between 2013 and 2015.

The capacity of renewable energy has overtaken that of fossil fuels in the UK for the first time, in a milestone that experts said would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

The UK Parliament became the first national legislature to declare a national environmental and climate change emergency.

A successful campaign led by chef-turned-activist Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall drew attention to a big problem: In the UK, less than 6 million takeaway hot beverage cups are recycled each year, while 7 million are thrown out each day. The attention led to an increased discount for Starbucks customers who bring their own coffee cups, as well as a call from a British natural plastics manufacturer for an increased focus on bio-based and biodegradable materials. 

Sky broadcasting company in the UK released a campaign to reduce plastic waste in oceans and along beaches. The #OceanRescue campaign features celebrity-led educational segments that give viewers tips for reducing plastic waste.

Members of UK retail industry body the British Retail Consortium including McDonald's, Asda and Sainsbury's have pledged to reduce their absolute carbon emissions from retail operations 25 percent by 2020 based on 2005 levels as part of a raft of environmental targets covering waste, transport, resource efficiency in buildings, water and refrigeration.

McDonald's and 24 other retailers committed to a new set of 2020 sustainability targets within their UK operations. The companies pledged to collectively reduce absolute carbon emissions associated with retail operations 25% from 2005 levels, account for 100% of their water usage, and divert over 99% of their waste from landfills.

IKEA is launching a campaign aimed at persuading its customers to stock up on energy-efficient light bulbs while highlighting the company's commitment to stop selling nonefficient bulbs by 2016. "This is a sustainability campaign but also a brand campaign. We need to explain what we stand for and celebrate that," says Peter Wright, IKEA's UK and Ireland marketing manager