Paper Clips

New Jersey is set to receive as much as $2.5 billion from a settlement with DuPont and 3M over environmental damages linked to PFAS chemicals. It's one of the biggest moves the state has made to hold major companies responsible for decades of chemical contamination. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, a long-running case over toxic "forever chemicals" that have endangered water systems and natural resources statewide is coming to a close. The Inquirer reported that, under the order, 3M will put between $400 million and $450 million, and DuPont and related companies will contribute another $875 million over 25 years, into funds intended to restore natural resources and address damage to drinking water systems. The outlet noted that DuPont entities have another $1.2 billion in remediation commitments, pushing the total value of the settlements to as much as $2.5 billion.

Metsä Board, a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of Metsä Group, has once again achieved the highest Platinum level in the EcoVadis sustainability assessment. The company ranks among the top 1% of paper, paperboard and packaging manufacturers globally, with a score of 90/100. Metsä Board has maintained the highest rating level continuously since 2017. The EcoVadis assessment evaluates companies’ sustainability management and performance across four areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Metsä Board received high scores across all categories.

Companies in tier 1 supply chains are making progress on climate goals and human rights inside their own operations. Move one tier deeper into the supply chain and that progress stalls. Four out of five (80%) companies rated by EcoVadis have no documented process for identifying or managing sustainability risks within their own supply chains. Seventy-three percent have no Scope 3 upstream emissions reporting and 77% have no downstream tracking. Only 2% have an external grievance mechanism that workers deeper in the supply chain can actually use to flag human rights violations. There is also a transparency bottleneck, with fewer than 1% reporting granular, decision-grade sustainability data to buyer organizations. These figures come from the 10th edition of the EcoVadis Sustainability Ratings Index, drawn from nearly 200,000 scorecards of the more than 100,000 companies rated globally between 2021 and 2025.

For Odysseus, the Mediterranean Sea was a world of dangers, love and destiny. From six-headed monsters to bewitching sirens and unpredictable gods, every island on his journey home brought a new adventure.  More than 2,500 years after Homer’s epic was first told, director Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has put this journey on big screens worldwide. But beyond the film’s blockbuster storytelling lies another character that is facing an odyssey of its own: the sea itself. With its shores now home to more than 500 million people – and some 25 coastal metropolitan areas – the Mediterranean’s importance has only grown. Today, it supports massive industries of fishing, tourism, shipping (it’s home to the world’s busiest shipping lanes) and a growing list of others.  It’s also an ecological treasure chest. Covering just 1 per cent of the world’s ocean surface, it contains up to 18 per cent of all known marine species – more than a quarter of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

Aptar announced that it has been named one of the World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2026 by TIME for the third consecutive year. Aptar is ranked 261 out of 750 global companies evaluated by TIME and its partner Statista. The World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2026 ranking recognizes leading companies in corporate social responsibility from around the globe. Over 5,000 leading companies were assessed, considering factors like data transparency, environmental & social stewardship, and adherence to the UN Global Compact or alignment with the Science Based Targets Initiative. Each company was awarded a score out of 100, with the top 750 companies earning a place on the World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2026 list.

With 265 million players and around 5 billion fans, football is the world's most popular sport, but, like many outdoor activities, it is increasingly affected by the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. As host cities across North America welcome millions of football fans for the 2026 World Cup, they face immense pressure on transport networks, waste management systems and natural resources. The event has attracted criticism over its projected environmental footprint, with scientists estimating that it could generate between 9 and 15 million tonnes of CO2. An assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) of more than 100 sports organizations in 48 countries found that while many organizations recognize their responsibility to reduce their environmental impact, they often lack the funding, staff and expertise needed to do so. Yet several World Cup host cities are demonstrating how challenges can drive positive change. "Large events like the World Cup provide a rare opportunity to promote and normalize good practices," says Gulnara Roll, Chief of UNEP’s Sectoral Transition Section. "Host cities can integrate tournament preparations into their long-term sustainability strategies, creating benefits that extend well beyond the event itself."

Extended producer responsibility for packaging programs in the United States have had some major firsts the last few years. Maine was the first state to pass a packaging EPR law in 2021. Oregon became the first state to begin implementing such a program in 2025. Next week is slated to bring a new milestone: The first packaging EPR lawsuit to go to trial. That means that by year’s end, there could be more clarity about the future risks and opportunities with these programs. The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors is poised to argue its case in a five-day trial in Portland, Oregon, starting July 13 — less than a year since it filed a lawsuit that’s gripped producers and the recycling world. NAW believes Oregon’s packaging EPR program is unconstitutional on two primary grounds: violation of the Due Process Clause, particularly as it relates to delegating authority to producer responsibility organization Circular Action Alliance, and violation of the Commerce Clause, given the state program’s implications for out-of-state businesses.

Nature positive has become one of the defining concepts shaping international discussions on biodiversity, climate and sustainable development. The challenge now is implementation: turning ambition into practical action that delivers lasting benefits for both people and nature. Forests are central to that discussion. They conserve biodiversity, store carbon, regulate water, support livelihoods and provide renewable materials. Nature-positive discussions rightly recognise the importance of protecting forests. They also provide an opportunity to consider how sustainably managed forests can contribute to biodiversity, climate action and resilient communities at the same time. Sustainable forest management provides a practical framework for balancing these objectives in ways that keep forests healthy, resilient and productive. The Global Nature Positive Summit 2026, taking place in Kumamoto, Japan, from 14–16 July, provides an opportunity to explore exactly these questions.

Over the past five decades, China has planted 66 billion trees in a massive wall that spans the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts. This reforestation effort intended to stop the deserts’ spread is working — but, it turns out, with a surprising twist. In a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers found that the trees planted in the so-called “Great Green Wall” appear to grow faster than trees in natural forests, possibly because they respond to the rising CO2 levels in our atmosphere better. The Great Green Wall project began in 1978 and is expected to be completed by 2050. The original intent was to slow the desertification of the country’s grasslands, of which the Gobi devours over a thousand square miles every year. In its early stages, the initiative struggled to get off the ground, as some of the trees chosen for their quick growth turned out to be poorly suited for the environment and died off. But Chinese scientists pushed on. In a monumental feat of planning and perseverance, the verdant barrier has continued to grow instead of dying off — a fate that commonly befalls other green wall initiatives that learned that you can’t brute force your way into planting as many trees as possible. Forest cover in the regions the wall touches has ballooned from 5 percent in 1978 to 14 percent in 2023, according to a Nature article, which has helped cut down on dust storms and improve the air quality in downwind cities, including Beijing.

EcoVadis, a leading provider of corporate sustainability ratings, has once again awarded UPM its highest possible Platinum recognition. Among more than 150,000 companies assessed, only the top one percent achieved Platinum status. UPM has been part of this top one percent since 2020 and has now earned an outstanding score of 90/100 for the second consecutive year. The EcoVadis assessment evaluates companies’ performance across four categories: Environment, Labor and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Additionally, in May UPM received an A score in CDP’s 2025 Supplier Engagement Assessment (SEA), which evaluates how companies engage their supply chains on climate-related issues. According to CDP, companies that actively involve their suppliers in climate change mitigation play a crucial role in the green transition.

The EU and China reaffirmed their commitment to step up joint action against plastic and chemical pollution, including from packaging, ahead of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Armenia and the resumption of negotiations of the Global Plastics Treaty. High-level dialogues were held this week in Brussels, Belgium During the policy dialogue, the EU and China agreed on the need to accelerate global action, noting that plastic pollution is rising and cannot be addressed by any country alone. Both sides reaffirmed their joint commitment to advance negotiations on a legally binding global instrument to end plastic pollution, requiring global action across the full lifecycle of plastics. The discussions also highlighted the need for chemical pollution prevention and control, including hazardous substances such as persistent organic pollutants and PFAS.

Packaging minds from P&G, General Mills and Just Born Quality Confections, along with municipal waste leaders and other collaborators, discussed the latest compliance tensions and emerging solutions. -You’ve got questions. So does everyone else. As EPR begins to take hold in U.S. states, questions abound across the value chain. “We’re supposed to be talking about navigating EPR, and I’m not sure that I’m really any more familiar with where I should be going as a local government,” said Christina Seibert, executive director at the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County, Illinois. “I’ve got as many questions as I have answers.” -State disparities create tension The differences among states’ packaging EPR laws is a major pain point for brands and packaging companies, speakers said. “Where we create conflict in setting policy is creating conflict for the implementation and the logistics that it takes to make it effective,” Seibert said. “We know that brands are not designing packaging for a state, they’re designing it for a market. The market is national, and sometimes larger than national.”  -Peeping at data solutions Concerns over disparate state programs also have come up at Just Born Quality Confections, the parent company of candy brands including Mike and Ike, Peeps and Hot Tamales. “Every time I thought I had a good grasp, another state would change their goal posts,” said Charlotte Ashcraft, senior manager of packaging and graphics development, discussing her journey with learning about EPR. “Then something clicked for me. I realized I was trying to solve the wrong problem. I was treating EPR like a policy problem, and it’s not — at least not for us. EPR is really a packaging data problem.” -Where the fees flow Various speakers touched on how collected EPR fees go toward adding or improving recycling infrastructure. Speakers at one session discussed an area they believe should be at the top of the funding list: flexible film recycling.

Companies across the paper and packaging value chain are facing growing pressure to provide accurate Scope 3 emissions data and support sustainability claims with transparent, verifiable information. As sustainability expectations evolve, broad environmental claims are no longer enough. Sustana’s latest EnviroLife® life cycle assessment (LCA) provides product-specific environmental data that helps customers evaluate fiber choices, strengthen sustainability reporting, and make more informed packaging decisions. As sustainability expectations continue to evolve, companies need more than broad environmental claims to guide procurement and material selection. They need data grounded in actual products and manufacturing processes. Sustana’s latest EnviroLife LCA provides that added level of insight, helping customers better understand the environmental impacts associated with the materials they source and use.