Pique Behind the Curtain Vol. 26

A newsletter for those who are interested in climate solutions, media and film production

April 20, 2022

This Newsletter Has Nothing to Do With Weed

Not that kind of weed, silly. We’re talking about a different kind of agricultural plant. And these plants suck carbon out of the atmosphere pulling it deep into the soil. 

Welcome back to our weekly newsletter, Pique Behind the Curtain. If you’ve come in search of climate content, new film features, and all-around positive vibes, then you’ve come to the right place.

Loam Bio

Hot take: carbon gets a bad rap. 

It’s true that the excess CO2 in our atmosphere is having devastating effects on our planet’s health and security. But carbon is also a critical element of life on Earth - particularly when it comes to soil and plant growth. It gives soil structure, stores water and nutrients that vegetation needs, and feeds vital soil organisms.

So the question is, how do we get it out of the air, into the ground, and keep it there?

Loam Bio captures carbon from the atmosphere and returns it to the soil, improving soil health and helping to fight atmospheric warming.

As the climate becomes more variable, our soils need to have more resilience within them. By utilizing plants’ natural ability to convert CO2 into simple sugars, Loam Bio works at the intersection between agriculture, microbial science, and climate change to convert stable forms of carbon that can be captured instead of released into the atmosphere. 

Sneak Pique

Most of us don't think about the energy that it takes to make the goods and products all around us. Any product that you or I use has what's called “embodied carbon”, that's basically the resources that go into its production. 

Everything’s got it. Things like paper & plastics, silicones & rubbers - most materials that we sit on, wear, or use in our day-to-day work or home environments use embodied carbon. So, how can we decarbonize the behind-the-scenes production? 

Next week, we take a look at Via Separations, a company focused on removing carbon from the manufacturing of raw materials that go into goods and products that we use every day. 

Want to know more? Check back in next week for the full film.

Good Climate News!

This week in good climate news 🌍:

Burrrrn Baby Burn. No More Inferno!

Ah, the French. In addition to a rich culture of cuisine, art, and architecture, if there is another thing they do well, it’s fashion. But even they are not immune to the influencer-lifestyle trend that is fast fashion, a production process with an incredibly quick - and often low quality - output. Fast fashion relies on customers’ quick purchasing habits for garments that are usually worn just a few times before being discarded.

The rise of fast fashion has had devastating environmental and humanitarian consequences, from its reliance on plastic fabrics and its enormous carbon footprint to its erosion of workers’ rights. It results in an incredible amount of discarded clothing sent to landfills by customers, but also has drastically increased the number of unsold goods for sellers.

Mass-market and luxury brands have been known to destroy - often by burning - growing stocks of unsold merchandise rather than selling it at a discount in-store or storing it as a method to avoid certain costs. 

But wait! There is good news out of France! The enactment of a new law prohibits the destruction of unsold goods (namely, non-food products) and is forcing fashion brands to look more carefully at the volumes they are producing in order to stay within the bounds of the law. At the same time, helping them to avoid the excessive markdowns that they view as a death blow to their luxury positioning. 

The “Projet de loi relatif à la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l’économie circulaire”, or bill on the fight against waste and the circular economy, was first passed back in early 2020. This ruling requires companies to follow an array of new sustainability-centric mandates, such as requiring the systematic phasing out of automatic paper receipts and single-use plastic in fast-food restaurants, a ban on plastic packaging on most fruit and vegetables, and the outright ban on all single-use plastics by 2040. 

C’est beau!

https://www.thefashionlaw.com/a-french-law-prohibits-the-destruction-of-unsold-goods-now-what/

What We’re Watching, Reading, and Listening to

Searching for more positive climate content? Look no further!