LA Bans Plastic Bags—Is Your Town Next?

Continue »

Companies are removing oil from their products to cut costs

Ford Motor Co.is using soybean foam in its upholstery. McDonald's Corp. is testing paper cups for hot drinks in place of polystyrene containers, which start out as petroleum. Coca-Cola Co.andPepsiCo Inc. are becoming bioplastic bottlers. And a California cleaning products manufacturer has set out to eliminate diesel from its fleet.

"A lot of brand owners, particularly those that rely heavily on packaging, are interested in protecting their long-term costs," said Douglas A. Smock, a plastics analyst who wrote a report for market research firm BCC Research that predicted a boom in plant-based bioplastics. "They want more predictable cost structures going forward. The high price of oil is responsible for the rapid emergence in interest in bioplastics."

Continue »

Romney's Energy Loan Hypocrisy Continues

Continue »