Latest news with #StefanoRossi
Local Italy
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Local Italy
Italy braces for first summer heatwave with highs of up to 38C
Meteorologists said the incoming heatwave, driven by an African anticyclone, was set to push temperatures up to 38°C in parts of central and southern Italy starting on Tuesday. The health ministry issued a medium-level amber alert for heat in Bolzano, Campobasso and Perugia on Wednesday, June 11th, while a further nine cities including Rome, Milan, Florence, Bologna, Turin and Verona were placed under a lower-level yellow alert. 'Italy will find itself in a high-pressure bubble' from Tuesday, June 10th, with most Italian regions expected to see hot and muggy conditions over the rest of the week, meteorologist Mattia Gussoni told news agency Ansa. A high-pressure vortex fuelled by intensely hot winds from the Sahara would envelop the country in "increasingly oppressive" conditions until at least the weekend, said Stefano Rossi from weather news site Large urban centres would be hit particularly hard, he added. Mercury levels were forecast to rise "significantly" from Wednesday, June 11th, peaking between Friday and Sunday, June 15th. Daytime temperatures were expected to reach up to 38°C in Florence and Foggia, 36°C in Rome and 34-35°C in Milan, Bologna and Padua, according to the latest weather reports. Such temperatures are more typical of July and August, Rossi said. As of Tuesday afternoon, the health ministry's amber alert was set to be extended to other three cities on Thursday, June 12th: Rome, Riete and Frosinone. Italy's amber warnings indicate heat levels that may pose a risk to children, people with underlying health conditions and the elderly. People living or visiting cities under such warnings are recommended to avoid outdoor activity and exposure to the sun in the hottest parts of the day. With reporting from Giampietro Vianello.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plastic bag loophole means billions still being used despite 10p levy
Nearly a billion plastic bags are still being used in the UK each year because of an online delivery loophole, according to a new analysis. Although the plastic bag charge has been hugely successful since its introduction in 2015, the levy has not been applied to the booming industry of online purchases. When the charge first came into effect in England a decade ago, it was set at 5p, before being increased to 10p in 2021. But while it led to high-street plastic bag use falling by 98 per cent over the last ten years, the number being delivered to people's doorsteps remains on the rise. Analysis by Development Economics, commissioned by sustainable packaging business DS Smith, found that online fashion retailers delivered 941 million plastic bags to UK shoppers in 2024. As consumers continue to migrate online, this figure is expected to increase, hitting 1.3 billion a year by 2030. The UK is now the largest individual market for e-commerce plastic delivery bags in Europe and is estimated to have used 150 million more than second-placed Germany last year. The new analysis comes despite the research finding that half of British shoppers feel guilty about the amount of plastic their orders arrive in. Two-thirds of Brits want plastic bags to be phased out where replacements are available, and three in five say they prefer to receive their shopping wrapped in cardboard or paper. But some online fashion brands have already made the switch. Zalando, a major European online retailer for fashion and lifestyle, has been using paper shipping bags made from recycled content and FSC-certified virgin fibres instead of plastic bags since 2020. Stefano Rossi, of DS Smith, said other online fashion retailers should follow suit. She said: 'While online shopping has grown, e-commerce retailers lag high-street stores when it comes to replacing plastic bags. 'Brands like Zalando have proved change is possible, but there is a blocker; there simply aren't enough paper alternatives available and our industry needs to step up to provide them. 'It will be tempting for businesses to fixate on price, but sticking with plastic comes at a cost – consumers don't want it, and brands risk their reputation by ignoring that. 'We think legislation can and should be more demanding of us all – phasing out certain plastics to help create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic.' Only 9 per cent of the fashion e-commerce bags delivered across the UK are currently being reused or recycled, with 857 million bags ending up in landfill or incineration last year, according to the research. The analysis found that growth in e-commerce and slow progress on increasing recycling rates mean that by 2030, more than 1 billion plastic bags annually will end up being burned or in landfill. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
06-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Nearly a billion plastic bags still used in UK annually because of loophole
Nearly a billion plastic bags are still being used in the UK each year because of an online delivery loophole, according to a new analysis. Although the plastic bag charge has been hugely successful since its introduction in 2015, the levy has not been applied to the booming industry of online purchases. When the charge first came into effect in England a decade ago, it was set at 5p, before being increased to 10p in 2021. But while it led to high-street plastic bag use falling by 98 per cent over the last ten years, the number being delivered to people's doorsteps remains on the rise. Analysis by Development Economics, commissioned by sustainable packaging business DS Smith, found that online fashion retailers delivered 941 million plastic bags to UK shoppers in 2024. As consumers continue to migrate online, this figure is expected to increase, hitting 1.3 billion a year by 2030. The UK is now the largest individual market for e-commerce plastic delivery bags in Europe and is estimated to have used 150 million more than second-placed Germany last year. The new analysis comes despite the research finding half of British shoppers feel guilty about the amount of plastic their orders arrive in. Two-thirds of Brits want plastic bags to be phased out where replacements are available, and three in five say they prefer to receive their shopping wrapped in cardboard or paper. 'Change is possible' But some online fashion brands have already made the switch. Zalando, a major European online retailer for fashion and lifestyle, has been using paper shipping bags made from recycled content and FSC-certified virgin fibres instead of plastic bags since 2020. Stefano Rossi, of DS Smith, said other online fashion retailers should follow suit. She said: 'While online shopping has grown, e-commerce retailers lag high-street stores when it comes to replacing plastic bags. 'Brands like Zalando have proved change is possible, but there is a blocker; there simply aren't enough paper alternatives available and our industry needs to step up to provide them. 'It will be tempting for businesses to fixate on price, but sticking with plastic comes at a cost – consumers don't want it, and brands risk their reputation by ignoring that. 'We think legislation can and should be more demanding of us all – phasing out certain plastics to help create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic.' Only 9 per cent of the fashion e-commerce bags delivered across the UK are currently being reused or recycled, with 857 million bags ending up in landfill or incineration last year, according to the research. The analysis found that growth in e-commerce and slow progress on increasing recycling rates will mean that by 2030, more than 1 billion plastic bags will end up in landfill or being burned annually.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The plastic bag ‘loophole' that means billions are still used in UK
People in the UK have been paying extra for plastic bags in supermarkets for a decade now - but a 'loophole' in the law means billions of bags are still being used. The plastic bag levy first came into force for large retailers in October 2015, and now applies to all retailers in Britain. But there is a huge gap between the progress made in bricks-and-mortar retail and the approach taken by delivery services, according to research by Development Economics, commissioned by sustainable packaging business DS Smith. While UK law means that in-store purchases incur the plastic bag levy, this does not apply to purchases made online. As online shopping has grown in popularity, the number of plastic bags used to ship shopping has too - with online fashion retailers alone sending out almost a billion plastic bags to UK shoppers last year. By 2030, 1,3 billion plastic delivery bags will be used every year, adding up to 6.9 billion bags over the next five years, the research found. Across all types of retail e-commerce, the UK uses more plastic bags per year than any other country in Europe. The plastic bags cannot be recycled in most UK regions. Instead shoppers have to take them to dedicated recycling points. As a result, recycling rates for the plastic bags used to ship fashion ecommerce items are as low as 9%. Stefano Rossi of DS Smith said: "We think legislation can and should be more demanding of us all – phasing out certain plastics to help create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic." Some high-profile businesses such as Zalando and Amazon have switched to plastic-free packaging, but many retailers are reluctant to do so due to higher costs or a lack of alternatives. David Fischer, director of logistics, sustainability and packaging at Zalando said: 'After introducing our first paper bags, customer satisfaction with our new packaging surged by 16% year over year. 'Finding the perfect solution is a complex task, especially in a landscape where more sustainable alternatives are not yet fully scalable or may not meet the minimum requirements both in terms of sustainability and operational feasibility.' At present, the rules look set to stay the same, although government initiatives aim to make it easier for households to recycle. The government's Simpler Recycling scheme aims to encourage businesses (from 31 March 2025) to separate and recycle waste into glass, metal, plastic, paper and food waste, with food waste bins mandatory from 2026. Simpler Recycling also aims to ensure there is no 'postcode lottery' around recycling so that different areas have the same rules around what is recycled.
