The Trump administration announced Wednesday it’s hitting reverse on Biden-era vehicle fuel-economy standards, the latest push to end what the president has called an “EV mandate.” The administration couched the change as a response to rising car prices, but critics note that any updated stickers won’t come quickly given how far ahead automakers plan their lineups. Also worth noting: The Biden rules would have saved households $600 a year in fuel costs—in addition to the carbon savings of burning less gasoline.
Zillow, the largest real-estate site in the U.S., has scrubbed a feature that showed homebuyers a property’s risk from wildfire, flood, extreme heat, wind, and poor air quality. “Access to accurate risk information before a purchase isn’t just helpful; it’s essential to protecting consumers and preventing lifelong financial consequences,” Matthew Eby, founder and chief executive of First Street, which fed Zillow’s climate-risk ratings, told The Guardian. Would-be buyers aren’t totally at sea, though: They can still get the data directly from First Street.
Doing laundry is one of a home’s biggest sources of microplastic pollution, as microfibers from polyester clothing shed into water and as lint in the dryer. According to a new study, adding a plastic-trapping filter to a household dryer can snag anywhere from 44% to 81% of particles, depending on the model—which is even better than previously thought. It’s also only one of five surefire ways to cut the amount of itty bitty plastic bits your clothes-washing routine creates. Read them all here.
Nike, Lacoste, and Superdry can no longer use squishy, greenwashy words like “sustainable” and “green” in their online U.K. advertising. The Advertising Standards Authority barred use of vague and potentially misleading claims—like Superdry’s “unlock a wardrobe that combines style and sustainability” ad tagline—without substantiating their claims and making them specific. Want to brush up on your greenwashing knowledge? Check out our guides to greenwashing red flags and signs that a company or product might actually be legit.
Packaging made up more plastic in 2025 than any other sector, accounting for 33% of global plastic waste, according to a new analysis from Pew Charitable Trusts. That understanding, the researchers say, presents a problem-tunity: A combination of programs and policies—think bottle deposits, refillable packaging, and bans on certain polymers—could axe 97% of that waste in the next 15 years.
