Circular Economy
The constant stream of new models, products and processes that are helping organizations extend the useful life of resources and materials while reducing, repurposing and ultimately eliminating waste in all its forms
US Retailers Missing $74B Opportunity in Apparel Resale
With consumers increasingly preferring higher-quality apparel at affordable prices and tariffs threatening supply chain stability, ThredUp outlines the win-win online resale offers for retailers and shoppers alike. ... View More
First Citywide Reusable Cup Project Shows Viability of Reuse at Scale
In three months, the first citywide program in the US to offer a free reuse-and-return system for to-go cups produced environmental benefits when compared with a single-use alternative. ... View More
New Cross-Industry Consortium Takes Aim at Small-Format Plastic Waste
Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy calls on brands to join critical work to increase recovery of valuable small-format plastic packaging typically lost to landfills. ... View More
New Construction or Renovation? Weighing the Costs of a Building’s Life
Changing the focus from short-term fixes to long-term solutions will create a resilient built environment that preserves the integrity of a building's past, serves the needs of the present, and anticipates those of a sustainable future. ... View More
Fashion Giants Join Forces to Scale Circular Apparel, Footwear
Two new initiatives from Fashion for Good are enlisting industry heavyweights to ‘create a blueprint for systemic change,’ by scaling circular solutions and infrastructure for footwear and textiles. ... View More
BMW Group Expands Circular Supply Chain for EV Batteries
After establishing a system for harvesting cobalt, lithium and nickel from its high-voltage batteries in China, a new partnership extends the effort to its EU supply chain — with the US, Mexico and Canada to follow. ... View More
Study: Upcycling Food Isn’t Inherently Sustainable
New research highlights the potential benefits of upcycling surplus food and by-products — including job creation, cost-effectiveness and environmental advantages. But potential risks include reducing food security and equity. ... View More
Latin Innovators Unseating Conventional Leather with Circular, Biobased Alternatives
Polybion and Mabe Bio are future-proofing leather production with local and circular strategies that utilize waste, boost local economies and empower rural communities. ... View More
Once Again, It’s Fungi to the Rescue – This Time, They're Eating Plastic Pollution
Biotech startup HIRO Technologies has launched a Kickstarter to scale the circular, fungi-powered solution behind its forthcoming MycoDigestible™ diapers. ... View More
Unwrapping the Holiday Returns Crisis: The Hidden Costs of Convenience
Product returns should no longer be viewed as an inevitable cost of doing business but as an opportunity to innovate. It’s time to broaden consumer awareness of the fate of most returned goods and change that story by closing the loop. ... View More
SB Consumer Behavior Design Playbook
Led by Sille Krukow from Krukow Behavioral Design, this playbook leverages behavioral science and choice architecture principles to inspire circular purchasing. It explores social triggers, emotional rewards, and strategies for fostering impactful be... View More
SB Circularity Communications Playbook
Led by Suzanne Shelton from ERM Shelton, this playbook guides brands in effectively communicating circular products and services. It emphasizes benefits of circularity beyond sustainability, providing tools to shift how consumers think, feel, and act... View More
Yes, It’s Complex – but a Circular Economy Is Achievable
We continue to go round and round about shifting to a circular economy — discussions throughout the week at SB’24 San Diego helped provide brands much-needed clarity about the ways forward. ... View More
Lessons on the Road from a Linear to Circular — and Even a ‘Surplus’ — Economy
Keynotes on day 2 of SB’24 San Diego explored how companies are putting rubber to road to solve complex business challenges — from creating new value flows to cracking the code to circularity and driving progress toward a zero-emission automotive... View More
Meet the ‘Angel’ Helping Hollywood End Its Wasteful Ways
Earth Angel helps productions of all sizes reduce their footprint through education, resource management and carbon tracking — with the goal of harnessing the cultural influence of the entertainment industry to scale these efforts. ... View More
These Startups Are Mycoremediating Impacts of the Building Industry
Mycocycle and Mogu are harnessing mycelium to transform industrial waste into resilient, circular materials for the construction sector. ... View More
Kiehl’s Urges Consumers: ‘Don’t Rebuy. Just Refill’
The skincare brand highlights the benefits of refillable vs single-use packaging formats in its latest campaign. ... View More
Report: Reverse Logistics Integral to Accelerating Circular Fashion
Current, fragmented approaches to fashion circularity are failing to achieve commercial viability and scale. Deeper collaboration with logistics partners can streamline operations and aid compliance with tightening regulatory requirements. ... View More
Bridgestone Partners to Create Closed-Loop Ecosystem for Tires
The collaboration will see end-of-life tires transformed through pyrolysis into elastomers, which Bridgestone can then use to produce new tires. ... View More
Unilever Partners to Scale Circular Packaging Solutions in Global South
In partnership with EY and USAID, the CIRCLE Alliance collaborative model of enterprise acceleration will help scale new and existing solutions for packaging circularity in areas where plastic pollution is especially severe. ... View More
