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

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Circular EconomyCircular EconomyMaterials & Packaging
New Bioplastic Could Eliminate 50 Million Tons of Annual E-Waste
New Bioplastic Could Eliminate 50 Million Tons of Annual E-Waste
Published on October 15, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Italian biotech firm Bio-on has developed a bioplastic called PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate), made from agricultural processing waste materials, which is 100 percent biodegradable in water and soil and can be used as a substrate for electric circuits. Wh... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Rogers Family Launches 97% Biodegradable Single-Serve Coffee Product
Rogers Family Launches 97% Biodegradable Single-Serve Coffee Product
Published on October 10, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Rogers Family Company says it has developed a single-serve coffee product that is 97 percent biodegradable.The coffee company claims an estimated 9.1 billion single-serve coffee and drink cartridges – some 19 million cubic feet of waste – end up ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular EconomyMaterials & Packaging
University of Bath Researchers Treating Wastewater with Seafood Shells
University of Bath Researchers Treating Wastewater with Seafood Shells
Published on October 4, 2013
About a 3 minute read

The thousands of tons of waste seashells created by the edible seafood sector are being used to treat wastewater in a new project undertaken by researchers at the University of Bath in the UK.Dr Darrell Patterson, from the University’s Department o... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Sims Recycling Solutions Launches ‘Zombie Phone’ Buyback Business
Sims Recycling Solutions Launches ‘Zombie Phone’ Buyback Business
Published on October 1, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Just in time for Halloween, Sims Recycling Solutions, a global electronics reuse and recycling company, today announced the launch of Zombie Phone, an online service that allows individuals to sell their used cell phones directly to Sims. Based in Au... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Former Trader Joe's Exec Wants to Turn Slightly-Past-Its-Prime Food Into New Retailing Concept
Former Trader Joe's Exec Wants to Turn Slightly-Past-Its-Prime Food Into New Retailing Concept
Published on September 30, 2013
About a 3 minute read

Food waste is a huge problem in America and globally, with up to 40 percent of perfectly good food being trashed in the US, according to a study by Harvard and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Yet there's a lack of nutritious food in US inner c... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular EconomyInnovation & Technology
Rubies in the Rubble: Fighting a Culture of Waste One Chutney at a Time
Rubies in the Rubble: Fighting a Culture of Waste One Chutney at a Time
Published on September 24, 2013
About a 4 minute read

In 2010, Jenny Dawson was a couple of years out of university working at a hedge fund company in London. One day, she found herself at a wholesale market where she saw pallets of edible fruit and vegetables going to the waste bin. The food had been g... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Investors Ask General Mills to Step Up Packaging Responsibility
Investors Ask General Mills to Step Up Packaging Responsibility
Published on September 23, 2013
About a 3 minute read

This week, investors are asking General Mills to take responsibility for recycling its post-consumer packaging waste. ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Intel Plants in Arizona Recycle 60% of Water Used
Intel Plants in Arizona Recycle 60% of Water Used
Published on September 20, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Intel treats at least two million gallons of industrial water a day at its plants in Chandler, Ariz., then returns the water to an underground aquifer, according to Bloomberg.The company, which is the city’s largest employer, recycles 60 percent of... View More

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Circular Economy
Two-Thirds of Scholastic Books Now Sourced From FSC-Certified Paper
Two-Thirds of Scholastic Books Now Sourced From FSC-Certified Paper
Published on September 17, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Scholastic, Inc., leading publisher of books for children and young adults, announced on Monday that it now purchases 68.2 percent of its paper from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified sources, surpassing its original goal of increasing the am... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
The Emerging, Not-for-Profit Economy
The Emerging, Not-for-Profit Economy
Published on September 16, 2013
About a 3 minute read

Across numerous countries, the economic contribution of the not-for-profit sector has been on the rise since the late 1990s. In Canada, for example, not-for-profit institutions now contribute 8% of the country’s gross domestic product. Moreover, in... View More

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Circular EconomyInnovation & Technology
SBIO Winner Fenugreen Poised to Change the World - Could Your Startup Do the Same?
SBIO Winner Fenugreen Poised to Change the World - Could Your Startup Do the Same?
Published on September 12, 2013
About a 2 minute read

It’s been only a few months since Fenugreen won the Innovation Open at the Sustainable Brands ’13 conference, but you wouldn’t know it based on their momentum and accomplishments since. Since winning SBIO, the company’s brilliantly simple pro... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Project Recover Exploring Viability, Options for Eliminating Paint Waste
Project Recover Exploring Viability, Options for Eliminating Paint Waste
Published on September 11, 2013
About a 3 minute read

Global design and innovation firm Seymourpowell today announced a collaboration with leading global paint company AkzoNobel Decorative Paints to explore and improve the process of recycling used paint — thus closing the loop of paint production.As ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular EconomyInnovation & Technology
Dirtball's 'Green Jean' Needs Your Help to Tackle Plastic Bottle Waste
Dirtball's 'Green Jean' Needs Your Help to Tackle Plastic Bottle Waste
Published on September 7, 2013
About a 0 minute read

66 billion bottles of water are consumed (and ultimately tossed) each year in the United States alone. In order to make a dent in this staggering number, eco-friendly clothing company Dirtball is using Kickstarter to launch a new product, The Green J... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Apple Now Offering In-Store iPhone Recycling
Apple Now Offering In-Store iPhone Recycling
Published on September 5, 2013
About a 1 minute read

Apple is now making it easier for customers to recycle their old iPhones and get new ones with its new in-store iPhone Reuse and Recycling Program according to a recent announcement. The program, which began in stores across the U.S. on August 30, al... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Nike’s New Shanghai Store Is 100% Rubbish
Nike’s New Shanghai Store Is 100% Rubbish
Published on September 4, 2013
About a 1 minute read

Sportswear giant Nike’s new concept store in Shanghai has been constructed using waste materials including more than 5,000 drinks cans and 50,000 old CDs and DVDs.Built by Miniwiz Sustainable Development, an architectural firm based in Taiwan, the ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Sprint Breaks Guinness World Record for Most Cell Phones Recycled in One Week
Sprint Breaks Guinness World Record for Most Cell Phones Recycled in One Week
Published on September 4, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Sprint has long been the industry leader in cell phone recycling. Now the wireless carrier has a Guinness World Records® achievement to prove it.This week Guinness World Records recognized Sprint for shattering the record for the number of cellular ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
MillerCoors Decreases Water Use By 6%
MillerCoors Decreases Water Use By 6%
Published on September 4, 2013
About a 3 minute read

MillerCoors reduced water use by 6.1 percent to a record low 3.82 barrels needed per barrel of beer in 2012, according to the 2013 MillerCoors Sustainability Report, released yesterday.By comparison, the nation’s second-largest brewer says some U.S... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
GM Donation Insulates 400 More Coats for the Homeless
GM Donation Insulates 400 More Coats for the Homeless
Published on September 4, 2013
About a 1 minute read

General Motors has made an additional donation of scrap sound-absorption material from its Chevy Malibu and Buick Verano models to a Detroit nonprofit for use as insulation in waterproof, self-heating coats that become sleeping bags for the homeless.... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
EcoDairy Harnessing the Hidden Power of Cow Manure
EcoDairy Harnessing the Hidden Power of Cow Manure
Published on September 3, 2013
About a 3 minute read

It takes two days to train a cow to milk itself. This may sound like a farmer’s utopia, but at Bakerview EcoDairy, a robotic milker is just one of many dairy farm innovations being put to use.Bill Vanderkooi, president and CEO of the farm, seeks ou... View More

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Marketing & CommunicationsCircular EconomyMarketing & Communications
Coca-Cola Joins with Sainsbury’s For 'Don't Waste. Create' Campaign
Coca-Cola Joins with Sainsbury’s For 'Don't Waste. Create' Campaign
Published on August 27, 2013
About a 2 minute read

Coca-Cola Enterprises has partnered with Sainsbury's to launch a new sustainability program that aims to increase the reuse and recycling of plastic bottles during the summer.The beverage company says its Don't Waste. Create campaign is designed to e... View More

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