France to become the first country to label electronics with repairability tags
France is reported to begin rolling out ‘repairability tags’ on devices from January 2021, with some other European countries following suit after that.
Circular economy & zero waste
Electronic waste on the decline in the United States
A new study led by a researcher at the Yale School of the Environment has found that the total mass of electronic waste generated by Americans has been declining since 2015.
Secondhand clothing sales are booming in the United States
According to a new report, the U.S. secondhand clothing market will more than triple in the next 10 years – from $28b in 2019 to $80b in 2029. In 2019, secondhand clothing expanded 21 times faster than conventional apparel retail did.
Recycling robotics company AMP Robotics could raise up to $70M
The potential benefits of AMP Robotic’s machine learning-enabled robots are undeniable. The company’s technology can sort waste streams in ways that traditional systems never could and at a cost that’s far lower than most waste-handling facilities.
Chatham House launches online tool to track circular economy trade flows
The tool is hosted by circulareconomy.earth – an online portal developed by Chatham House to enable users to “explore the policy and trade dynamics associated with transitioning from linear to circular economic models.”
Prince William launches £50 million prize to find innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems
The Earthshot Prize is centered around five “Earthshots,” simple but ambitious goals for our planet: 1) Protect and restore nature, 2) Clean our air, 3) Revive our oceans, 4) Build a waste-free world, and 5) Fix our climate.
Maryland becomes first state in the U.S. to implement a foam container ban
Passed in 2019, but implemented last week, the law prohibits restaurants, schools, stores, and other institutions from serving food in polystyrene containers.
Berlin opens giant city-run department store for second-hand goods
While the state-run store is meant to redirect useable goods away from landfill sites, the idea is also to use the stores to “anchor the re-use of used goods in urban society” by functioning as centers to educate and spread tips on re-use.
Timberland pledges to achieve full circularity of its products by 2030
The company aims to have a net positive impact on nature by 2030. To achieve this ambitious goal, it plans to design all of its products for circularity – meaning that materials for one product are reused in a closed-loop to make other products.
Solar-powered fridges are reducing food waste and hunger in Nigeria
ColdHubs installs 100 percent solar-powered walk-in cold storage rooms at Nigerian markets to help farmers and vendors cut down on spoilage and boost profits. So far, ColdHubs serves 3,517 users and their 24 Hubs have saved over 20,000 tons of food from spoilage.