Showing 30 of 72 · A–Z
As single-use plastic bans begin to bite, the race is on to create substitute materials. To be regenerative, these products should be climate-positive (absorb more…
Economy · Circular Economy
Food waste is simply another raw material, if we think creatively. In Italy, designer CRA has developed an innovative juice bar called Feel the Peel…
Economy · Circular Economy
There’s good bacteria and bad bacteria – and the good bacteria is helping us with sustainable innovation. Plastic-eating bacteria have been discovered near a bottle…
Economy · Circular Economy
The battle of the bags rages on – more specifically, on what constitutes a sustainable shopping bag. But surely the answer is simple? Just bring…
Economy · Circular Economy
Can the beer industry be sustainable? Heineken believes they can. By replacing its 6-pack plastic rings with a cardboard topper, the company expects to eliminate…
Economy · Circular Economy
What if, instead of using fossil fuels, minerals and plants to make products, we worked with nature to grow the materials we need? That’s what…
Economy · Circular Economy
As the circular economy gains traction, there’s a new job category emerging: the materials broker. Much like a mortgage broker who matches home buyers and…
Economy · Circular Economy
I must confess, litter drives me crazy—and the worst is cigarette butts. Not only are they unsightly and take up to 10 years to biodegrade…
Economy · Circular Economy
These days, petrochemical is a dirty word, and rightly so, since it is associated with a dirty, pollution- and climate-causing industry. But chemistry itself is…
Economy · Circular Economy
Concrete is an extremely durable material, which is why it has become ubiquitous in construction. Unfortunately, its key ingredient, cement, accounts for about 7% of…
Economy · Circular Economy
What if plastic waste and chemical pollution could be turned back into useful products? That is the goal of chemcycling, which BASF first demonstrated in…
Economy · Circular Economy
The circular economy is not a new idea. Its roots go back to conceptions of Spaceship Earth in the 1960s, eco-balance assessments in the 1970s…
Economy · Circular Economy
Turning our home organic waste into compost is one of the simplest actions we can take to support sustainability. Composting reduces waste, increases soil fertility…
Economy · Circular Economy
The ‘concrete jungle’ is usually a disparaging reference to cities where nature has been obliterated by buildings and asphalt. But what if we could build…
Economy · Circular Economy
Is the trend towards sustainable lifestyles stalling? It seems that way, at least in America, according to the Conscious Consumer Spending Index. ‘Good’ behaviours…
Economy · Circular Economy
Soon, we may avoid using toxic, chemical dyes for textiles, thanks to a scientific breakthrough that allows cotton to grow naturally in different colours. According…
Economy · Circular Economy
We are entering the decade of resource crunches. Ironically, it is the rapid take-up of sustainable and renewable products and services that is driving resource…
Economy · Circular Economy
Every year, we buy 100 billion garments. In Europe, fashion consumption has gone up 40% in the past 25 years, with 87% going to landfill…
Economy · Circular Economy
Could the trend towards delivered groceries make a zero-waste, plastic-free lifestyle easier? Zero Grocery in San Francisco thinks it can. They deliver food in reusable…
Economy · Circular Economy
Many sustainable solutions today are little more than retrofitting outdated, unsustainable products and services. It’s far better – easier, cheaper and more effective – to…
Economy · Circular Economy
A key strategy for sustainability is product durability. In our throw-away world, we often think about recyclability. But far better to first reduce consumption and…
Economy · Circular Economy
No one wants a world without colour, but textile dyeing uses 8,000 chemicals and is the second-largest polluter of water in the world. Colorifix wants…
Economy · Circular Economy
Over 1.9 billion people will buy something online this year. Imagine the social and ecological footprint. Think of where those goods are made and how…
Economy · Circular Economy
Have you heard of enzymatically recycled plastic? If not, you can expect to hear a lot about it in the coming years. Enzymes are one…
Economy · Circular Economy
As the world gears up for 5G, we risk being buried by an e-valanche of electronic waste. As it is, we only recycle 25% of…
Economy · Circular Economy
For decades, the chemicals industry has been telling us how fantastic plastic is. In recent years, this has included PR about how plastic can save…
Economy · Circular Economy
Our consumer appetite for fast and cheap fashion is disastrous for people and the planet. But there are many signs of hope. Every week I…
Economy · Circular Economy
Biomaterials are starting to challenge traditional textiles and Brewed Protein™ is the latest upstart. The new plant-based fibre is the result of a partnership between…
Economy · Circular Economy
Diamonds are forever, but what if toxic chemicals are too? One of the most serious and least talked about crises we face is the accumulation…
Economy · Circular Economy
When I came across the term ‘fashion-forward’ recently, I didn’t know what it meant. It sounds a bit like ‘pay-it-forward’ and was linked to the…
Economy · Circular Economy