Installed beneath the portico of the Università degli Studi di Milano, approximately twenty thousand cans of Mutti tomato pulp were supported by a steel substructure that allows them to be stacked and gradually removed without compromising their stability.
The circular economy is not just a trend-it's a necessity for sustainable industrial and economic growth. However, investors often face challenges such as 'death by pilot,' regulatory hurdles, and the gap between technical readiness and market entry.
Construction and demolition waste is the largest single waste stream in the EU by weight, yet the vast majority of materials removed from buildings are downcycled into low-value rubble rather than recovered for reuse, because no reliable record exists of what those materials are, where they came from, or what condition they are in.
"You would constantly be checking the news, making sure your parents are safe, calling your parents. There's so much uncertainty in day-to-day life in Palestine, and it often left me battling with my own thoughts here in Ireland."
Coffee byproducts offer a promising, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative for improving the functional and ecological performance of bio/edible films. These agro-industrial residues exhibit a richness in biofunctional compounds such as polyphenols, caffeine and dietary fibers, which contribute significant antioxidant, antimicrobial and UV-barrier properties, making them ideal candidates for applications in active food packaging.
Korea Zinc, which it described as one of the world's largest smelters, is in talks with major US technology firms to recycle data center waste and extract rare earth. The move comes almost one year to the day after China announced immediate export controls on seven more rare earth elements critical to enterprise IT hardware manufacturing.
By January 2026, over a quarter of Americans will live in states with right-to-repair laws, and that number should rise to more than 35% by fall 2026 when Connecticut and Texas join in. The European Union also passed a Right to Repair Directive in 2024, which will apply to all EU countries by July 2026. These rules make manufacturers give consumers and independent repair shops the tools, parts, manuals, and software needed to fix their own products.
The project includes a hotel, a conference and meeting center, and a sustainable food court. Its objective is to set a new standard for a purpose-driven destination that turns circular living into 'something individuals, companies, and organisations can feel, experience, and act on.'
Mexico's construction sector faces significant environmental and social challenges. The widespread use of carbon-intensive materials has positioned the industry as a major contributor to national CO₂ emissions. At the same time, construction labor conditions remain unstable, with limited access to technical training and high occupational risk. CORNCRETL, developed by MANUFACTURA, proposes a circular material strategy that addresses both environmental impact and production models within the building industry.
Picture this: four robotic arms working in perfect harmony, tracing circular patterns like some kind of futuristic dance performance. But instead of creating art, they're printing the walls of an actual farm. Welcome to Itaca, a project that just wrapped up its construction in the hills of Northern Italy, and it's changing how we think about building homes. WASP, the Italian company behind this audacious venture, just finished printing the walls of what they're calling the first certified 3D-printed construction in Italy.
Modern Milkman has secured a £10 million investment to accelerate growth across the UK, expand its US footprint and develop new sustainable doorstep services, taking its total funding to more than £60 million. The Manchester-based business said the funding will support the continued evolution of its doorstep delivery model, as it builds out a broader logistics platform designed to make sustainable grocery shopping easier and more convenient for households. The investment comes from Salica Investments, marking the first direct-to-consumer business backed by Salica's Growth Debt Fund.
Creative talent from Ireland, the UK, France, Italy, the USA and the UAE will present their fashion designs made entirely from recycled materials in the Helix, DCU from February 23-25, with the World Final taking place on February 24. The competition which is open to 12-19 year olds celebrates innovative and imaginative craftmanship, with a focus on promoting sustainability and the importance of a circular economy.
One of the earliest large-scale examples of composite materials can be found in the Great Wall of China, where stone, clay bricks, and organic fibers such as reeds and willow branches were blended to create a resilient and lasting structure. These early techniques reveal a timeless intuition: distinct materials, when combined thoughtfully, produce properties unattainable by any single element.
ReTyre's unique 'carbon-neutral' tire tech looks set to make big inroads in performance and real-world availability, thanks to a new development partnership with Vittoria and a fresh round of venture capital investment. Together, the funding and Vittoria collaboration will help ReTyre expand production of their pioneering sustainable tires. And it signals a shift from making tires for less-demanding applications like kids' bikes and strollers, stepping up to make durable, high-performance eco tires for everyday urban and commuting bikes and ebikes.
According to research by the World Economic Forum and United Nations Development Programme, the circular economy could unlock $4.5 trillion in new global value by 2030, and investors are racing to capture part of that opportunity. Meet Elizabeth Blankenship-Singh, Director of Innovation at Overlay Capital, an Atlanta-based alternative investment firm whose Waste and Materials Fund is backing both early-stage materials innovators and later-stage recycling operations with established infrastructure.
This week on the podcast, we're sharing an episode of Harvard Business School's Climate Rising podcast. In this conversation, Professor Mike Toffel speaks with James Reinhart, Co-Founder and CEO of ThredUp, one of the world's largest online resale platforms for secondhand clothing. We thought it was the perfect time with the holiday season upon us and the results of ThredUp's 2025 holiday report revealing 40% of holiday budgets will go to secondhand gifts this year.
Joining forces with REEN is a defining step for both companies. Together, we can scale faster, serve customers better, and lead the transformation of how cities and companies manage resources.
As rising emissions targets collide with shrinking material supplies and the growing urgency of climate commitments, the built environment is being forced into a deeper reckoning with how it consumes, circulates, and discards resources. What was once considered waste is now revealing itself as a dormant architectural archive, an urban ecosystem of materials waiting to be reclaimed, revalued, or reimagined.
Communities transform when environmental responsibility shapes their infrastructure strategies. Roads, bridges, and urban systems define daily life, and each decision about materials affects long-term ecological stability. Engineers, contractors, and planners seek methods that preserve natural resources while maintaining structural strength. Governments and local builders benefit when infrastructure projects adopt circular practices. Recycling asphalt saves money by reducing the need for new production and transport. Reclaimed materials also perform comparably to newly manufactured options, offering durability and strength without compromising safety.
The circular economy is a sustainable model of production and consumption that aims to reduce waste and extend the life of resources. Unlike the traditional linear system of "take-make-dispose," it promotes a closed-loop approach where materials are reused, repaired, refurbished, and recycled. This model helps conserve natural resources, lowers environmental impact, and supports long-term economic resilience. A recent report indicates that only 6.9% of the 106 billion tonnes of materials used globally each year are recycled.
Attendees will dive into the latest trends shaping e-commerce, with a focus on how AI and sustainability are transforming customer engagement, operations, and business growth. The event will feature a mix of keynote speeches, interactive discussions, and hands-on breakout sessions, offering both inspiration and practical tools for industry professionals. The break-outs are made with industry experts, such as Contentor and Mimir.
Ian Falconer kept thinking about the heaps of discarded plastic fishing nets he saw at Newlyn harbour near his home in Cornwall. I thought it's such a waste', he says. There has to be a better solution than it all going into landfill. Falconer, 52, who studied environmental and mining geology at university, came up with a plan: shredding and cleaning the worn out nets, melting the plastic down and converting it into filament to be used in 3D printing. He then built a micro-factory so that the filament could be made into useful stuff.
