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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

Free, Open-Source Recycling Ecosystem Is Making Plastic ‘Precious’

Precious Plastic is all about democratizing circularity. And it’s enabling a new form of craftsmanship: One in which anyone, anywhere, can start a small business recycling and making new products from plastic waste. Read More...

Beyond Recycling: Report Highlights Need for Circular Approach to Critical Raw Materials

The report from CISL's Corporate Leaders Group showcases the challenges, opportunities and business best practices of embracing more circular practices in CRM use through case studies from Ball, Volvo Cars and more. Read More...

Fashion for Good, adidas, Inditex, Target, Zalando Launch Circular Footwear Pilot

Fashion for Good and its four brand partners have joined forces with footwear-recycling innovator FastFeetGrinded to support the scaling of recycled content in footwear. Read More...

Congratulations! We’ve Marked Our First Plastic Overshoot Day

July 28, 2023 marks the point when plastic produced surpasses the planet’s capacity to manage it. By tracking this date, we can more clearly understand the problem; and hold governments, businesses and individuals to account for their role in it. Read More...

Climate Vault Aims to Spur Climate Action by Locking Away Carbon Permits

The organization works to purchase and vault CO2 permits from regulated cap-and-trade compliance markets — thus keeping major polluters from using them to emit and, theoretically, stopping pollution before it happens. Read More...

Visa's Recommerce Behavioral Insights Lab Aims to Make Circular Shopping Behaviors the Norm

Visa is partnering with COS, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and more to address the barriers that stop consumers from embracing a circular economy. Read More...

GAF's First Urban Heat Project Produces Cool Results

GAF coatings had been proven to cool surfaces and ambient air on individual applications but had never been applied on a community-wide scale. Preliminary data showed a 25-50% reduction of the urban heat island effect during peak temperatures. Read More...

VivoBarefoot Offers Glimpse Into a Truly Waste-Free Footwear Future

Vivobarefoot’s new scan-to-print, circular design platform enables rapid prototyping — saving development and lab time, labor, and materials waste. The company is seeking 200 UK participants to test the first generation of VivoBiome footwear. Read More...

Alt-Protein Industry Ramping Up to Be ‘All Sizzle and No Steak’ — in the Best Way

Future Food Tech’s recent Alternative Proteins event, which convened over 600 industry players, showcased the myriad innovations that will enable us to continue to bring home the bacon (and chicken, beef, fish …) without further endangering the health of the planet. Read More...

WWF: Funding Locally Tailored Food-System Innovation Is Essential for a Healthier, Abundant Planet

WWF’s new framework guides improved investment of innovation funds in food systems, so investors and businesses can work with local communities and stakeholders to identify the right innovations for the right impact in the right place. Read More...

The Science of Tree Planting: How Data Is Boosting Climate Resilience of Both Cities and Forests

Arbor Day Foundation’s Forest Priority Index and NatureQuant’s NatureScore tool identify where trees are needed most in both rural and urban areas — enabling better planning for addressing climate and human-health risks. Read More...

Change the Product, Not Just the Packaging: A Crucial Step Towards a Sustainable Food Future

A growing industry solution to plastic packaging pollution is to create food products that are more stable and compatible with more minimal and sustainable packaging materials. Read More...

Is the Chocolate Industry Ready for Europe’s Strict Due Diligence Requirements?

The EU’s mandatory environmental and human rights due diligence laws will require companies, traders and farmers around the world to rethink how they source major commodities. But cacao may be the one to watch to see the impacts of these regulations. Read More...

Report Shows Path to Zero-Emission Passenger Transport with 'More Mobility and Less Mining'

A new report shows a just pathway to zero-emission urban mobility. Simple changes such as smaller EV batteries can greatly improve resource-use efficiency; but holistically reducing car dependence will be paramount. Read More...

New Guide Helps Fashion Brands Take Meaningful, Measurable Action to Protect Nature

The report provides a critical introduction for the fashion, textile and apparel industry to setting measurable, science-based targets for nature; and will act as a blueprint for other industries to follow suit. Read More...

NextWave Focuses on Inclusive, Equitable Strategies to Turn Plastic Pollution Into a Resource

The cross-industry collaborative has reached 80% of its goal of diverting 25K MT of ocean-bound plastic by 2025. Now, it is working to ensure that the plastic is sourced with high ethical standards. Read More...

Carbon Neutral Is Dead; Long Live Nature Positive

If we invest in public campaigns for nature positive and brands shout it from the rooftops, we save what was originally valuable about the voluntary carbon market while actually doing what’s right for nature. Read More...

Colombian Toy Company Encourages Circular, Co-Creative Model of Play

Toynovo has created a subscription model for toys that eliminates waste, along with a co-creative approach to play that enhances creative thinking and problem-solving capacities. Read More...

Mobile Industry Eyes 5B ‘Dormant’ Phones Sitting in Desk Drawers for Reuse or Recycling

The GSMA estimates that if properly recycled, 5B mobile phones could recover US$8B worth of gold, palladium, silver, copper, rare earth elements and other critical minerals; and enough cobalt for 10M electric car batteries. Read More...

Organic-Materials Management: How Companies Can Make Better Choices

Helping people on the front lines of manufacturing and materials management understand company sustainability goals, and providing the leadership support to contribute to achieving them, empowers them to take a more conscious approach to disposal. Read More...

Upcoming Events

December 11-12, 2024
SB Member Network: Shifting Customer Behavior and Demand December Member Meeting
Member Event
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March 18-19, 2025
SB'25 Tokyo Marunouchi
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