Author: Belma Biogradlija

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), the world’s largest battery manufacturer, and Shouqi Group, a state-owned mobility services enterprise, have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to integrate electrification and circular economy practices into China’s transport ecosystem. The partnership covers multiple segments—automotive passenger transport, vehicle leasing, and mobility services—where Shouqi operates one of the country’s largest fleets. CATL will provide battery technology and work with Shouqi to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) while simultaneously addressing two pressing industry needs: charging infrastructure deployment and end-of-life battery management. A notable component is the plan to establish waste battery recycling systems. This…

Shell Polymers and ISOFlex, a division of Sigma Plastics Group, have launched a commercial collaboration enabling the use of ISCC PLUS certified circular polyethylene in food-grade flexible packaging. Flexible packaging is one of the fastest-growing plastics segments, but also among the hardest to recycle due to multilayer films and contamination risks. Industry efforts to incorporate mechanically recycled content are limited by food safety concerns and material degradation. The Shell–ISOFlex collaboration seeks to bridge this gap by supplying converters with virgin-quality resins derived from circular feedstocks, enabling films to meet both regulatory and performance standards. Shell Polymers is supplying the certified…

In 2024, U.S. industries generated over 265 million tons of municipal solid waste, with hazardous industrial byproducts remaining one of the least addressed categories of material recovery. Against this backdrop, Responsible Care® Partner WTS has sought to redefine waste management models by moving beyond traditional disposal methods. Its recent collaboration with Covestro highlights how companies are beginning to treat industrial waste streams as potential feedstocks—an approach increasingly tied to Scope 3 emissions strategies. WTS’s work with Covestro centers on redirecting materials classified as hazardous waste back into the production cycle. Instead of sending such materials to landfills or incineration, WTS…

The UK’s ambitions for a circular economy are facing a fiscal roadblock, according to a recent analysis by BB-REG-NET. The study highlights how current tax structures create financial disincentives for reuse, repair, and recycling, while inadvertently favoring linear consumption and disposal patterns. BB-REG-NET’s research points to a fundamental misalignment between government strategies and tax policy. Products incorporating recycled content are often taxed more heavily than items made from virgin materials, while repair services carry the full rate of VAT. Conversely, some new products benefit from reduced or zero tax rates. The net effect, researchers argue, is a system where environmentally…

BMW has set a target of cutting 40 megatons of CO2 by 2030 compared with 2019 levels, tackling not only its direct emissions but also the harder-to-abate scope 3 from suppliers and vehicle use. By 2025, the automaker expects to be halfway there, positioning circularity not as an option but as a survival strategy in a regulatory landscape where the EU’s 2035 combustion ban looms large. The approach—summarized internally as “Secondary First”—places recycled inputs at the core of product design. The upcoming Neue Klasse iX3, for instance, will contain roughly 700 kilograms of recycled material, amounting to one-third of the…

South Africa is positioning environmental reform as an economic strategy, using waste management and renewable energy to drive job creation, investment, and resilience. The government processed 324 of 326 environmental impact assessments (EIAs) in the past financial year, a 99% completion rate that underscores efficiency in regulation. Energy-related EIAs were finalized in just 57 days on average, reflecting urgency in addressing the country’s ongoing energy shortfall. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is central to this push. Its introduction of the Solar and Battery Energy Storage System Exclusion Norms has enabled renewable energy projects to bypass lengthy…

The European solar sector is on the cusp of a circularity test, projections indicate that by 2040, cumulative photovoltaic waste in the EU could reach between 6 and 13 million tones, potentially climbing to 21–35 million tones by 2050 if design and reuse strategies are not implemented. Addressing this looming challenge, the PV RESILIENCE project—led by TNO with contributions from researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)—is advancing solar energy systems that are not only low-carbon in generation but sustainable across their entire lifecycle. Mara Hauck, from Technology, Innovation and Society, and Olaf van der Sluis, from Mechanical Engineering, are…

Jordan’s engineering sector expanded by 19.2 percent in 2023, making it the country’s second-fastest growing industrial segment. Despite contributing just 5 percent of GDP and 4.1 percent of manufacturing exports, its rapid growth has drawn attention as a potential linchpin for Jordan’s transition toward greener, more resilient industrial practices. The EU-funded Green Forward Industry (GFI) project, launched in partnership with UNIDO, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, the Ministry of Environment, and Jordan’s Royal Scientific Society (RSS), aims to embed circular economy models into this dynamic sector—to improve resource efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and sharpen competitiveness in external markets.…

Jordan’s engineering sector expanded by 19.2 percent in 2023, making it the country’s second-fastest growing industrial segment. Despite contributing just 5 percent of GDP and 4.1 percent of manufacturing exports, its rapid growth has drawn attention as a potential linchpin for Jordan’s transition toward greener, more resilient industrial practices. The EU-funded Green Forward Industry (GFI) project, launched in partnership with UNIDO, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, the Ministry of Environment, and Jordan’s Royal Scientific Society (RSS), aims to embed circular economy models into this dynamic sector—to improve resource efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and sharpen competitiveness in external markets.…

The UK handles over 70 million tones of material annually through its resources and waste industry—a sector employing some 145,000 people. As the government advances overlapping reviews on net zero, skills, industrial strategy, and resources, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has published its report “Let’s Not Waste the Next Four Years”, urging urgent, coordinated steps to avoid losing momentum. CIWM frames the waste sector not merely as a service arm but as a foundation of economic growth, supply chain security, and climate achievement. Yet current data show serious gaps: the UK’s recycling rate for “waste from households” stood…