Author: Arnes Biogradlija

Europe’s annual production of more than 2.1 billion tonnes of waste underscores the scale of the challenge facing policymakers and industry alike. The European Union’s response, centered on the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), is designed to dismantle the linear “take-make-dispose” model and replace it with systems that extend product lifecycles and conserve materials. For companies operating in complex global supply chains, this regulatory shift is more than a compliance requirement—it is a structural transformation of procurement, design, and distribution. Professor Christian Heinrich, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Carbmee, frames the issue with stark clarity: over 80 percent of…

By 2025, India’s industrial landscape faces a structural pivot as circular economy principles begin to replace the entrenched linear model of “take, make, dispose.” With a population surpassing 1.4 billion and growing resource scarcity, the pressure to reconcile industrial expansion with sustainability is acute. NITI Aayog estimates that circular practices could unlock trillions of dollars in economic value while significantly lowering the country’s carbon footprint, making circularity both an environmental necessity and a strategic economic lever. Manufacturing illustrates the shift most clearly. Tata Motors’ expansion of its vehicle scrappage and recycling program highlights how automakers are attempting to align with…

Australia generates more than 76 million tonnes of waste annually, according to the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Roughly 27 million tonnes end up in landfills, leaving policymakers and industry searching for technologies that can reduce both waste and emissions. Against this backdrop, Murdoch University has launched its Algae Innovation Hub in Western Australia, positioning algal biotechnology as a tool to reshape how industries manage carbon, water, and materials. The Hub, developed under the Harry Butler Institute and led by Professor Navid Moheimani, targets three converging challenges: wastewater treatment, CO2 sequestration, and the development of…

Thyssenkrupp’s potential annual carbon certificate costs of €500 million against operating profits of just €260 million expose the financial pressure driving Germany’s steel sector toward hydrogen transition, yet infrastructure delays and policy uncertainty threaten industrial viability across the Rhine-Ruhr region. The disparity between the global green hydrogen market’s projected growth from USD 12.31 billion in 2025 to USD 199.22 billion by 2034 at a 41.46% CAGR and Germany’s stagnant deployment reveals fundamental disconnects between market expectations and operational realities. The Hy Summit Rhine-Ruhr conference in September 2025 highlighted these contradictions, with industry leaders describing an environment where euphoria has shifted…

NAAREA’s validation of plutonium chloride fuel synthesis through collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre addresses a critical bottleneck in the molten salt reactor industry, which is projected to reach $41.55 billion by 2031 from $17.71 billion in 2023, growing at a 12.95% CAGR. The French startup’s breakthrough in pyrochemical synthesis of NaCl-PuCl₃ salt from plutonium oxide represents the first systematic validation of proliferation-resistant fuel production methods for fourth-generation microreactors, potentially accelerating commercial deployment timelines across the sector. The technical achievement occurs within a rapidly evolving advanced nuclear landscape where China became the first nation to operate a demonstration…

In 2024, the EU absorbed 70 percent of the UK’s crude oil exports—worth £11.4 billion—and nearly all gas exports at £3.9 billion. This heavy reliance on European buyers places the UK oil and gas sector at the center of the EU’s Methane Emissions Regulation (MER), a law that could reshape trade flows by 2030. With methane now a pivotal metric in energy diplomacy, UK exporters face regulatory gaps that threaten their commercial position. The MER introduces methane intensity standards for imports of oil, gas, coal, and eventually fossil-based hydrogen with carbon capture. Importers bear the compliance burden, but producers supplying…

Only 10 percent of plastics are recycled globally, with textile-to-textile recycling accounting for less than 1 percent. Against this backdrop, Australian biotechnology firm Samsara Eco has opened its first commercial-scale facility in Jerrabomberra, New South Wales, positioning itself to test whether enzymatic recycling can transition from research to industrial reality. The facility houses EosEco, a proprietary enzymatic process that deploys AI-designed enzymes to depolymerize mixed plastics—including polyester and nylon 6,6—back into raw chemical building blocks. These outputs can then be repolymerized into virgin-equivalent plastics for applications in apparel, packaging, and automotive supply chains. Unlike conventional mechanical recycling, which typically downcycles…

Less than 1% of global textile detergents currently incorporate bio-based raw materials, yet Finland’s Kiilto is positioning lignin—a by-product of the pulp and paper industry—as a viable alternative to fossil-based ingredients in professional laundry applications. The company’s new laundry powder, launched under the Kiilto Pro Textile line, claims a 50% reduction in carbon footprint while maintaining performance in high-demand environments such as hospitals, restaurants, and industrial workwear facilities. At the core of the development is lignin, a natural biopolymer derived from Norwegian spruce. Traditionally treated as an underutilized byproduct of the wood industry, lignin is now being repurposed to replace…

The construction and demolition sector produces more waste than most industries combined. In the United States alone, the sector generated more than 600 million tons of debris in 2018—twice the country’s municipal solid waste. The European Union reports 820 million tons annually, while China produces over 2 billion tons. Globally, construction and building operations drive nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, with half tied to embodied carbon in concrete, steel, and glass. Despite these staggering figures, financing models continue to prioritize a linear “extract, build, demolish, landfill” cycle. Materials such as structural steel, timber, and concrete are routinely discarded instead…

The global transportation liquid hydrogen market is projected to reach $10 billion by 2032, growing at a 21.44% CAGR, creating an opportunity that Paul Louis Kiesow believes justifies his ambitious entry strategy. At 20, the CEO’s €10 million Qatari-backed venture proposes 60,000 cubic meter hydrogen tankers—vessels that would dwarf current capabilities yet remain modest compared to those of established competitors. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE Scale Disparity Reveals Strategic Positioning Kiesow’s proposed ship capacity positions his venture between current demonstration vessels and the ambitions of industry leaders. Kawasaki’s pioneering SUISO FRONTIER operates with a 1,250 cubic meter tank, while the…