The European Commission’s decision to withdraw the originally approved circular economy policy package has been heavily discussed in media circles. The promise has been made that the revised package will be more ambitious and better than the one that was withdrawn. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) has now published a

Philips has re-iterated its desire to transition many of its products from a ‘boxed product’ selling business model to one where they sell a service. Henk De Bruin, Philips Global Head of Sustainability, wrote that experimenting with leasing contracts and decoupling material use and energy consumption from economic growth were

How do you cohesively link Sir David Attenborough, Bjork, biomimicry and the future of design in our global economy? Find out by reading this article written by Prasad Boradkar, Professor in Industrial Design at Arizona State University (ASU) and co-director at the institution’s new Biomimicry Center. 

The case continues to build for UK companies to invest in remanufacturing. An All-Parliamentary Sustainable Resources Group paper identified a market potentially worth £5.6bn for remanufacturing in the UK. A follow up piece of analysis from a separate research group has suggested that at least £3bn of that opportunity is currently

A group of researchers at Monash University, Australia announced last week that they have 3D-printed two metal jet engines. While the engines are only proof of design concepts at this point, they have all the working parts of a functioning gas engine. It’s further evidence that 3D-printing is accelerating from

Zero Waste Scotland has unveiled its new circular economy business models programme – a group of companies in Scotland successfully using innovative new practices with less reliance on raw materials. The launch highlighted the activies of Re-tek, a firm based in East Kilbride.

The inefficiencies of our current economic system are hardly more pronounced than in the context of the co-existence of a global food waste problem and a world hunger problem. One third of the food produced in the world is eventually wasted, and yet more than 10% of the global population

A small aquatic snail may pave the way for the development of a lightweight, resilient material, shrimps could be the source of solar cells and the discipline is producing almost daily headlines with announcements of new designs inspired by nature. There could hardly be a better time to open a Biomimicry center and Arizona State University

A recent report, A circular economy for smart devices produced by Green Alliance, has further developed the case for circular business models and design principles to be applied to the smart phone sector. Focusing on the UK, US and Indian markets, the study outlines opportunities in increased re-use levels, software development, repair, remanufacturing, design

Scientists at the City of Hong Kong University are trialling out new techniques for converting food waste into graphene and hydrogen. The research team has discovered that they can turn coffee grounds and stale bakery goods into a sugary solution that can be used to manufacture plastic.