8 August 202315 November 2023 Stockholm University leads Bio-LUSH for development of new sustainable bio-based fibers for a circular bioeconomy The four-year Bio-LUSH project, launched in May 2023, supports the establishment of a sustainable bio-fibrous economy and manufacturing sector in Europe
4 August 20232 August 2023 Maximising the recyclability of paper sacks EUROSAC and CEPI Eurokraft have published Paper Sacks - Design for Recyclability Guidelines, which provide recommendations for the materials used and for the physical construction of paper sacks
Contaminated Plastic Waste Finds New Life via Dissolution Recycling In April of this year, Trinseo inaugurated its dissolution recycling pilot plant for polycarbonate in the Netherlands. In this article, Trinseo’s Ben Porter explains how the technology works and the role it can play in furthering the circularity of plastics
3 August 20231 August 2023 Reinventing ‘wood’ with programmable bacteria In the DELIVER project, researchers from the University of Freiburg and the Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM) in Saarbrücken are working together to create a database of hundreds of wood-waste-based materials
gr3n to build in Spain – the first-of-a-kind manufacturing plant for microwave assisted depolymerization of PET in partnership with Intecsa Industrial Both partners will join forces and build a “First-of-a-Kind” (FOAK) manufacturing facility able to produce 40.000 tons of virgin-like PET, commencing EPC phase in Q4-2024 and aiming to be operational in 2027
2 August 202327 July 2023 Packaging Specialist ALPLA Launches New Alplarecycling Brand The globally active ALPLA Group has been investing in building up its own recycling capacities since 2005
1 August 202327 July 2023 Pioneering the world’s first high-performance coatings containing phthalic anhydride made from plastic waste Beckers is collaborating with suppliers to incorporate raw materials, made from recycled plastic, into its paints. The ability to turn waste plastic into new raw materials will promote circularity and reduce emissions
Insights from WWF’s First-Ever Plastic Policy Summit The world has never been closer to reaching a global solution towards addressing the plastic pollution crisis
31 July 202326 July 2023 CHITOSE Group, Successfully Concludes Capital Increase of 7M USD Scale from Shiseido and Forms Strategic Partnership Accelerate a Microalgae-based Circular Manufacturing in a Cosmetic Industry
UvA chemists recycle shrimp waste as catalyst for hydrogen generation Flexible spheres of the biomolecule chitosan, made from shrimp waste, can be used for catalysts that generate hydrogen gas from borohydride salts
29 July 202329 May 2024 Exclusive interview with Beiersdorf: Sustainability in the cosmetics industry – bio-based, CO2-based and recycling innovations at Beiersdorf Dr. Manuela Köhler and Eva-Maria Bredehorst explain how Beiersdorf is using bio-based, chemically recycled and CO2-based raw materials to achieve these goals without compromising product quality and safety
27 July 202324 July 2023 Melodea’s Sustainable Barrier Coating Boosts Food Packaging Recyclability Green-Tech company's high-performance barrier coating is an eco-friendly alternative to plastic packaging including EVOH
TotalEnergies, Aramco and SABIC complete MENA region’s first processing of oil from plastic waste at scale to make certified circular polymers TotalEnergies, Aramco and SABIC have for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa successfully converted oil derived from plastic waste into ISCC+ certified circular polymers
26 July 202320 July 2023 To achieve climate neutrality in the chemical industry, we must also cut demand Innovative production technologies are crucial to the chemical industry’s net-zero endeavour – but they’re not always enough, says Paolo Gabrielli
25 July 202325 July 2023 BIORECER: unlocking the full potential of biomass and biowaste resources Addressing the challenges is crucial for realizing the full potential of biomass and biowaste utilization in creating sustainable and climate-friendly solutions
Flexible packaging leader Parkside laser-focused on sustainable lidding film solutions with ParkScribe® technology UK-based flexible packaging specialist Parkside has launched a revolutionary range of sustainable lidding films as a next-generation solution for brands seeking to solve their packaging sustainability challenges, as part of its Sustainable 7 product strategy
24 July 202324 July 2023 Smart Carbon Cycles Require Advanced Recycling – Call for Abstracts for the Advanced Recycling Conference 2023 Advanced recycling plays a crucial role in the quest to replace 1 Gt of fossil carbon per year with renewable carbon sources.
Carbon Capture Scotland to capture and re-use green CO2 Green biogenic CO from Iona Capital’s biomethane plants to be captured and re-used as dry ice
Avnos Inc. Secures Funding and Strategic Partnerships From ConocoPhillips, JetBlue Ventures and Shell Ventures, Totaling Over $80M Industrial leaders drawn to new cost-effective Direct Air Capture technology that also produces water
Researchers make bioplastic sheets with pineapple stems from agricultural waste A team of researchers from universities in Thailand and Malaysia have collaborated to develop a unique kind of bioplastic sheet that is good for the environment and can decompose naturally
PreZero signs cooperation agreement on plastic circularity PreZero and Shell Chemicals Europe (‘Shell’) aim to develop a sustainable chemical recycling solution along the value chain for currently hard to recycle plastic streams
21 July 202319 July 2023 Alfa Laval and RWDC Industries announce joint development agreement to advance circular economy solutions Combined expertise will accelerate scale-up of sustainable materials production to reduce global reliance on single-use, petroleum-based plastics
19 July 202317 July 2023 Borealis to acquire Rialti S.p.A., a leading European producer of recycled polypropylene compounds Borealis announces the signing of an agreement to acquire Rialti, one of Europe’s leading producers of mechanically recycled polypropylene (PP) compounds for injection moulding and extrusion
Can Cellulose Fibers Fill the Cotton Gap? Cellulose as a Raw Material Could Be the Answer to Future Textile Demand
18 July 202317 July 2023 Shaping the sustainable fibre future with cellulose fibres – Abstract submissions open for the Celullose Fibres Conference 2024 Rising demand for renewable fibres meets bio-based and biodegradable cellulose fibres as a breakthrough solution for the future
17 July 202317 December 2024 No Sustainable Future Without Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) Why We Need Much More Political Recognition and Support for CCU
14 July 202311 July 2023 INEOS Styrolution partners with EGN and Tomra to recycle post-consumer polystyrene waste into food contact polystyrene Process enables closed-loop circularity for polystyrene (PS) at food contact quality levels. First large-scale mechanical recycling facility to process recycled PS suitable for food packaging. Start-up expected by mid-2025
12 July 20236 July 2023 Government Minister visits Celtic Renewables on launch of new Circular Economy Bill New legislation to tackle waste by improving recycling rates and increasing reuse has been published by the Scottish Government
Lummus Technology and MOL Group Establish Partnership for Advanced Waste Plastic Recycling Underscores Lummus and MOL’s commitment to developing sustainable solutions for the circular economy
11 July 20236 July 2023 IFF Pioneers Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials Technology Platform to Deliver Sustainable Biopolymers IFF announced the launch of its new-to-the-world Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials (DEB) technology for the development of biobased materials at scale
10 July 20236 July 2023 Study shows hemp captures as much carbon as forests when used for construction materials Titled "Unlocking Carbon Transfer: Wood and Hemp for Sustainable Construction", this study delves into the environmental implications of utilizing these biomass sources in the construction industry
EPFL spin-off closes the loop on PET recycling EPFL spin-off DePoly has developed a method for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at ambient temperature, even when it’s dirty or mixed with other plastics. The firm confirmed the feasibility of its method with a pilot capable of processing 50 metric tons per year. Having recently raised CHF 12.3 million, DePoly is now building a pilot plant with 10 times that capacity
How can a shift to a circular economy in the EU contribute to a climate-neutral Europe? Shifting to a circular economy model is perceived as crucial for the European Union to achieve its goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050
7 July 20234 July 2023 BioBased Circular Proposal with Avantium selected by National Growth Fund for funding to make plant-based materials The Dutch cabinet announced that the National Growth Fund (Nationaal Groeifonds) has selected the BioBased Circular (BBC) proposal[i] for funding
Poland provides untapped opportunities for Europe’s bio-based sector and green growth The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), Europe’s leading industry association putting circularity, innovation and sustainability at the heart of the European bioeconomy, has published an updated version of its Country Report on Poland
Compostable Plastics: Unlocking the Potential in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation 10 Member States are at risk of missing the target of 65% recycling of packaging waste by 2025
6 July 20234 July 2023 Bloom Labs unveils protein-based alternatives for circular economy Bloom Labs, a company at the forefront of material science, has developed next-generation alternatives to natural and synthetic fibres, as well as plastics to accelerate the global transition towards a circular economy
5 July 20233 July 2023 Lower Carbon Footprint With Proven High Performance: Röhm Launches Plexiglas® Proterra Molding Compounds On The Market Röhm offers customers two new ways to lower their product carbon footprint
Biggest ever EU LIFE textile funding to the recycling system OnceMore® In its largest funding ever, EU LIFE has granted 10 million EURO for a project to scale up OnceMore®, an innovative, first-of-a-kind industrial-scale system for recycling of blended textile waste. The project is a collaboration between Swedish Forest industry group Södra and Austrian company Lenzing
4 July 20233 July 2023 New Joint Venture to Boost Circularity of Secondary Plastic Packaging LyondellBasell and AFA Nord, a leading recycler of agricultural film, have agreed to create a 50:50 joint venture that intends to recycle post commercial flexible secondary packaging waste
Infinite plastic recycling: The technology is ready, but what about legislation? New chemical recycling technologies are creating an infinite loop for the plastic ecosystem, addressing waste streams that currently lack suitable recycling processes
3 July 202328 June 2023 BASF Venture Capital invests in startup DePoly SA DePoly develops low-energy and selective chemical recycling technologies for polyester waste streams. The company establishes a sustainable source of raw materials from post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste
30 June 20234 October 2024 Monthly news from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), June 2023 Let's take a look at what happened in June 2023 at RCI
29 June 202322 June 2023 Henkel Adhesive Technologies is driving progress towards climate-positive operations Henkel has a longstanding track-record as a leader in sustainability for decades and constantly drives transformational change to create value for its stakeholders
Carbon2Chem®: Pilot plant for methanol production starts operation at thyssenkrupp Steel Europe’s steel mill in Duisburg The methanol plant was moved to the steel mill to get it operated with gases from ongoing steel production
28 June 202322 June 2023 A global first for circularity: Södra and Lenzing receive largest EU LIFE subsidy for recycling project EU funding for textile recycling project on an industrial scale. Huge boost to circularity. Lenzing and Södra – a long-standing partnership for systemic change
New living lab Biobased Boulevard to encourage use of natural building materials Entrepreneurs, researchers and clients can use the living lab to test innovations