Hey Reader π It's time for the second November edition of Circular Digest!
This week weβll cover:
3D printing shoes to reduce material consumption & waste
UK coalition calling for a bold Global Plastics Treaty
How companies are making recycling more resource efficient
Read on!
3D printed shoes can reduce material consumption and waste. Image credits: Hilos
The Headlines
Industry: Unilever brings its packaging R&D in house. The FMCG giant recieved criticism earlier this year for backing away from its commitments to cut virgin plastic use in half and make all packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. It now employs 650 packaging experts to deliver its new targets to: 1) eliminate non-essential plastic packaging where possible by creating new product formats such as shampoo bars or laundry detergent sheets 2) develop 'barrier' materials that can be combined with paper to privde a viable and scalable alternative to plastic.
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Innovation: Hilos, a footwear company, is reducing waste thorugh 3D printing shoes. Traditionally, brands overproduce 20% because they don't know what size and styles are going to be needed, and when, contributing to large amounts of waste. To minimize overproduction, Hilos uses an on-demand retail model, printing shoes on demand within 72 hours. They also use patented form of digital manufacturing, which uses less component parts. What traditionally may be 5 or 6 different materials, could be combined into one printed material using this technology, further reducing material consumption.
Image credits: Hilos
Community: WWF Japan are getting consumers involved in sustainability measures. Through their interative 'Shopping Basket Initative', they encourage consumers to vote on actions such as adding cooler doors or removing plastic meat trays by returning baskets to designated 'Yes' and 'No' areas. WWF Japan are hoping this will provide insight into barriers consumers have to switch to more sustainable choices, for example too costly or ineffective, and raise awareness and participation among the general public.
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Industry: ENGIE and Meta have signed a 260 MW renewable energy agreement. This agreement will power Meta's data centers using ENGIE's Sypert Branch solar project in Texas. This will begin in 2025 and it's expected to generate $69m in local tax revenue, with $45m directed to schools. It is also expected to create 300 construction jobs.
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Policy: The UK government and leading UK businesses and NGOs have called for an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty. This open letter, convened by Defra and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, calls for stringent rules to tackle the full lifecycle of plastics including primary plastics polymers, products made of or containing plastics and associated chemicals and all forms of plastic pollution. The coalition, including Circulate Capital, Danone, Fidelity International, ING, Legal and General Investment Management, Mars, Nestle, SC Johnson, Tecso, Unilever, Waitrose and WRAP, calls for global criteria to guide design standards, sector-specific guidelines and science-based regulations to limit problematic plastics. They are also advocating for national EPR systems to fund collection, reuse and recycling of plastics!
Circular Policy with Axel Darut
Get the top stories in circular economy policy over the last two weeks. From assessing whether the Global Plastics Treaty is bold enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees to new ambitions to increase the effectiveness of the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan.
Myth: Only certain types of materials are resources.
Fact: In a circular economy, anything could and should be considered a resource to recirculate. Heat is a resource. Waste is a resource. Water is a resource.
EPR around the world
Extended Producer Responsibility is not stopping! Proven as a way to hold producers accountable, reduce waste and incentivise circularity, it has been implemented in every continent for a range of products. Most commonly packaging, however there are also EPR schemes for e-waste, vehicles, textiles, single-use plastics and even food!
The map below shows national EPR policies around the world. Data collection is still ongoing with some EPR schemes not highlighted yet, in particular in Asia. Chinas approved EPR for packaging in 2020. This is still in development with currently no mandatory collection targets or fee structures. Japan, Taiwan and South Korea all have longstanding EPR schemes for packaging, Japan was the first country in Asia to implement it dating back ti 1995!
As this map only shows national EPR policies, Canada and the USA, which have EPR policies on a state level aren't included. In the USA, 7 States have EPR for plastics and packaging - California, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, New Jersey, Minnesota and Washington. California also recently implemented an EPR scheme for textiles. In Canada, the majority of provinces have an EPR scheme. These cover a range of materials including plastics, packaging, tires and chemicals.
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Click on the map to dig in to EPR policies around the world Note: data collection is still in prgoress and not all countries are included yet
Circular Digest attended...
π€ Plastics Recycling Show (PRS) Asia in Singapore. I spoke about the current plastics disclosure landscape in Asia and where the Global Plastics Treaty currently stands. 40% of CDP's plastics disclosers are based in APAC, showing companies understand the importance of managing plastics sustainably for the region. I also joined a panel to discuss current and upcoming policies in Asia, which will promote circular management of plastics. This includes Singapore's Deposit Return Scheme, the first in Southeast Asia, scheduled to go live in April 2026!
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Lots of innovative companies exhibited their technologies to improve collection, sorting and recycling. Alba, an e-waste recycling company, announced they have rolled out free household collection for household appliances in Singapore. Boretech, a plastics recycling company, advertised their plastics recycling solutions, designed to increase resource efficiency. Their solutions treat the wastewater used in the washing process so it can be reused.
πNext stop: The fifth INC negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty in Busan. These negotiations are scheduled to be the final ones. We'll be pushing hard for an ambitious, legally-binding Treaty, which includes mandatory disclosure for maximum transparency and addresses the full lifecycle of plastics!
What did you think of this edition of Circular Digest? If you have any thoughts, questions, or ideas for future content, reply to this email. π
β See you in two weeks!
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Kayleigh
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