Day: August 16, 2021

A new initiative to support Latin America and the Caribbean in the transition to a circular economy as part of the COVID-19 recovery was launched today. The Regional Coalition on Circular Economy was announced during a virtual side event at the XXII Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of the region, hosted by Barbados and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). The Coalition will support access to financing by governments and the private sector, with special emphasis on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in order to promote resource mobilization for innovation and the implementation of specific projects in the region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the National Automobile Scrappage Policy and said the initiative will promote a circular economy and make the process of economic development more sustainable and environment-friendly. The policy, aimed at recycling old and unfit vehicles, will give new identity to India’s mobility and auto sector, Modi said in his address while virtually launching the initiative during ‘Investors Summit’ organised in Gandhinagar. The summit, which saw participation of potential investors and industry players, was organized to attract investment for setting up vehicle scrapping infrastructure under the Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Programme, an official release said.

Aluminum scrap in recycled form can have considerable cost savings for producers who have re-melting furnaces to process scrap; this reduces the dependability of virgin metal supplied from traditional primary smelters and increases production flexibility. Aluminum as a material is circular and can be recycled unlimited times without losing its original properties. Economies moving forward should facilitate scrap handling smoothly and efficiently, from end-of-life scrap to reusing scrap during the production stage (in-house scrap). Aluminum can help in achieving circular economy goals. Policies are tailor-made by countries to increase recycling rates, reduce the burden on natural resources such as bauxite, and use lower energy to the tune of only 5%, ensuring CO2 cut-down. Globally, recycling occupies around 20% of the overall primary aluminum production. Primary aluminum contributes 80%, which is set to reduce in the next 5-10 years as recycling constantly replaces primary aluminum due to its many commercial advantages coupled with companies’ target of going carbon-free.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has announced the launch of a new campaign geared at tackling environmental challenges such as waste and pollution in Nairobi. The Nairobi City County Environmental Sustainability and Circular Economy awareness campaign seeks to promote sustainable consumption among members of the public, to reduce waste generation. In an exclusive interview with Capital Business, the Ministry’s Chief Administrative Secretary Mohammed Elmi said the campaign whose theme is ‘Taka ni Mali’ is also designed to promote recycling of 99 percent of things used in homes.

Every year, 400 million tons of heavy metal, toxic sludge and industrial waste are dumped into our waterways. At least 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans. Some 1.3 billion tons of food — about one-third of all that is produced — is lost or wasted, while hundreds of millions of people go hungry. Our oceans are being overfished, our lands degraded and biodiversity rapidly eroded. Meanwhile, devastating natural disasters — flash floods in Europe and China, forest fires in the United States and locust infestations in Africa and the Middle East — are becoming more frequent. The unsustainability of our linear “take-make-waste” pattern of global production and consumption has never been more obvious. In fact, if we do not abandon it by 2050, we will need the equivalent of almost three Earths to provide enough natural resources to sustain current lifestyles, and annual waste generation will increase by 70%. But there is a better way: We can embrace the circular economy.

In this article, John Jackson discusses the importance and value of creating a green circular economy, bringing attention to how businesses may need to consider adapting current processes into becoming more environmentally friendly. As well as this, John introduces the use of recycled or reconditioned products and materials as a considerable method that could significantly contribute towards a business’s decarbonisation strategy. The transition to become a net zero carbon nation is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges facing the business community in Wales. It is the ultimate game changer, and to achieve it will mean that across all aspects of our built environment new approaches to our activities will need to be adopted. Decarbonisation will be on the agenda for many businesses and organisations across Wales, and will increasingly be moving up it as the need to change becomes increasingly apparent.

Pay for the product, not the packaging. Start filling bottles, not landfills. These are just a few of the value propositions Algramo, a Chile-based company, has introduced in recent years. In business for a decade, Algramo is a circular economy game-changer … and still very much on the rise. Algramo provides a self-service, cashless way to buy big brand cleaning products in a more sustainable way. Algramo stations – which are smart dispensing systems, similar to vending machines – are set up at retail locations, including Walmart, throughout Chile. The process is simple: users download an app, charge their account, bring their reusable bottle to an Algramo dispenser and then select how much of a cleaning product they wish to buy. Having just secured $8.5 million in funding from Mexico’s Dalus Capital, with participation from Angel Ventures, FEMSA Ventures, Volta Ventures, Impact Assets, University Venture Fund, Century Oak Capital and Closed Loop Partners’ Ventures Group, Algramo says it will launch pilot stations around the world.