CRITICAL! The Rise of the E-Waste Crisis

In the US, social commerce retail earnings are predicted to reach nearly $80 billion by 2025. When you consider that 4.59 billion people, or 57% of the global population, currently use social media, social commerce is a no-brainer when it comes to getting your brand in front of more people. But how do you make sure your brand stands out from the increasing competition? How do you boost your ecommerce sales via social media apps? Brands need a solid understanding of their target audience’s shopping preferences and how they can use social commerce tools to provide a top-quality customer experience. Here, we take a closer look at the social commerce trends, statistics, and predictions shaping the final months of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. 

Herriot-Watt University has announced the launch of a research project aiming to create new materials from residual waste leftover from recycling. The project involves a £250,000 Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funded by Innovate UK and the Scottish Funding Council. Herriot-Watt will partner with Brewster Bros, a Livingston-based recycling business, with an aim of further developing Scotland’s approach to a circular economy. Part of the project will look at recycled clay which can account for up to 25 per cent of the output produced when excavation waste is recycled via a washing process. This by-product commonly ends up in landfill. Herriot-Watt confirmed that the project will also include the creation of a hazardous soil treatment centre, the first of its kind in Scotland.

In this episode The Engineer talks to Dr. Tom Wildsmith and Lorna Bennet from the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult about the need to create a circular economy for the offshore wind sector.  ORE Catapult and RenewableUK are hosting a virtual conference on Circular Economy + Renewable Energy on 29th June. Hosted by journalist Kate Russell, this all-day event features speakers from a variety of sectors on their shared sustainability challenges. The lively format will feature a mix of panel debate, presentations, interviews, technology showcases and a virtual visit to the ORE Catapult labs and facilities. You’ll have the chance to put your questions to speakers from the Crown Estate, Royal Society of Chemistry, Vestas, LM Wind Power, University of Leeds and founders of some of the UK’s most disruptive innovators in the circular economy arena.