Feather packaging innovation picks up European circular economy award | Envirotec

ByThe Circular Economy Team December 6, 2022

, Feather packaging innovation picks up European circular economy award | Envirotec, TheCircularEconomy.com

The winner of the 2018 Green Alley Award has been chosen: Aeropowder from the UK beat off five competitors to pick up the European circular economy award. Aeropowder’s solution is pluumo, an insulating material for packaging based on waste feathers. The decision was made on the evening of October 18 at Haus Ungarn in Berlin. In mentoring sessions, the finalists worked with experts on their business model. Afterwards, all six startups presented their project to the audience and the jury in live pitches.
Aeropowder’s seemingly unique idea is to use waste feathers from the poultry industry to produce sustainable thermal packaging. After cleaning and treatment, the feathers are covered in a certified, compostable food grade liner. This textile is called pluumo and serves as an environmental-friendly alternative to conventional polystyrene packaging, PE-foams or thermal foil. “Once again, this year’s decision was not easy, and our finalists presented six strong and well-designed concepts,” said Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Landbell Group. “Aeropowder convinced us with their product pluumo, as they are repurposing materials which would otherwise be disposed of. We want to give the Green Alley Award to those innovative approaches that directly feed into the idea of a Circular Economy.” Elena Dieckmann, co-founder of Aeropowder, is delighted about winning the award. “With pluumo we had the idea of putting a valuable resource back into the material cycle. Winning the Green Alley Award shows us that we are going in the right direction. Feathers have incredible properties, as they are light-weight and robust, and insulate against heat and cold. We have requests from Spain, Germany, France; not only from customers but also from feather suppliers.” The Green Alley Award has been running since 2014 and was initiated by the environmental services supplier Landbell Group from Mainz, Germany. “With their unconventional approach and their enthusiasm, startups fuel an innovation-driven industry such as the circular economy. We are delighted that Aeropowder is once again a strong Green Alley Award winner this year. With pluumo, Aeropowder can really help to reduce waste and make our economy more sustainable,” says Schulz.

Read the full article at: envirotecmagazine.com

thecirculareconomy

Circular Economy? Member States want it ‘despacito’

ByThe Circular Economy Team December 1, 2022

After an 18-hour-long last negotiating meeting between the Council and the European Parliament an agreement to review the Waste Framework Directive, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and the Landfill Directive has been found. Zero Waste Europe welcomes the new agreement which should deliver the promised benefits in jobs, economic savings and reduced environmental impact. However ZWE is concerned that the pace of ambition is too slow to address the challenges that Europe is facing today. The agreement keeps Europe in the right path but it mitigates the ambition brought by the European Parliament in March, and almost every single meaningful objective proposed by the Commission or the Parliament has been axed or delayed by the Council. New EU Waste law aims at recycling 65% of total municipal waste by 2035, later and lower than 70% by 2030 that the Parliament had proposed. The push for repair and reuse through a specific target of preparation for reuse proposed by the Parliament has disappeared along with the marine litter reduction target. ‘National governments have lost the chance of securing a quick and ambitious transition towards a circular economy’, Zero Waste Europe’s Policy Officer on Waste, Ferran Rosa said. Despite the low ambition in terms of objectives, the new directives have the potential to deliver substantial change and contain the relevant elements to move towards a zero waste circular economy, such as the separate collection of bio-waste and textiles that becomes compulsory by 2023 and 2025, respectively, and the call on the Commission to propose targets on waste prevention and food waste reduction. Additionally, the new text aims at mainstreaming economic incentives in an attempt to transform waste management policies and the design of products under producer responsibility schemes. According to Mr Rosa, ‘the text is a long list of good intentions, objectives and obligations, but only implementation will deliver substantial change’.
Read the full article at: zerowasteeurope.eu

thecirculareconomy

McCormick Becomes The Top Global Sustainable Food Corporation

ByThe Circular Economy Team December 2, 2022

McCormick & Company’s dedication to sustainability and emphasis on what’s right for the long-term vitality of people, communities and the planet while delivering top-tier financial results, has earned the company a top spot in a recent ranking. McCormick’s, a global flavor and spice manufacturer, was named the 13th most sustainable corporation and No. 1 in the food products industry on the 2019 Global 100 Sustainability Index released at the World Economic Forum by Corporate Knights. The company advanced 10 spots from the 2018 rankings and retained the top position among its peers in food. The company says it continues to make progress on commitments to source their ingredients sustainably, improve the resilience, and map the contributions of small farmers, especially women, and reduce the company’s environmental impact by lowering its carbon footprint and reducing solid waste. Environmental Commitments Last year, McCormick made a public commitment to 100% plastic packaging that can be reused, recycled or repurposed by 2025. The company joined The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The commitment, signed by companies representing 20% of all plastic packaging produced globally, aims to create a circular economy for plastics, ultimately eliminating plastic pollution at the source. Also in 2018, the spice seller announced it will open its new global headquarters in Hunt Valley, Maryland, bringing 1,000 employees previously located across four different office buildings into one building that is designed to be LEED Gold certified.
Read the full article at: www.environmentalleader.com

thecirculareconomy

HISER project final conference: new circular economy solutions for the construction sector

ByThe Circular Economy Team December 3, 2022

The final conference of the project is organised during EU Raw Materials Week 2018 in Brussels in La Plaza Hotel, on 16th of November 2018. Agnieszka Kowalska, an Expert of ASM – Market Research and Analysis Center (project consortium member responsible among others for HISER dissemination) informed us that after nearly four years of collaboration in the project, the aim of this final event is to present HISER findings in an attractive way to contribute to the dissemination of the knowledge and experience gathered throughout the project – Covered topics will include among others innovative demolition methods and tools – Mrs. Kowalska adds – together with technological solutions for closing material loops. HISER will increase the use of recovered raw materials. This will be achieved by the development of new building products through the partial replacement of virgin raw materials by higher amounts of secondary high-purity raw materials recovered from complex C&DW. Cost-effectiveness is also guaranteed by using novel harmonized methodological solutions and tools. Moreover, the project promotes advanced technical methods as well as technologies for the production of high-purity raw materials from complex C&DW. Some really unique solutions have been proposed, like harmonized procedures complemented with an smart tool (BIM) and a supply chain tracking system, for highly-efficient sorting at source in demolition and refurbishment works. These solutions have been demonstrated in demolition projects and five case studies across Europe. Moreover, the economic and environmental impact of the HISER solutions has been quantified, from a life cycle perspective. Market analysis and policy and standard recommendations encouraging the implementation of the best solutions have been drafted.
Read the full article at: www.hiserproject.eu

thecirculareconomy

Kingfisher spearheading the circular economy

ByThe Circular Economy Team December 4, 2022

Kingfisher has established a number of design principles (in collaboration with experts from Bioregional). ”These principles help our product developers and suppliers integrate circular design principles into our products and supply chains in a way that is good for customers and for our business”, Laurie says. Kingfisher’s principles focus on six so-called impact areas: safe materials for humans and nature, sustainable materials that are easily and widely recycled, reused or renewed, utility and function, including efficient use of materials and design for longevity and reuse, energy and carbon, focusing on reducing fossil fuel energy use, water stewardship and ethical responsibility, including fair and safe working conditions in the supply chain. Retail Detail had an exclusive interview with Caroline Laurie, Head of Sustainability of the Kingfisher group that has several large DIY-chains in its portfolio, operating around 1200 stores (store brands such as B&Q, Castorama or Brico Depot) and omnichannel operations in 10 European countries. According to Laurie, Kingfisher has been integrating circular economy principles into product design for many years, working with partners including Bioregional and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “We focus on solutions that reflect growing customer interest in smarter consumption, and product ranges or services that help customers and our business to get more from less, reuse or use longer. Most people have never heard of the circular economy but they know they want quality products that are long-lasting, create less waste and are easy to recycle.”
Read the full article at: www.retaildetail.eu

thecirculareconomy

How Circular is the Circular Economy?

ByThe Circular Economy Team December 4, 2022

The circular economy has become, for many governments, institutions, companies, and environmental organisations, one of the main components of a plan to lower carbon emissions. In the circular economy, resources would be continually re-used, meaning that there would be no more mining activity or waste production. The stress is on recycling, made possible by designing products so that they can easily be taken apart.
Attention is also paid to developing an “alternative consumer culture”. In the circular economy, we would no longer own products, but would loan them. For example, a customer could pay not for lighting devices but for light, while the company remains the owner of the lighting devices and pays the electricity bill. A product thus becomes a service, which is believed to encourage businesses to improve the lifespan and recyclability of their products.
The circular economy is presented as an alternative to the “linear economy” – a term that was coined by the proponents of circularity, and which refers to the fact that industrial societies turn valuable resources into waste. However, while there’s no doubt that the current industrial model is unsustainable, the question is how different to so-called circular economy would be.
Several scientific studies (see references) describe the concept as an “idealised vision”, a “mix of various ideas from different domains”, or a “vague idea based on pseudo-scientific concepts”. There’s three main points of criticism, which we discuss below.

thecirculareconomy

Green Alley Award 2018 is looking for the best circular economy startups in Europe

ByThe Circular Economy Team December 5, 2022

The Green Alley Award is entering the next round: Right now, circular economy entrepreneurs and startups have the opportunity to apply with their business ideas. Landbell Group, originator of the Founder’s Award, encourages young companies to compete with their technology, service or product by July 1, 2018. With the Green Alley Award, Landbell Group created the first European startup award for the circular economy in 2014. This year, founders have the chance to present their innovative projects at the GAA 2018 by applying here. The winner, who will receive €25,000 in prize money, will be determined at the finals in October as part of a live pitch.
The Green Alley Award 2018 is aimed at all startups and young entrepreneurs who have developed a business model in the areas of digital circular economy, recycling and waste prevention. GAA 2018 is looking for companies that are about to launch with their products or services or are already in the growth phase. Startup founders who want to expand into other European markets are also welcome. The sole condition is that the business idea must help recycle resources. Patrick Schulz, CEO of of the Mainz-based Landbell Group, stated: “We are delighted that the Green Alley Award is entering its fifth round this year. In recent years, we have come to know many exciting and innovative business ideas that all show in a special way how we can gradually establish a circular economy in Europe. In a circular economy, the value of products, materials and resources should be conserved in the economic cycle for as long as possible while, at the same time, generating as little waste as possible. In our current linear economy, not all products are recycled at the end of their lifecycle, wasting valuable materials.” Whether it’s the avoidance of plastics, the development of sustainable materials or the multiple use of products – the circular economy holds enormous business potential for young entrepreneurs and startups. This can be seen in the diversity of ideas from GAA winners over the past years. In 2017, the Finnish startup Sulapac convinced the jury with a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging.
Read the full article at: www.eu-startups.com

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