Arvid Moss and David Suzuki debate about environmental costs of business

Arvid Moss and David Suzuki debate about environmental costs of business

ByThe Circular Economy Team

The 2018 Xynteo Exchange hosted a face-off between Arvid Moss, EVP of Energy at Hydro and David Suzuki, geneticist and broadcaster, on business and its environmental costs.  David started the discussion by pointing out how sustainability is a recent word in the business world and asked Arvid how it was incorporated in Hydro. Arvid replied that since 1905, when the company was founded, Hydro has built cities and sustainable societies in remote areas as that is where the water was. This not only helped the company but also created a lot of wealth for the societies, he said.

Report calls for institutional investors to help solve social and environmental issues

Report calls for institutional investors to help solve social and environmental issues

ByThe Circular Economy Team

A new report is calling for New Zealand institutional investors to allocate around 10 per cent of their portfolios to socially and environmentally postive “impact” investments.  Financing the Future, a multi-media report released by green growth promotion group Pure Advantage, cited the huge potential of impact investment to improve environmental and social conditions while generating a return for investors.  Simon Millar, executive director of Pure Advantage, said impact investing was possibly the most viable financing strategy for creating a desirable future.  “To resolve societal and environmental challenges such as affordable housing, biodiversity loss and climate change, we have three basic options: raise taxes, raise national debt or facilitate more private and community sector investment into social and environmental issues,” Millar said.

Uses for Used Tea Bags and Sustainable Tea

Uses for Used Tea Bags and Sustainable Tea

ByThe Circular Economy Team

If you are a tea lover, you have probably wondered if there were any creative uses for your used tea bags. I know I have!  I absolutely adore tea. My pantry is stocked with containers of both loose leaf and bagged varieties. Every morning, I find myself sipping an energizing green tea and evenings often include something soothing and relaxing like a caffeine-free, herbal tea.  As a result of my tea passion, I end up with a lot of used tea bags over the course of the week. What do you do with used tea bags rather than throwing them away?  Below are a few creative ways to put your used tea bags to work!

Atomically thin, part-organic semiconductor for bendable phones

Atomically thin, part-organic semiconductor for bendable phones

ByThe Circular Economy Team

Engineers at ANU have invented a semiconductor with organic and inorganic materials that can convert electricity into light very efficiently, and it is thin and flexible enough to help make devices such as mobile phones bendable (Advanced Materials, “Efficient and Layer-Dependent Exciton Pumping across Atomically Thin Organic–Inorganic Type-I Heterostructures”).  The invention also opens the door to a new generation of high-performance electronic devices made with organic materials that will be biodegradable or that can be easily recycled, promising to help substantially reduce e-waste.

Are crisp packets the new plastic bags? It’s crunch time for our favourite salty snack

Are crisp packets the new plastic bags? It’s crunch time for our favourite salty snack

ByThe Circular Economy Team

The variety of crisps available on our supermarket aisles is endless – from one end to the other, brands such as Walkers, McCoy’s, Pringles and Doritos, not to mention Kettle Chips, Tyrrells, Pipers, and all the own brands, line up to exacerbate your craving for a salty snack.

The Fastest WordPress Theme

The Fastest WordPress Theme

ByThe Circular Economy Team

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Top 10 Contact Form Plugins

Top 10 Contact Form Plugins

ByThe Circular Economy Team

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3 Awesome Security Plugins for WordPress

3 Awesome Security Plugins for WordPress

ByThe Circular Economy Team

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Sustainable Artisan-Made Fashion : Sustainable Artisan-Made Fashion

Sustainable Artisan-Made Fashion : Sustainable Artisan-Made Fashion

ByThe Circular Economy Team

Kit Willow pursues a passion for nature and style through her company’s sustainable artisan-made fashion designs. Kitx is born “from a spirit of kindness, integrity and transparency, [while] the X represents the future.” The clothing utilizes a range of colors, patterns, rectangle-based drips and fits with playful twists of macramé lace and linens, made from flax. 

Armstrong Flooring Reaches Recycling Milestone

Armstrong Flooring Reaches Recycling Milestone

ByThe Circular Economy Team

Armstrong Flooring company has reached a milestone via its On&On Recycling Program: The company has recycled more than 100 million pounds of post-consumer flooring materials, and kept 50,000 tons of materials out of landfills.  “Sustainable consumption and production is about promoting resource and energy efficiency and that is exactly what our On&On Recycling Program does. It diverts material from the landfill and reduces resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle,” said Amy Costello, Sustainability Manager, Armstrong Flooring. “The On&On Recycling Program enables our products to have lower environmental footprints while supporting our commitment to circular economy principles and closed-loop manufacturing.”

Global refinery giant collaborates with UK-based recycling firm to turn waste plastic into renewable oils | Envirotec

Global refinery giant collaborates with UK-based recycling firm to turn waste plastic into renewable oils | Envirotec

ByThe Circular Economy Team

A collaboration between a renewable oil producer and a UK-based plastic recycling specialist is seeking to “revolutionise the way that plastic waste is treated around the globe”.  In mid-August Teesside-based ReNew ELP and Finnish refinery giant Neste signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see both companies work together to capitalise on the value of waste plastic as a raw material feedstock for the production of liquid hydrocarbons, chemicals and new plastics.  In Europe, around 27 million tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste is generated each year. Approximately a third is currently collected for recycling, with the remainder either landfilled, incinerated or dumped, polluting vulnerable ecosystems.

ThredUp’s Brand Director On Calling Out Burberry’s $37.8M Clothing Burn

ThredUp’s Brand Director On Calling Out Burberry’s $37.8M Clothing Burn

ByThe Circular Economy Team

Burberry burned $37.8M of its own clothing to keep it out of the “wrong” hands. Second-hand fashion reseller ThredUp called out their environmental irresponsibility in an open letter offering to sell Burberry overstock and donate proceeds to an environmental charity.

Tourism and Construction have Power to Lead Move to Sustainable Economies

Tourism and Construction have Power to Lead Move to Sustainable Economies

ByThe Circular Economy Team

From infrastructure and communication to food production and transport, tourism and construction play key roles in a circular economy framework that supports sustainable development. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), together with the Sustainable Buildings and Construction Programme of the…