Reliability matters: Achieving affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030

Every Thursday, California resident Richard Redmond takes a gallon-sized container of food scraps to the farmers market in the city of South Pasadena where it is collected and composted for use in gardens – an effort to reduce the amount of household waste he sends to landfill.  “It’s just stunning,” said the web designer who is in his 60s. “You can see how separating it just reduces the amount of garbage you are putting out.”  Redmond’s experience is a tiny window into a huge global problem, and not enough people are with him.  Every year, the world throws away around 931 million tons of food, most of it ending up in landfills, where it decomposes to produce around a tenth of the world’s climate-warming gases, according to the UN.

Across the world, businesses and organisations have been forced to adapt in response to the coronavirus pandemic adopting digital processes to mitigate the disruption caused, writes Sylvie Thomas, Lexmark’s head of EMEA sustainability policies & CSR.

Hair extensions are becoming as normal as throwing some mascara and blush on before running out of the house. It feels like you can buy them anywhere nowadays, from at your local corner shop in the form of a thin ponytail to at the beauty salon for hundreds of dollars. While synthetic hair has its issues (it’s made from plastic and cannot biodegrade), human hair isn’t any better. Where is all this hair coming from? And is it just another example of exploiting women desperate to support their families? 

In a circular economy, the value of products and materials is maintained for as long as possible. Waste and resource use are minimised and when a product reaches the end of its life, it is used again to create further value. Download “Circular Economy Overview 2021” for more details about the EIB Group’s activities and partnerships in the sector, including key projects. The transition towards a circular economy can help reduce environmental impact, but also bring major economic benefits, contributing to innovation, growth and job creation. The EU bank embraces the potential of a circular economy and we support the public and private sector in their circular transition.