The bottled water category is nearing an inflection point as consumer awareness grows around the negative impact single-use plastic containers have on the planet, and the oceans in particular, and when the tide finally turns on the issue manufacturers that use more environmentally-friendly…
Source: www.foodnavigator-usa.com
If you’re someone who has a reusable coffee cup (and remembers to use it), has a compost at home and regularly engages in meat-free mondays, then you might have heard of the phrase the Circular Economy (CE) before. While most people assume that the CE is just about recycling (and no shade if you do), it actually goes much deeper than that—in fact, recycling is the last resort when it comes to an ideal CE. To put it simply, the theory behind the CE is about transforming our current linear consumption model (Take-Make-Waste) into a circular one that keeps products and services in use for longer (well, forever) to reduce environmental impact and protect precious natural resources. The benefits of the CE are endless, but in short it enables us all to consume more consciously, without compromising on quality, cost or experience.
The circular economy aims to eliminate waste by creating businesses built upon reducing, recycling and reusing as opposed to endless consumption. Here are four entrepreneurs leading the charge with their environmental startups.
Walsall College launches electric/hybrid vehicle training courses…
Tim Coffin, formerly a Military Pilot for Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), is a recent graduate of MCAD’s MA in Sustainable Design Program. Tim lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. What attracted you to MCAD’s MA in Sustainable Design program?
Scientists have discovered a way to make ultra-efficient solar cells on a commercial scale using the “miracle material” perovskite.
A team from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Imperial College London made the discovery in a breakthrough that could have major implications for renewable energy production and reaching zero carbon objectives. Perovskite has been hailed for its remarkable properties compared to tradtional silicon solar cells, however until now they have been too unstable to be suitable for commercial use. The next-generation cells are expected to cost less, have a much higher power conversion efficiency, and be lightweight and flexible – opening up new applications like coating glass windows with thin layers of solar panels.
International Paper is 121 years old. If we want to be relevant for the next century, we must bring others along on our trajectory toward circularity. Whether you’re just starting out or are further down the path to circularity, take comfort in knowing you are not in this alone.