Pluumo uses surplus feathers cleaned to hypo-allergenic standards to make compostable, biodegradable packaging.

The E-waste Race is an educational competition between ten primary schools to collect old electronic devices. Project participants are given an introductory lecture about recycling and the valuable materials contained in electronic devices. They then start collecting e-waste and the school which collects the most wins an educational - and fun! - school trip.

The Italian company Menichetti produces organic glues and adhesives intended for sustainable packaging. The raw material is obtained from leather and tanning industry by-products.

Back in 1931, EMMA was founded as a social enterprise for injured workers from the Dutch State Mines. Hence, social entrepreneurship is in the DNA of EMMA Safety Footwear. Today, EMMA still employs about 100 people who need some additional support in the labour market. Making sustainable safety shoes was, therefore, a logical next step in EMMA’s journey towards a positive footprint.

ERC-TECH is a company based in the Czech Republic that provides the construction sector with know-how, licenses and products to reuse 100% of construction and demolition waste in concrete mixtures and other products suitable for use in various construction activities.

Leef has eliminated plastic waste by producing 100% biodegradable plates from (non-palm oil) palm leaves grown in mixed plantations in Tamil Nadu, India.

Signify was the first lighting company to develop 3D printing of luminaires at scale. As part of its commitment to doubling its positive impact on the environment and society, Signify has committed to doubling its circular revenues to 32% by the end of 2025.

SCALITE® is a material produced by SCALE and is made completely from fish scales, a by-product of the fishing industry. The material is manufactured in stone-like blocks which are suited to many applications in interior design and decoration for the hospitality and retail sectors, offices and homes.

Grown is a biotechnology company that has developed an innovative use for mycelium - the network of mushroom roots - as binding agent for agricultural waste to create fully biodegradable and toxic-free packaging or insulation material.

Coolrec, an electronics goods recycling company, extracts cast iron counterweights from old Miele washing machines to be returned to the factory for recycling.

In Sweden, there is an initiative from the coffee roasting sector which aims to eliminate all waste related to coffee cultivation, processing and consumption by the year 2030.

EtMoi@Work is a Belgium-based circular, social, economy project. It consists of the production of a collection of office articles: badge holders, card holders, cushions for office chairs and new masks in silk by local prisoners. It is a circular economy project, since all its productions use recycled conference lanyards, silk ties and scarves that are no longer worn and, if possible, old jewelry.

Veolia and Knauf have established a partnership to collect, process and transform waste glass into mineral wool for use as an insultating material.

The Italian company Mapei has come up with a product which brings leftover cement in mixer trucks back into the production cycle.

Estonian start-up 3cular has designed a pioneering way of reusing this sawdust to produce new objects with 3D printing. The desired object is designed using 3D modelling software and then a 3D printer is used to produce the object in layers. The printing ink is a combination of sawdust and a non-toxic binder making it possible to print wooden objects faster and easier preserving the environment.

Based in the Danish capital Copenhagen, Veras operates several initiatives to reduce waste in the fashion sector by making it easy for everyone to swap and sell clothes. Veras is primarily an online webshop shipping to all Europe, where users can send in their own clothes. It also hosts weekly clothing markets for everyone to buy and sell clothing and has a flagship store in Copenhagen.

Trifilon Revo uses an existing, consistent source of plastic from a European stream and reinforces it with hemp fibers, thus improving the impact properties of the recycled plastics, which can be used to produce a range of colours and surface finishes, matte or polished.

Billy Tannery is a micro-tannery helping to create value by reusing goatskins that would otherwise go to waste, to make leather products.

The Shellworks designers’ collective recycles seafood shells to make bioplastic, in order to reduce plastic use and waste.

Ocean Cleanup has launched design sunglasses made from plastic removed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The company Teemill produces t-shirts from organic cotton. They are designed to be sent back to the company when they are worn out.

Since 2010, Philips has been working on introducing recycled plastics into its product portfolio. The baseplate of Senseo Original coffee makers, the company’s most popular model, has been changed to 95% post-consumer recycled plastic.

Oryzite is a method for incorporating rice husks as a filler in all types of thermoplastics. The company transforms the rice husks into resin, which can then be used to obtain the same volume of injection-moulded plastic using much fewer fossil-fuel-based polymers.

ReBlend develops textiles and textile products made from textiles that otherwise end up in incineration. Textiles made from recycled fibres offer a positive alternative for designers and companies. In collaboration with waste collectors, producers, designers, makers and visionaries, ReBlend organises a full supply chain from start to finish to accelerate a new ecosystem for circular textiles.

“Staramaki” is a straw made of wheat. It is produced by a social cooperative KoinSep in Kilkis, northern Greece. The most widely produced local product wheat is used to create a viable eco-friendly alternative to single use plastic straws. At the same time they create employment opportunities and promote social cohesion, as well as local and regional development.

EcoBirdy has come up with a way to recycle mixed plastics, and then uses the resulting material to make recyclable children's furniture.