Driven by government support, decarbonisation efforts and technological advancements, electric vehicles – with their lithium-ion batteries – are becoming increasingly common. Electric vehicles produce fewer emissions than combustion engine ones, but fewer is not zero. The emissions they do produce across their lifespan (production, use, recycling) need to be mapped.
Calculating their carbon footprint (the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the production, use and end-of-life of a product or service) is key and required by the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
This paper looks at the challenges of calculating batteries’ carbon footprint and implementing the relevant obligations for companies introducing batteries into the EU market.
RedGirraffe ESG Horizon is a software as a service solution designed for enterprise resource planning. It supports the circular economy by enabling precise tracking and optimisation of Scope 3 emissions across global supply chains.
Maiano Re-Lab comes up with sustainable industrial applications for textile scraps from mass-produced consumer goods. This initiative establishes synergies between industrial sectors, minimising waste and promoting sustainability within the industry.
UNEP’s One Planet Network, the UNDP and the UN Climate Change secretariat have developed a practical toolbox that will help countries identify, prioritise, implement and track circular economy measures with a view to implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and making them more ambitious.
The NDC Guidance is a practical guide on identifying and prioritising circular measures regarding Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).
It helps integrate existing approaches, such as the UN Toolbox on Building Circularity into NDCs. 27 activity sheets describe circular activities from a climate reporting perspective, helping with defining, tracking and reporting circular climate impacts.
RE-ZIP is an innovative, circular packaging solution designed to reduce waste in e-commerce. It provides reusable packaging options that replace traditional single-use packaging, helping e-commerce businesses lower their environmental impact.
The Sustainable Fashion Academy launched the Scandinavian Textile Initiative for Climate Action (STICA) in collaboration with various apparel and textile companies. STICA aims to ensure that the Nordic region and Europe reduce their climate impacts in line with the 1.5°C global warming pathway, while transforming their businesses and the industry.
Signatories to STICA undertake to set targets on scopes 1 to 3 and report back. The focus of this report is emissions reduction, and circular business models are presented as part of the solution. The information provided by the signatory companies as part of their reporting covers circular business models, breaking down how these contribute to scope 3 reduction and their place in the companies' climate action transition plans.
Recycling flexible PET packaging is tricky because it is made up of layers but in Spain, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) is the only type authorised for post-consumer recycled content for food packaging.
The BOTTLE4FLEX project has taken up this challenge and aims to develop 100% recyclable flexible skinpack packaging using rPET.
The ECOFAP project aims to make shoe soles and heels from a material manufactured from tanned leather waste using 3D printing. This research project will help solve the problem of how to recycle leather scraps from the footwear manufacturing industry.
GIND is an innovative company dedicated to developing sustainable and long-lasting solutions for road surfaces and outdoor spaces. Its BIO DILE™ joint filler replaces traditional, resource-intensive and short-lived materials with more environmentally-friendly alternatives made from recycled, sun-dried stone aggregates and bio-based binders derived from cashew nut shells and natural asphalt. At the end of the filler's lifecycle, it can be fully recycled.
