This online meeting on 18 September 2023 will discuss which further recycled nutrient products might be appropriate for certified Organic Farming, based on practical examples, and under what conditions they might be considered.
Questions considered: solubility and plant availability of nutrients, origin of raw materials, chemicals used in recovery process and life cycle assessment, contaminants and safety.
Examples will be: calcined phosphates, biochars, phosphate fertilisers from ashes, recovered ammonium sulphate, recovered nutrients from aquaculture and other marine wastes.
Gravity Wave is a social start-up based in Spain. It focuses on working with small-scale fishermen to collect as much as possible of the plastic waste fouling the Mediterranean, from water bottles to a whole load of discarded fishing nets.
ICLEI Europe and the City of Lisbon (Portugal) are proud to announce that the 11th Procura+ Conference will be held in the Portuguese capital on 13 and 14 March 2024.
The conference will showcase how cities and public authorities can use public procurement to implement step changes that make a big impact.
The Circular Economy Lab was set up in 2018 by Cariplo Factoryand Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. It is a hub of circular economy competences that aims to help spread the principles and methods of the circular economy and support companies as they go circular.
The Lab is involved in various projects, such as the Iren Startup Award Call4Circular | Circular products and materials. It promotes the circular economy by holding workshops on key topics and by creating networking opportunities for innovative ecosystem players, such as startups, innovative SMEs, universities, research centres and technology transfer centres.
Wood is becoming increasingly important: it is key to energy, construction and decarbonisation, as well as raw material security. In addition, a raft of legislative and non-legislative measures are being prepared by the Czech Republic and the EU on the issue of wood processing and forestry.
Analysising the sector is therefore paramount. After eight months of work, the research team (Think Tank) of the Institute of Circular Economy has published a study on Closing the Loop on Wood: Circular Bioeconomy Opportunities in the Value Chain for Forest Products and Wood in Czechia. It explores the material flow of wood in the Czech Republic and the challenges, weaknesses and opportunities for cross-sectoral use.
Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled! An International E-Waste Day to shed light on ‘invisible’ electronic waste
This year International E-Waste Day will operate under the slogan “You can recycle anything with a plug, battery or cable!”, thus highlighting the issue of invisible e-waste – the electronic items that often fall under the recycling radar of those disposing of them, because they are not seen as e-waste.
While often associated with discarded gadgets and devices, a significant amount of electronic waste remains hidden in plain sight.
On 27 June 2023 the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue and the European Union launched the ASEAN Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ACESP).
Accumulating environmental and climate pressures and impacts are bringing unprecedented sustainability challenges. These problems are largely caused by unsustainable consumption, and require a fundamental shift in production and consumption systems in Europe and beyond.
Pressures and impacts from consumption can be reduced by:
consuming differently by shifting to less material-intensive options and using renewable or recycled materials,
consuming less through, for example, longer product lifespans or sharing models that can reduce the demand for new products, and
scaling up circular product design that enables circular consumption and reduces environmental impact.
Europe and the world face unprecedented sustainability challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and pollution. These challenges are largely caused by unsustainable consumption as countries strive for economic growth and people pursue well-being.
Environmental and climate pressures and impacts from consumption accumulate over the years, and many ecosystems are now under pressure beyond their regeneration capacity. Scientific evidence suggests that the pressures associated with Europe's consumption are so high that the planet's ability to recover from them is seriously compromised.
Academics are studying the challenge of including the informal recycling sector (IRS) in the circular economy.
This review explores the direct and indirect contributions of the IRS to various circular economy fields, drawing on relevant literature.
The modi operandi of different recycling value chains are captured in a typology.
Information on reported forms of collaboration, tensions and challenges in urban waste management is summarised in a conceptual framework to facilitate the transition to circular and inclusive wise-waste systems.
Important aspects related to circular business models and approaches to the IRS are discussed and avenues for further research proposed.
