Industry News
Plastic Recycling Could Be Lucrative, Study Says
According to new research, increasing efficiency of new recycling systems can save between $4.5b and nearly $10b. A study published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling shows an estimated 44 million metric tonnes of plastic in U.S. landfills, significantly larger...
Nigerian Cleantech Firm Secures $4m to Beat Plastic Pollution in Africa
Announced on May 11, Nigerian plastic waste recycling start-up Kaltani raised $4m in seed funding to scale up its recycling activities across the country. The cleantech start-up hopes to tackle Africa’s growing plastic waste problem by promoting the circular economy...
Environmentalists Raise Questions about Chemical Recycling of Plastic Currently Endorsed by 18 US States
As the US general public becomes more aware of the increasingly damaging impacts of plastic waste, people have asked politicians for regulatory frameworks to reduce consumption of single-use plastic. Environmentalists pointed out that less than 10% of plastic consumed...
Alliance to End Plastic Waste Launch Circular Plastics Fund
Announced on May 13, The Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM) are set to launch a circular plastic fund, aiming to raise $500m. The funds will be used towards scalable solutions to remove plastic waste, drive up recycling and...
Consultancy Firm McKinsey Projects Growth in Advanced Recycling
Leading consultancy firm, McKinsey forecasts advanced recycling could satisfy 4 to 8% of total polymer demand by 2030 and would require capital investment of more than $40b over the next 10 years, according to an article published on May 16. The technology has...
The American Chemistry Council Responds to California’s Probe of Oil Industry’s Deception Campaign
The American Chemistry Council issued a response to California’s probe of oil Industry’s misinformation campaign to perpetuate the recycling myth. California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an unprecedented investigation into the fossil fuel and petrochemical...
Lidl has Launched its First UK Smart Detergent Refill Station to Reduce Plastic Waste
Lidl has launched the UK’s first smart laundry detergent refill station pilot in Kingswinford, in the English West Midlands in partnership with Chilean sustainability start-up Algramo. The six months trial could save up to 2,970 plastic containers from one branch...
Scientists Developed an Enzyme which can Breakdown Plastic in Mere Hours
Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) have developed an enzyme that could break down plastic, which takes centuries to decompose, in a matter of hours. The research is based on a commonly used polymer found in consumer packaging (PET plastic),...
Scientists Call for a Worldwide Cap on Plastics
A global cap on plastic production is necessary to cut its environmental impact and boost recycled plastics’ value, according to a group of scientists. In a letter to the journal Science, a group of scientists from around the world have urged to address the...
Shell-Based Styrofoam Alternative Secures $3.4M Seed backed by DiCaprio and Kutcher
The start-up, Cruz Foam has patented a process to create a polystyrene free, non-petroleum based styrofoam alternative using shells from shrimp and other shellfish generated by the seafood industry. It has gained interest from climate-focused star Leonardo Di Caprio...