Critical raw materials: an action plan for Europe
Smartphones, domestic appliances, solar panels. But also drones, magnets in wind farms, batteries and accumulators for cars, and other electrical and electronic devices. These are ...
Articles
Universities and the circular economy: a future-proof combination
Many universities and research institutes throughout Italy and Europe have distinguished themselves in recent years by exploring themes related to the circular economy and sustaina...
The responsible return of trade fairs. Ecomondo in the time of Covid
The purpose of travel is not just leisure and exploration. People also move around for business and work, and the business travel sector took a heavy hit due to the Covid-19 pandem...
Plastic in the ocean: reducing pollution will have positive impacts on the economy
One of the most ambitious regulations in the world to tackle plastic pollution in the ocean, the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) will come into force on January 1, 2021. Ev...
Kelly Bricker: the Four Pillars of Sustainable Travel
When we pack our bags and explore new and captivating corners of the planet, do we ever take the time to consider our impact on local communities and the global ecosystem? More oft...
Norway has a long way to become circular. Here is why
The Norwegian economy is only 2.4% circular. This is the latest Circularity Gap Report produced by, Circle Economy and Circular Norway. This is compared to a global average of 8.6%...
Desertification: Is Europe on the Brink of a Soil Crisis?
Desertification, spurred by soil exploitation and climate change, is today an increasing threat also in Europe. Measures to prevent it are not enough. A coordinated strategy is lac...
Arup: "Big Data and AI will drive the sustainability of the rail"
In a world grappling with the pressing needs to reduce emissions and to accelerate the transition to a fully circular economy, the railway system - the most ecological and least im...
David R. Montgomery: To go forward we must look down
“What is essential is invisible to the eyes”, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote in the literary masterpiece The Little Prince. Soil provides 95% of our food and holds more carbon tha...
Future Water. Evolution and Revolution of the Water Service
Over half a billion euros for the next five years. Gruppo Cap, the 100% publicly-funded company managing the integrated water service in the Metropolitan City of Milan and currentl...
The Museum of the Non-discarded
Some define it as the Sistine Chapel of the poor, a humble Louvre, a Divine Comedy of work tools, of waste and worn out shoes. Famous critics regard it as an extraordinary and uniq...
The unsustainable prevalence of plexiglass
Strict social distancing requirements and the need for physical barriers have led to an exponential increase in the use of plexiglass over the last few months. This fossil-based ma...
The future of protein
Industrial production of meat from intensive farming is increasingly unsustainable, and faces heavy criticism for the conditions in which animals are raised and slaughtered, for th...
Circular Professions: a new role for Geoscientists
The success of the energy transition - or, more generally, the progression to a more environmentally sustainable economic development model - is necessarily dependent on the availa...
Can face masks be sustainable?
While Covid-19 was spreading across the world, hundreds of companies around the world converted part of their production lines to produce face masks. Similarly, many enterprises st...
Oil and bicycle: in Siena the recovery starts from sustainability
The post-Covid recovery will have to start from the territories, from the communities and from sustainability. The initiative launched by Sienambiente for a green recovery of the P...
Amazon, Do not destroy
The first law in the world banning the destruction of returned or unsold products has been passed in France. This happened following the wave of indignation unleashed after the rel...
Regenerate, the tool that revolutionizes circular buildings
Embracing principles of the circular economy could bring a number of benefits to the built environment. Buildings are regularly stripped out and torn down, with new buildings frequ...
Reinventing the Fire. Again
It is a slow and beautiful drive up to Snowmass, Colorado. Cars drive at 20 miles per hour, due to icy roads. External temperature is -25°C, and everything looks pale white, like i...
Reverse logistics, the circular economy weakest link
Reverse logistics is sometimes described as the logistics going in the “wrong direction”. Yet, by closing the loop of product lifecycles, it plays an important role to transitionin...