Europe: another step toward the right to repair
The war is not yet won, but there has been another successful battle. With a vote in the European Parliament on 25th November, the campaign for the right to repair scored an important victory. Overc...
The Stakeholder Conference: a place to discuss the future of the European circular economy
“It’s all about you”. With these words, on 3rd November, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans inaugurated the 2020 Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference. He ...
Plastic packaging: in the EU, Covid boosts the single-use and pushes recycling targets away
Europe is far from the plastic packaging recycling targets it set for itself. Take this step forward, and it will not reach those of 2025 nor those of 2030. This is the conclusion, not exactly heart...
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 pandemic. After months o...
The Atlantic Ocean contains more plastic than we thought
Plastic, or rather microplastic is added to plastic. And the Atlantic Ocean is even more contaminated than we feared. This is demonstrated by a new study by Katsiaryna Pabortsava and Richard Lampitt...
Germany wants to charge suppliers of throwaway items for abandoned waste
Packaging, cigarette butts, plastic cups and all sorts of throwaway items carelessly abandoned on the street or in parks. How much does it cost to collect and dispose of them correctly? Germany has ...
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 lacking, but the new ...
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 currently one of Italy’s...
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 unique contemporary ar...
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 Province of Siena h...
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 release of a document...
Rethinking the Chinese Economy
When was the circular economy idea first introduced in China? “As far as I know the idea of circular economy (CE) was first introduced in China in the late 1990s, by researchers and...
The Circular Republic of China
In Shanghai, the city’s administration excels in its commitment to electronic waste recycling, an ongoing ordeal that emerged from China’s digital boom. Urban mining potential is boosted by a co...
There's Good in CO2 (If You Know How to Find It)
The area of Turin known as “Innovation Mile”, between the Po and Dora Riparia rivers, is home to a large number of innovative companies and technological institutes. The newest...
The Right to Repair
A washing machine is not forever, there’s little doubt about this. But, if buying an appliance used to be a long-term investment, nowadays this is no longer true. Whether obsolescence is planned, ...
A Tyre's Sense in Music
Music is born out of silence. And silence can stem from a discarded tyre, after years spent squealing on tarmac. The project for the acoustic improvement of Parma’s Toscanini Auditorium, carri...
Power to Imagination. The Radical Green Future of Ecotopia 2121
Radical, visionary, eccentric, ironic, and firmly outside the box. Shamelessly, boldly and irreverently utopian. You can love it or hate it, but you can surely not remain indifferent to Al...
REbuild: To Decarbonise Construction We Need to Close the Loop
We need a paradigm shift, even in the construction sector. Deep, fast and pervasive. In one word, ground-breaking: or better “disruptive,” as the innovator’s jargon calls it. Innov...