The COVID-19 pandemic is a global emergency, bringing devastation to millions around the world, impacting lives and jobs, and grinding much of the global economy to a halt. It’s a crisis that has shown our vulnerability and confirmed our under-estimation of the probability and exponential nature of systemic risks. It calls on all of us […]

The European Commission has adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan – one of the main blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth. Building on the work done since 2015, the new Plan focuses on the design and production for a circular economy, with the aim to ensure that the resources used are […]

Economic growth has exacerbated the plastic waste problem – but it contains the solution too. Targeted investment can bridge the finance gap hampering Asia’s waste sector. Investment in just five countries could reduce plastic ocean flows by 45%. Asia’s exponential growth has made it into a powerful economic force, but it also has placed the […]

Will Europe become the world’s first climate neutral continent? It might, now that the EC’s proposed Green Deal been been backed by the European Parliament and by the European Council? Almost the entire European legislation is being turned around to make Europe the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The package of measures that European […]

Politicians, economists and even some natural scientists have tended to assume that tipping points in the Earth system — such as the loss of the Amazon rainforest or the West Antarctic ice sheet — are of low probability and little understood. Yet evidence is mounting that these events could be more likely than was thought, […]

Awesome call to action – watch this video till the end. “Plastic is an incredible substance for the economy — and the worst substance possible for the environment”, says entrepreneur Andrew Forrest. In a conversation meant to spark debate, Forrest and head of TED Chris Anderson discuss an ambitious plan to get the world’s biggest […]

Could we talk about the elephant in the room (or the elephant in Boyan’s boat for that matter)? Assuming The Ocean Cleanup succeeds in its mission and if we disregard the question if the plastic waste should be collected near-coast instead of at deep sea, the real question remains: how is the plastic waste further […]

Throwing away the cigarette filter in nature after finishing smoking. In some cultures it seems like a normal daily practice. For many an unconscious act, or considered harmless: it’s made from biobased materials so it can be littered without harming the environtment, right? Wrong. Research results, recently published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety,  […]

The plastic litter- and waste management crisis is clearly explained in this infographic by The Guardian. Solutions are being developed to clean the oceans from plastics, such as the OceanCleanup Project, but these are corrective solutions – if it will function at all. And even then, it can only cleanup (a part of) the plastics […]

The Council of the EU has approved new rules on single–use plastics to reduce marine litter. Not only does this tackle global plastic litter problems at grass-roots level, moreover, it paves the way to transitioning into a circular economy. Critics might argue that this is just a small step, which directly affects the population of […]

Despite its name, “Oxo-degradable”, these kind of plastics are NOT biodegradable. They are, in fact, destructive to the environment and should be banned. Other plastics can be a part of the solution within the circular economy, f.I. when from biobased origin or because of its biodegradable functionality. Oil-based plastics also fit within circular design, provided […]

Cassandra’s no-brainer. If we care about plastic waste, why won’t we stop drinking bottled water? Before buying your next bottled water please consider the following facts first: Most of the bottled water you buy is just glorified tap water. There are a few brands whose water really comes from springs and mountain streams, but most […]

European Commission – Press release Brussels, 4 March 2019 All 54 actions under the plan launched in 2015 have now been delivered or are being implemented. This will contribute to boost Europe’s competitiveness, modernise its economy and industry to create jobs, protect the environment and generate sustainable growth. The European Commission today published a comprehensive […]

“Electronic waste is deemed a hazardous waste by the EU due to toxic parts containing substances such as mercury, lead and flame retardants. Exports of this type of waste to non-OECD and non-EU countries are illegal under EU law.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/07/uk-worst-offender-in-europe-for-electronic-waste-exports-report It goes without saying that exporting criminals must be hit hard under national law of […]

In a joint initiative, stakeholders around/within the construction value chain have signed a covenant for climate-adaptive building. The coalition consists of, among others, construction companies, municipalities, the province of South-Holland, water boards, social organizations, financiers and project developers. Through the development of new design principles and standards, stimulation of innovations and more trial locations, the […]