All Circular Economy articles
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ArticleDiageo revisits recycled content, packaging weight and net zero targets
After revising its environmental targets, Diageo now aspires for 50% recycled content in its packaging by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050 – but no longer sets its sights on a 10% reduction in packaging weight or 100% renewable energy.
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ArticleINC-5.2: Breaking point or turning point?
INC-5.2 was a failure – but is that necessarily a bad thing? Willemijn Peeters, founder of Searious Business, tells us why this breakdown might be exactly what is needed.
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ArticleTracking the key developments from INC-5.2
In this article, we’re tracking the key developments from INC-5.2, to keep you up-to-date with the most important decisions and talking points.
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ArticleWhich country has the best waste management system?
Sensoneo recently published its Global Waste Index 2025, comparing waste management across the 38 member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD). In this edition of The Brief, we outline the main findings of the report including the biggest global waste polluters, waste production trends and the impact of DRS schemes.
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ArticleEU-backed scheme researching new cleaning methods for recycled plastics
AIMPLAS is leading an innovative research project researching new cleaning and decontamination methods for recycled plastic, with the aim of enabling its safe reuse in food contact applications.
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ArticleWill ambition win the day at INC-5.2’s Global Plastics Treaty talks?
The sixth round of Global Plastics Treaty negotiations begins today, and WWF asks whether a continued push for consensus will slow its progress even further – or whether ambitious nations might branch off in pursuit of stronger sustainability measures.
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ArticleINC 5.2: Chance for industry to seize ‘historic opportunity’
With talks on a global plastics treaty resuming today, Ambrogio Miserocchi, Plastic Policy Lead and Co-Lead of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, calls on world leaders to stay ambitious and seize a historic opportunity to deliver a robust final agreement to end plastic pollution.
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ArticleBurts Snacks cuts down on virgin plastic with 55% PCR crisp packets
Burts Snacks has implemented 55% post-consumer recycled plastic into its new crisp packets – a move expected to save around 8,000 tonnes of virgin plastic.
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ArticlePublic consultation and call for evidence launched for Circular Economy Act
The European Commission has launched a public consultation and call for evidence for its upcoming Circular Economy Act, seeking input from stakeholders and the public to understand the opportunities and bottlenecks for a circular transition.
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ArticleGlobal Plastics Treaty calls intensify as microplastics linked to health impacts
With INC-5.2 kicking off tomorrow, WWF and the University of Birmingham underline its importance by linking micro- and nanoplastics (MnPs) to various environmental and human health impacts, ranging from disrupted food production to cancer and infertility.
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ArticleWhere is P&G in the pursuit of its sustainable packaging goals?
P&G reports that it has designed 80% of its packaging for recycling or reuse and exceeded this year’s target for FSC-certified virgin paper; yet it is 29% behind its virgin plastic reduction target for 2030, leading some to doubt the feasibility of its goals.
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ArticleEuropean Carton Excellence Award is now open for public voting
Public votes are now open for this year’s European Carton Excellence Award, Pro Carton Young Designers Award, and Pro Carton Student Video Award.
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ArticleA closer look at the AI recyclability platform being trialled by Unilever and Amcor
Unilever, Amcor and Asahi are currently trialling Greyparrot’s Deepnest platform, which uses AI to give brands data on how their packaging is managed throughout recycling systems. To learn more about exactly how the technology works, as well as some interesting learnings from the project so far, we spoke with Gaspard Duthilleul, COO at Greyparrot.
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Article20% of all waste is burned, dumped or managed illegally, survey indicates
According to an Environment Agency survey, 20% of waste is illegally managed on average, resulting in extra clean-up costs for businesses – yet only 27% of all waste crimes are ever reported.
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ArticleRFID-enabled In Mold Labels from Avery Dennison track reusable plastic packs
Avery Dennison has launched three RFID-enabled In-Mold Labels (IMLs) to be embedded into reusable plastic packs during the injection moulding process, intended to facilitate accurate item-level scanning for greater visibility across operations.
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ArticleSix actions to prevent industrial crisis as EU plastics recycling at ‘serious’ risk
As the EU faces soaring energy costs and competition from low-cost recyclate imports, Plastics Recyclers Europe’s president, Ton Emans, presents a six-point checklist to protect Europe’s plastics recycling industry, from improved transparency to clean energy.
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ArticleM&S adds tags to milk bottles to track recycling behaviour
M&S four-pint milk bottles now feature invisible UV tags, meaning they can be tracked through the recycling system with help from Polytag.
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ArticleWhat to expect from INC-5.2 – where is the Global Plastics Treaty now?
What does the Global Plastics Treaty draft text currently look like, and what can we expect from the upcoming round of negotiations? With the help of WWF, we take stock of our current position, and where we have left to go.
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ArticleHexagonal luxury hand cream bottles implement Amcor’s post-consumer rPP
New hand creams from Maison Guerlain now feature Amcor’s CleanStream premium post-consumer recycled polypropylene in their hexagonal packaging, designed to be recyclable across Europe.
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ArticleNew test protocol validates bottles’ rPET content and multi-loop recyclability
The European PET Bottle Platform’s new Circularity Test Protocol intends to help industry stakeholders adjust to multi-loop recycling and pursue environmental targets as incoming EU policies set minimum thresholds for rPET content.