In 2025, overall economic conditions in Europe remained subdued. Gross domestic product expanded by around 0.9 per cent, while investment activity continued to be restrained and private consumption showed only limited growth. Although interest rates stopped rising and began to stabilise, they remained above pre-2022 levels, continuing to weigh on residential construction and property investment.

The new soil washing facility is designed to treat excavated materials and C&D waste in line with Norway's increasingly stringent landfill regulations, including restrictions on landfill development, tighter leachate management and higher disposal fees. By investing in advanced treatment capacity, NGIR aims to reduce landfill volumes and increase the recovery of secondary raw materials for use in regional construction projects.

Unveiled at Hillhead in Buxton, England last year, CDE's ProPress represents a new generation of filter press technology which delivers exceptional operational efficiency and maximum water recovery.

Roma Grus, a construction materials supplier on the island of Gotland, has partnered with CDE to open a new 140tph waste recycling plant. The facility processes construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) waste and converts it into high-quality recycled aggregates and sand for use in new building projects.

This RNG, above gas grid specifications, is processed using advanced membrane-based gas upgrading technology to deliver 272 standard cubic meters per hour (159 SCFM), which is compressed, bottled and transported to a gas grid injection point. This strongly carbon-negative RNG is drawn off the gas grid elsewhere, significantly enhancing the sustainability of the transportation fleets of the buyers.

The revised directive introduces mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles across all EU Member States, ensuring a level playing field for all textile manufacturers, by holding producers accountable for their products throughout their lifecycle, regardless of location and including e-commerce. While strongly supporting this move, EuRIC regrets the 30-month implementation timeline, given the current crisis in the post-consumer textile sector and the immediate need for support to prevent further disruption.

The agreement covers SMS's "Metallics Optimizer", a learning charge-mix optimization solution designed to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and optimize the scrap mix. The roll-out of the Metallics Optimizer considers the integration of the melting and holding furnaces for aluminium, as well as the furnaces used for magnesium production.The installation of the Metallics Optimizer will cover other Speira-specific use cases with a focus on business processes and will enable step-by-step charging and the related sequencing of heats. Considering factors such as availability, process costs, and purchasing costs for different types of scrap, the Metallics Optimizer is set to enhance the alloy recipes in use today. Furthermore, the Metallics Optimizer will support Speira's Recycling Services with optimized recipe suggestions, including the possibility of comparing different charge-mix scenarios. Optimized recipes play a significant role in improving cost competitiveness. By using scrap in an optimal way, the Metallics Optimizer can reduce energy consumption and raw material losses during the melting process.The easy integration into the existing IT landscape with multiple types of third-party equipment and automation systems contributes to the enrichment of charge-mix calculation-related data when required, and also means additional planning-related functions can be set up.In consideration of Speira Recycling Service's existing processes in various plants in Europe, the Metallics Optimizer will be fully customizable to meet the requirements of the production and business processes. It offers a range of supporting functions such as the reuse of in-house circular materials and post-consumer recycling materials, as well as compliance with environmental and legal requirements. Being web-based, the package of customizable and learning digitalization solutions for scrap handling enables systems to be operated and controlled remotely, thereby facilitating an integrative exchange among all Speira locations. The project is supported by a long-term software and maintenance contract to ensure continued operation after implementation and to keep the operational functions up to date with the latest technology.