Recovered Paper Conference Berlin brings industry experts together to discuss market trends, digitalisation, and quality standards in paper recycling.

Google and AMP Robotics expand biochar carbon removal in waste management, targeting methane reduction and circular use of municipal solid waste.

The circular economy is at the core of the European sustainability framework. In view of current crises such as the pandemic and energy shortages, this transition is becoming even more important. Previous research has mostly focused on individual drivers such as recycling or resource efficiency. The role of digitalization and the influence of external shocks on circular processes, on the other hand, have been investigated only to a limited extent. The study "Economic, technological and environmental drivers of the circular economy in the European Union: a panel data analysis" by researchers from Romania and Spain attempts to determine the effect of economic, ecological and technological factors on the use of circular materials. The study was published in "Environmental Sciences Europe".

Ireland's DRS was designed as a fully digital system from the outset. The end-to-end IT solution provided by Sensoneo supports scheme operator Re-turn by managing product registration, container validation, transaction processing and clearing. Centralised data management enables consistent system oversight, accurate deposit handling and scalability as participation increases.

This strong support from organisations throughout Europe confirms EuCIA's conviction that composites circularity is a key driver for the entire value chain and will only be fully achieved through the collaboration of all stakeholders. The ECCA, a sectorial alliance of EuCIA, will provide a platform for knowledge sharing and cooperation, driving collective action to establish truly circular, sustainable value chains for composite materials. Alignment with EU policy frameworks such as the Green Industrial Deal and the Circular Economy Act (which is currently undergoing public consultation) will be key to the Alliance's success. Through EuCIA, the ECCA has already opened a dialogue with EU policy officers.

As waste streams grow increasingly complex, operators face a dual challenge: recovering as many valuable materials as possible while ensuring consistent quality. AISEE addresses these challenges by accelerating the commissioning of large-scale projects with Pellenc's NIR optical sorters and continuously monitoring waste streams at key points in the sorting process.

In total, the EU generated 58.2 million tonnes of food waste, which includes edible and inedible parts, indicating a slight increase of 0.7% compared with 2022 (57.8 million tonnes).