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The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a central goal of international climate policy. The circular economy promises to make an important contribution here, as it combines resource conservation and climate protection. But not all practices work the same: While preventive approaches such as product design can reduce emissions, other measures sometimes lead to unexpected effects. The report "Unpacking Circular Economy Practices and Carbon Emissions Relationships: Co-benefits and Legitimacy Perspectives" examines which strategies are actually effective and how theoretical perspectives help to better understand their impact. The report was published in "Business Strategy and the Environment".

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".

The 2020 report "Breaking the Plastic Wave" by The Pew Charitable Trusts provided the first robust roadmap to combat global plastic pollution. Since then, the data situation has improved significantly. The "Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025" update uses the expanded state of knowledge to present the ecological, economic, health and social consequences of the global plastic cycle more comprehensively.

The European Union has set itself ambitious goals with the Green Deal: A central instrument for achieving these goals is the EU Taxonomy, a classification system for sustainable economic activities. From 2025, the regulation will apply comprehensively to all companies covered by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), bringing it even more into the focus of the financial and real economy. However, the implementation is complex. Different methodological approaches, incomplete data and ongoing adjustments due to FAQs and legislative changes make it difficult to report consistently and comparably. At the same time, the central challenge remains: the taxonomy is not only intended to create regulatory transparency, but also to steer capital flows into sustainable activities and thus support the transformation of the economy. Against this background, the current PwC study on the EU Taxonomy 2025 analyzes the reports of financial institutions across Europe and shows key developments, progress and stumbling blocks. It illustrates where regulation is already having an effect and where there is still a need for improvement so that the taxonomy achieves its actual goal.

When the Bureau of International Recycling invites you to the conference, the focus is on the global trade in secondary raw materials. Unsurprisingly, US President Trump's customs chaos was the biggest topic at the BIR conference in Valencia. But there were also other topics - and new figures on the importance of recycling for the environment and climate.

Since the beginning of the year, the mandatory separate collection of textile waste has been in force in the EU. This poses major challenges for municipalities in particular. Zero Waste Europe has set out in a paper what municipalities can do against excessive textile consumption.

Gover, who is currently Operations Director at WRAP, replaces Liz Goodwin, who is stepping down on 30 June after 9 years as CEO.