Michael Brunn

"We urge policymakers to implement these six strategic actions - ranging from trade defence mechanisms like tariffication of imports to fiscal incentives — to address the deep recession we are experiencing," said Ton Emans, President of Plastics Recyclers Europe. "Plastics recycling must be recognised as an essential sector for the EU -critical both for competitiveness and environmental progress — and it must be protected accordingly." 

This initiative marks the first deployment of the electric boiler within the Fujifilm Group. The installation makes it possible to produce the steam necessary for the cell culture media production at the facility. Furthermore, by the fiscal year 2025, the energy-related CO2 emissions at the facility are expected to be reduced by approximately 26% compared to the fiscal year 2024. 

Synthesizing the latest peer-reviewed scientific research, the report systematically maps out three pathways through which plastics affect the climate. Plastics emit greenhouse gases throughout their lifecycle, disrupt key ecosystem processes essential to sequestering carbon, and affect how the Earth reflects and absorbs energy.

The plastics industry is moving towards a more sustainable model, driven by circular economy principles and innovation in biodegradable and compostable materials. However, conventional biodegradation tests, as required by current regulations, are time-consuming and costly, limiting companies' ability to explore new formulations from the early stages of development.

This information comes from data on quarterly estimates for greenhouse gas emissions by economic activity published by Eurostat today. Quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions complement quarterly socio-economic data, such as GDP or employment. 

The medical industry is a fast-paced sector with a high demand, producing simple and complex devices. The type of material used and the design of the product are focused on effectiveness during use and less on recyclability and sustainability. In the report "Circular economy of the materials in the healthcare industry: Opportunities and challenges", researchers from Australia have investigated how a circular economy could be implemented in medical technology. The article was published in "Resources, Conservation & Recycling".

The 8th Environment Action Programme (EAP) is the EU's legally agreed, overarching framework for action on environmental policy until 2030. The programme includes the long-term primary goal of living within planetary boundaries by 2050 at the latest. Progress towards the goals will be reviewed every year. The European Environment Agency (EEA) has now presented the second monitoring report.

The European Commission is planning a Circular Economy Act for the coming year. So far, the planned contents are relatively unclear. From the point of view of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), this opportunity must be seized to finally achieve a transformation to a true circular economy. The EEB has examined how this could be achieved in the report "Prevention is better than cure: How the circular economy can give Europe a head start".

In order for Germany to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045, alternative, climate-neutral carbon sources are needed. In addition to the material use of biomass and chemical and mechanical recycling, Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) plays a role here. CO₂ from industrial processes or the atmosphere is used as a material in the chemical industry or for the production of synthetic fuels. Leopoldina, Acatech and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities have examined what this could look like in the report "CO₂ as a raw material".

Plastics have long been an integral part of everyday life. However, plastic waste pollution is also a global problem that poses significant environmental, economic and public health challenges. Although plastic pollution is recognized as a critical global environmental problem, comprehensive analyses of plastics along the value chain are missing. Researchers from China have therefore conducted a global material flow analysis of plastics based on the year 2022. The study was published in "Communications Earth & Environment".