Thailand is expanding cooperation between government and industry to support its Thailand net zero 2050 target.

The decarbonization of the cement and concrete industry is increasingly being slowed down less by technological limits than by regulatory frameworks.

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 will take place on 17 and 18 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany, with the option to participate online.

The steel industry is one of the world's largest industrial emitters of greenhouse gases. In addition to new production processes and a climate-friendly energy supply, the circular economy in particular offers great opportunities for reducing emissions. The study "Circular Economy can substantially reduce EU steel supply chain emissions: A quality-focused circularity assessment" by Dutch and Spanish scientists shows that material efficiency, longer product lifespans and high-quality recycling could significantly reduce the demand for steel in Europe and massively increase the share of secondary steel. It is not only the amount of available scrap that is decisive, but above all its quality. The study was published in "Resources, Conservation & Recycling".

The European research project REWIND has recovered more than 20 square metres of decommissioned wind turbine blade sections for reuse in industrial applications.

The discussion paper "A post-2030 climate policy framework fit for reaching the EU climate targets" by the German Environment Agency shows that the European climate protection architecture after 2030 must be made much more precise, coherent and resilient in order to actually achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

Comstock Metals has completed the assembly of all precision equipment and process units for its industry-scale solar panel recycling facility in Virginia City, Nevada.

Food waste is one of the biggest unsolved problems of European waste management. Despite clear political goals and the obligation to collect organic waste separately, a large part of organic waste remains in residual waste. The study "The case for Extended Producer Responsibility for food products" by Zero Waste Europe and the Bio-based Industries Consortium brings into play an instrument that has long been established in other waste streams: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

The international recycling industry has urged policymakers to adopt clear and harmonised rules for the transboundary movement of used textiles under the Basel Convention.

A&A Recycling Services has expanded its waste wood processing capacity at its Meriden Quarry facility in Coventry with the installation of an Ecotec TBG 530T high-speed shredder.

The European research project FUELGAE has completed its second implementation phase and reported further progress in the development of sustainable transport fuels from microalgae.

The World Meteorological Organization's global climate data for 2025 show a significant acceleration of key trends from rising greenhouse gas concentrations to record temperatures and a growing energy imbalance in the Earth system. These developments are not without consequences for industrial value chains.

The world is at a turning point in dealing with growing waste. Poor waste management has significant consequences, but at the same time offers opportunities: investing in sustainable and efficient systems can boost growth, jobs and innovation. In particular, the circular economy, which focuses on reuse and value retention, can turn waste into an engine of sustainable development. The World Bank Group's "What a Waste 3.0" report provides up-to-date data and analysis on global trends in waste management.

Knowledge of cathode chemistry is increasingly decisive for the efficiency of modern recycling processes. The previous practice of processing heterogeneous batteries together leads to com-plex material flows and decreasing metal yields. The study "Identification of waste lithium-ion battery cell chemistry for recycling" by Finnish scientists shows that new diagnostic methods such as incremental capacity analysis can enable non-destructive pre-sorting for the first time. The study was published in "Waste Management".

No one has been talking about Germany as a recycling world champion for a long time. But the question still arises as to where Germany is positioned in the circular economy in an international comparison. On the basis of patent applications, Prognos tried to answer this question on behalf of the Bertelsmann Stiftung with the study "Innovation Analysis of the Circular Economy".

The expansion of electromobility shifts industrial value creation towards batteries and critical raw materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite, which are becoming strategic resources. Electric vehicles require significantly more mineral raw materials than combustion engines, which increases cost risks as well as environmental and social challenges in global supply chains. As a result, the previously linear battery value chain is reaching its limits. Recycling is an important solution component, but cannot cover the increasing demand for materials in the short term alone. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's report "Leading the charge: Turning risk into reward with a circular economy for EV batteries and critical materials" shows that a systemic approach is needed that combines recycling with battery design, use, secondary use and new business models.

Biogenic waste and residues are becoming increasingly important in the course of the transformation towards a climate-neutral circular economy. The report "Recycling of Biogenic Waste and Residues - Carbon Source, Bioenergy & Negative Emissions" by the German Biomass Research Center examines current developments, technological approaches and political framework conditions along the material and energetic recycling of biogenic residues and shows what role waste and recycling management will play in defossilization, resource efficiency and a circular bioeconomy in the future. The report was published in "Austrian Water and Waste Management".

Biogas is often underestimated in the energy policy debate or treated as an obsolete model. However, the study "Future Prospects of the Biogas Industry", which was prepared by the Institute for Future Energy and Material Flow Systems on behalf of the German Biogas Association, shows that as an energy and carbon carrier from residues and waste materials, biogas can make a key contribution to the energy transition and the circular economy.

The transformation to a circular economy poses far-reaching challenges for industry, educational institutions and policymakers. The chemical industry and materials science in particular play a central role in this: they create the technological and scientific prerequisites for using materials more efficiently, making products more durable and closing material cycles. The report "Jobs and skills for a circular economy: a cross-sector perspective from the chemical and materials science and engineering communities" summarises key findings from a joint study by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The focus is on changes in the need for skills, the demands on educational pathways, difficulties in recruiting skilled workers and the political options for action.

The report "Nature Positive: Role of the Technology Sector" presented by the World Economic Forum positions the digital and technology industries as potentially key players in the protection of biodiversity and natural resources. The report is embedded in the international "Nature Positive" narrative, which has increasingly served as a guiding principle for business and politics since the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. According to the report, the tech sector should not only reduce its own environmental impact, but also contribute to the ecological transformation of other industries through digitalisation, data availability and efficiency gains. This perspective is ambitious - and of immediate importance for the circular and waste management industry.