Growing material inventories make it difficult to close material cycles.

Rising raw material prices, geopolitical uncertainties and ambitious climate targets are changing the foundations of industrial competitiveness.

The rising demand for critical raw materials presents Europe with new challenges in supplying its industry. Consequently, in addition to new mining projects, previously underutilized sources are increasingly coming into focus.

Currently, considerable quantities of critical raw materials are lost, as vehicle electronics have so far mainly been shredded together with end-of-life vehicles.

According to the study "Transforming textile waste into materials using fungi", textile waste streams could no longer be seen primarily as a disposal problem, but as a raw ma-terial basis for new composites. Researchers at the University of Vienna and the Estonian University of Life Sciences have shown that fungal mycelia can combine used clothing to form resilient laminate structures whose mechanical properties are significantly higher than previous mycelium materials. The study was published in "Resources, Conservation & Recycling".

The use of fiber composites is growing rapidly worldwide. However, with increasing production, energy consumption, material losses and waste volumes are also increasing significantly. The study "Mapping the global flow of fiber-reinforced polymer composites and supply chain energy requirements" by American scientists shows in detail how much energy is actually required for the production of composites, where large quantities of production waste are generated along the supply chain, and why recycling has so far only played a minor role. The study was published in "Resources, Conservation & Recycling".

Food losses cause enormous economic and environmental damage along global supply chains. Avery Dennison's "Making the invisible visible" study finds that around $540 billion in economic losses are generated annually in retail and upstream supply chains alone. New digital technologies promise more transparency about inventories, shelf life and flows of goods.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution form an interconnected "triple planetary crisis." The report "Moving from interconnected crises to systemic solutions" by Ecologic Institute on behalf of the German Environment Agency shows why this requires a change of perspective for the circular and waste management industry: away from pure waste management and towards the active control of material flows and resource use.

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".

Rising raw material prices, geopolitical uncertainties and growing ESG pressure are changing the rules of the waste management industry. Landfills are increasingly in focus - not only as a cost factor and liability risk, but also as a potential raw material storage. In the study "Moving waste storage towards a circular economy: barriers and opportunities", British scientists have developed the ASPIRE concept, an approach that uses industrial and mineral waste in a targeted manner for later value creation. The study was published in the "Journal of Environmental Management".