For decades, the EU has been pursuing the goal of reducing packaging waste and significantly increasing the recycling of plastics. But how effective are these political requirements really?

Bio-based materials are considered the key to a more climate-friendly economy, but policy-makers still view them in linear value creation models.

The British government wants to fundamentally reposition its steel industry with a clear focus on decarbonisation and the circular economy. At the heart of the UK Steel Strategy is a raw ma-terial that has often been underestimated in the past: steel scrap.

The European Commission has announced the Circular Economy Act for the autumn. Through a series of publications, the law is getting clearer contours.

Many circular economy technologies and business models have passed the pilot phase, but their scaling often fails due to regulatory fragmentation, weak markets for secondary raw materials and a lack of data interoperability.

Technically, there are many prerequisites for a European circular economy. Regulation, demand and infrastructure are slowing down the plan to scale these processes.

The EU-funded Circuit4EU project will develop technologies to recover critical raw materials from discarded electrical and electronic equipment.

Digitalisation is considered the key to the circular economy, but its contribution to climate protection is not clear.

PLS has contracted Tomra Mining to supply 22 sensor-based ore sorters for the planned P2000 expansion at Pilgangoora.

The goal of carbon neutrality, which primarily affects the energy and transport sectors, is leading to rising demand for batteries.

The Sherlock project develops methods for the characterization of black mass and for the targeted control of downstream recycling processes.

The circular economy is considered a key concept for ensuring the sustainable use of resources. However, even the most efficient closed-loop systems cannot completely eliminate waste.