Circular economy & zero waste

Stacked shipping containers at a busy Malaysian port being inspected by customs officials for an article about Malaysia's e-waste ban

Malaysia bans all e-waste imports in sweeping environmental crackdown

By / / Good News For Humankind

Malaysia has enacted a comprehensive ban on all electronic waste imports, closing loopholes that once allowed exemptions and placing e-waste under an absolute prohibition. Customs officials have already seized over 900,000 kilograms of illegal waste in a single sweep. The ban is paired with an anti-corruption crackdown targeting officials who enabled illegal dumping, and it is inspiring neighboring countries across Southeast Asia to reject toxic shipments and demand that wealthy nations manage their own electronic waste.

Stacks of unsold clothing on warehouse shelves representing the E.U. unsold clothing ban for an article about the EU unsold clothing ban

E.U. bans destruction of unsold clothing to cut textile waste

By / / Good News For Humankind

The European Union has officially banned the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear, requiring fashion brands to reuse, recycle, or donate excess inventory instead of incinerating it. The rule is part of the E.U.’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and targets the fast fashion industry’s overproduction problem. Large companies face a two-year compliance window and must publicly disclose how much they discard. The move builds on France’s 2020 anti-waste law and sets a new global standard for reducing textile waste and emissions.

Person repairing a smartphone

Five U.S. states have passed Right to Repair legislation in 2025

By / / Good News For Humankind

Right-to-repair bills allow consumers to fix broken products and replace missing parts, boosting consumer rights, affordability, and waste reduction. In May, Washington Gov. Ferguson signed two bills, covering consumer electronics, appliances, and wheelchairs. Then, the Oregon and Nevada legislatures passed their own wheelchair bills, while Texas and Connecticut passed consumer electronics measures. 2025 is now already the most productive year ever for Right to Repair.

Battery illustration

Chinese researchers develop new battery recycling process that recovers 99.99% of lithium

By / / Good news links

The groundbreaking method, developed by researchers from Central South University, Guizhou Normal University, and the National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Energy Storage Materials, employs a unique ‘battery effect’ mechanism. The process achieves remarkable recovery rates: 99.99% of lithium, 96.8% of nickel, 92.35% of cobalt, and 90.59% of manganese, all within just 15 minutes. Unlike traditional methods, this approach avoids harsh chemicals and minimizes environmental harm, generating effluents suitable for use as fertilizer.

Consumers embrace Ireland’s first bottle deposit return scheme

By / / Good news links

After initial consumer confusion and irritation, Ireland’s first-ever deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans has finally been embraced by the public, with 111 million containers returned in August – up from 2 million in February when the scheme launched. In the eight months since its launch, 630 million containers have been deposited at reverse vending machines up and down the country.

Landfill. A lot of plastic garbage. Environmental problems.

Bangladesh implements strong measures to eliminate single-use plastic

By / / Good news links

Data shows Bangladesh generates around 87,000 tons of single-use plastics annually, of which 96% are directly discarded as garbage. Lack of awareness has led to the collection of plastic waste all over the cities, especially near rivers or lakes, where they mix with water and soil, affecting ecosystems and food chains. The new country’s new government has now decided to implement an existing, but unenforced 2001 law by banning all single-use plastics.

Produce aisle at grocery store

California bans all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores

By / / Good news links

California had already banned thin plastic shopping bags at supermarkets and other stores, but shoppers could purchase bags made with a thicker plastic that purportedly made them reusable and recyclable. The new measure, approved by state legislators last month, bans all plastic shopping bags starting in 2026. Consumers who don’t bring their own bags will now simply be asked if they want a paper bag.

Legos

Lego plans to make half the plastic in bricks from renewable materials by 2026

By / / Good news links

The toymaker hopes gradually to bring down the amount of oil-based plastic it uses by paying up to 70% more for certified renewable resin, the raw plastic used to manufacture the bricks, in an attempt to encourage manufacturers to increase production. In the long term, Lego plans to switch entirely to renewable and recycled plastic by 2032, in a green push that has resulted in the company testing more than 600 alternative materials.