This archive tracks real progress on circular economy and zero-waste efforts worldwide — from packaging redesigns and repair-economy expansions to industrial waste-to-resource programs. More than 155 stories document what’s working, who’s driving it, and how communities and companies are closing the loop on consumption.
The law, like those passed in New York, California, and Minnesota, will require many manufacturers to provide the same parts, tools, and documentation to individuals and repair shops that they provide to their own repair teams. But Oregon’s bill goes further, preventing companies from implementing schemes that require parts to be verified through encrypted software checks before they will function.
As of January 2024, municipalities in France must now provide residents with ways to sort bio-waste, which includes food scraps, vegetable peels, expired food and garden waste. Households and businesses are required to dispose of organic matter either in a dedicated small bin for home collection or at a municipal collection point. The waste will then be turned into biogas or compost to replace chemical fertilizers.
According to the East Asian nation’s Environment Ministry’s new biogas law, public and private industries that generate organic waste such as livestock manure and food waste will now be required to produce them in the form of biogas. Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, plant material and manure and can be used in vehicles that operate on natural gas.
California will now require corporations to offer access to repair resources like parts, tools, documentation, and software for three years for products priced between $50 and $99.99 and seven years for those priced at $100 or higher. The act applies to gadgets and appliances made after July 1, 2021.
Community-based recycling organizations, which handpick litter, quadrupled in the last few years, now picking up 15% of all plastic waste generated in the country.
Faced with an unending stream of unrecyclable waste from wealthy nations, Indonesia has tightened its regulations and has begun to make progress in stemming the plastics flow.
The developers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong believe the new bacterial-cellulose-based material can offer a sustainable, easily available and non-toxic solution to plastics in food packaging.
The new ban will also extend to plastic straws and cutlery, as the nation’s government expands its campaign against single-use plastics, which began in 2019 when it banned plastic carrier bags.
For “portable batteries” used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and cameras, consumers must be able to “easily remove and replace them,” reducing costs for consumers and reducing e-waste.
Companies that sell in Minnesota but don’t offer customers or independent repair shops the materials needed to fix devices within 60 days can be found in violation of state law.
