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.

Sweden could need to manage up to 150,000 tonnes of end-of-life solar panels annually by around 2060.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment has considerable potential for the recovery of critical raw materials. However, there are still considerable gaps between technical feasibility and industrial implementation.

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.

New recycling requirements in Brazil, Chile and Colombia are increasing demand for recycled plastics and investment in processing capacity.

The reuse of concrete components is considered one of the most effective levers for reducing CO₂ emissions in the construction industry. But how can it be ensured that dismantled elements remain durable and load-bearing even in a second phase of life?

Pakistan-based PET producer Novatex has commissioned a bottle-to-bottle recycling plant near Lahore with an annual production capacity of more than 24,000 tonnes of food-contact recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET).

The environmental debate has shifted fundamentally in recent years.