Zero-Waste

Making the Energy Transition Cleaner: Critical Minerals and Circularity Challenges

We live in an age of mass consumption, fuelled by increasing production. We now have an ever-growing ‘anthroposphere’ – a term that encompasses everything that humans have created from raw materials, and how they subsequently interact with the planet.  Such demand obviously puts significant strain on natural resources, but nowhere is this issue more profound than with the critical minerals which underpin…

England set to introduce a ban on single-use plastics

What’s going on here?  The UK government has set out plans to ban the sale of certain single-use plastics. This includes items such as plastic cutlery, plates, and polystyrene trays. The ban is set to come into effect by October 2023. What does this mean? The environmental impact of plastic pollution is well understood. Plastic pollution is so pervasive that it has…

Five eco-friendly habits Gen Z think they invented…

I’m starting to feel my age. Hipster businesses are emerging with ‘innovative’ solutions to steer us towards more environmentally friendly everyday products. But, like a 90s boy-band revival, it would seem that there’s nothing new here! Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t doubt that it’s the vigour of today’s vicennials that can lynchpin our ecological hopes with action. Indeed, their…

Your rubbish? Your problem! Malaysia to return tonnes of imported waste to the West

What’s Going On Here? On Tuesday, Malaysia announced it is to send back over 3,000 metric tonnes of contaminated plastic imported waste to countries including the UK, US, Canada and Australia. What Does This Mean? After China banned the import of plastic waste in 2017, other countries began to take the brunt of our waste problem. Since then, rubbish has accumulated across the Philippines, Indonesia,…