Tremendous Business Opportunities in Africa

There are many reasons to invest in the countries of the African continent. According to the report “Africa Waste Management Outlook“, published this year by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the waste management practices on the continent are far from ideal: Backlogs in waste collection coverage and disposal to open dumps or unsanitary landfills […]

Digitalization Trends and the Global Waste Recycling Market

According to the international research and consulting company Frost & Sullivan, smart bins, robotic sorting, mobile applications, smart trucks, and analytical tools as well as optimization software solutions are creating new growth opportunities. Frost & Sullivan’s analysis, titled “The Impact of Digital Transformation on the Waste Recycling Industry”, finds that the adoption of advanced technologies, […]

The Green Bond Opportunity

According to the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY Mellon), the global green bond market continues to see significant growth; it is also attracting a larger and wider issuer base. This progression reflects 155.5 billion US-Dollar in labeled green bonds, “incorporated into a larger 895 billion US-Dollar universe of climate-aligned bonds that contribute to […]

Germany: GreenTech for Sustainable Development

The German Federal Environment Ministry presented the “GreenTech Atlas 2018”. In the view of the ministry, this publication confirms that green products and services are on the rise with a global market volume of 3,200 billion euros in 2016. This share is likely to increase by 6.9 percent annually to amount to 5,900 billion euros […]

New Statistics on Global E-Scrap Quantities: A Big Business

The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) commissioned a new report, which was published at the world recycling organization’s latest convention, held in Barcelona in May this year. End-of-Life electrical and electronic equipment (EoL-EEE) is currently considered to be one of the fastest growing waste streams worldwide, growing at three to five percent per year, especially […]

The Sector and the Investment Plan for Europe

The Investment Plan for Europe, the so-called Juncker Plan, has three objectives: to remove obstacles to investment; to provide visibility and technical assistance to investment projects; and to make smarter use of financial resources. The three elements of the plan are: ■ First, the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), which provides an EU guarantee […]

Consortium Intends to Build Europe’s First Waste-to-Chemistry Plant

The companies Air Liquide, AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, Enerkem and the Port of Rotterdam intend to realize a waste-to-chemistry facility as a “sustainable alternative solution for non-recyclable wastes”. According to the information, it will be the first of its kind in Europe, converting waste plastics and other mixed wastes into new raw materials. In February this […]

Singapore: Researchers Turn Fashion Waste into Multifunctional Material

A research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Engineering has developed a method to convert cotton-based fabric waste, such as unwanted clothing, into highly compressible and ultralight cotton aerogels. According to the information provided by the university, aerogels are among the lightest materials in the world and are highly porous with […]

New Catalysts for Fuel Cells

Catalysts for anion exchange membrane fuel cells do not have to be expensive. Scientists from the University of Surrey (located in the South East of England) – in cooperation with colleagues from Queen Mary University of London – have produced non-metal electro-catalysts for anion exchange membrane fuel cells by using a cheap clay material called […]

Big Business Opportunities for Recycling of Nutrients Possible

When the inputs of fertilizers to soil exceed the off-take of nutrient, the resulting surplus represents a potential risk to the environment. Not a decade ago, the surplus of nitrogen in agricultural land in the EU 27 amounted to 49 – 80 kg per hectare, whereas the surplus of phosphorus reached 1.8 – 8 kg […]