Extended producer responsibility (EPR), the idea that manufacturers of products and packaging should take responsibility for collecting and recycling the things they make, is a hot topic in the sustainability and business worlds. One EPR bill has passed so far in 2023, Washington State’s SB 5144, which requires battery makers to be responsible for the environmental management of their products. […]
Zac Clark, founder and executive director of the HomeMore Project in San Francisco, returns to share an update. The HomeMore Project has distributed several hundred solar-powered backpacks, the Makeshift Traveler, which features a built-in charging station packed with an AM/FM radio, rechargeable flashlight, sleeping bag, and other necessities. When we first talked with Zac in January 2022, when he was […]
Wave power, ocean energy, and wave energy are all terms used to describe an energy resource hidden in the movement of ocean waves. Attempts to harness this power have been ongoing for many years. But finding the best way to do this is proving to be a challenge. The U.S. has the potential to produce up to 2 trillion kilowatt […]
Making circular living easy for people is the key to achieving our sustainability goals. The take-make-waste linear economy has excelled at making the disposal of products and packaging easy, but only if you consider the landfill an environmentally responsible solution (it’s not). Now we need to make collecting and reusing items as convenient as tossing packaging in the trash after […]
Is there enough lithium in the United States to fulfill the made-in-America requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax incentive programs for new electric vehicles? The International Energy Agency projects that the world will need 1,063 kilotons of lithium in 2040. That’s 48 times the volume of lithium used in EVs and electricity storage in 2020. Where will it come […]
Can companies build circular services into their customer experience to earn a trusted relationship with the 81% of consumers who say they will buy more products and services from brands that help them live sustainably? We often talk about the circular economy and its benefits for people and the planet. Still, for many, the circular economy sounds like a lot […]
A few states are pioneering the rise of compostable packaging and building a composting infrastructure. World Centric‘s Resource Recovery Managers Erin Levine and Elly Ventura share the lessons the compostable packaging leader is learning as California, Colorado, and other states introduce composting and extended producer responsibility programs for fiber and plastic packaging. Making packaging sustainable — whether it can be […]
Over the past two years, the United States made a significant investment to improve industries and protect the environment. The funding in the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law could help reduce the country’s carbon emissions by 50% in 2030. However, a new debate is happening in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The House Majority Leader, Steve Scalise (R, […]
Electronic waste is a global problem. Despite the immense value of the gold and other critical minerals they contain, 80% of computers, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and other electronics end up in landfills. But we can do better. Meet Aaron Kamenash, the founder and chief innovation officer at Camston Wrather, a Carlsbad, California, e-waste recycler that launched its first “green […]
The UK took a huge step toward reducing its single-use plastic pollution. Starting in October 2023, a variety of single-use items such as plastic cutlery, plates, bowls, polystyrene cups, cotton swabs, and balloon sticks will be banned. Fines of up to 10% of the UK revenue generated by the business that distributes these items and prison time for repeat offenders […]