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Earth News

Why plastic recycling isn’t the answer to the oceans full of waste

Even if 50 per cent more plastic was recycled there would still be a pollution problem, a French minister said this week.

Earth News

Global Plastics Treaty: The warnings from campaigners to leaders

Compromise is needed, UN environment chief says – but activists warn the public demands decisive action on plastics.

Earth News

Will the fifth Global Plastic Treaty talks finally seal a deal?

Global plastic production has increased over 200-fold to hit almost 460 million tonnes annually since 1950.

Scenes

Watch: The Colombian couple tackling homelessness using plastic pollution

In partnership with Media City

John Berrio López and Kelly Rodríguez collect plastic bottles from overflowing landfills and turn them into sustainable structures like schools and houses.

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Business

Mercedes-Benz seeks to plug gap with own battery recycling factory

Mercedes is opening its own battery recycling plant in southern Germany, in an attempt to recover raw materials such as nickel, cobalt and lithium.

Earth News

France plans to turns radioactive waste into forks and pans

Sweden and Germany already have novel ways of recycling materials once a nuclear plant has closed.

Earth News

How your bag of old cables could power Europe’s wind turbines

UK households contain 38,449 tonnes of copper in old electricals, enough to build 1,240 copper Statues of Liberty.

Water Matters

Circular economy: Can hotels recycle wastewater from tourism?

In partnership with the European Commission

In regions of Europe where water is scarce, hotels are looking for ways to rationalise and recycle the water consumed by tourists. Some initiatives have been highlighted by the European project WAT'SAVEREUSE, led by Pyrenees–Mediterranean Euroregion.

Ecotech

Vaping waste is a ‘huge’ problem in the UK. Is a new ban the solution?

Last year, around five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away every week in the UK.

Earth News

Has Shein misled customers with its environmental claims?

The Chinese fast fashion giant is being investigated in Italy over its sustainability claims.

Earth News

11 people on trial for Sweden’s ‘largest environmental crime’

Waste management company Think Pink is accused of dumping at least 200,000 tonnes of rubbish.

Business

Capri Sun plans plastic return as paper proves final straw for juice

Customers in Switzerland will soon see plastic straws back on their Capri Sun packets. In the EU, however, paper straws are here to stay.

Water Matters

The Bulgarian water plant transforming waste into power

In partnership with the European Commission

Getting water to our taps and treating it afterwards accounts for about 5% of the greenhouse gas emissions of many countries. But one water plant in Bulgaria is bucking the trend. Can this be scaled up so the water industry gets to net zero?

Hungary

Hungary's recycling system clogs up as it struggles to meet EU target

The central European country has yet to reach the EU target of nearly 6.5 million recycled bottles per day by 2025.

Earth News

‘Rock hard’: Olympians order mattress toppers for eco cardboard beds

One athlete said her 'back is about to break off' after sleeping on the eco-friendly Olympic Village bed.

Earth News

Why is bottled water popular in Italy and is tap water safe to drink?

Almost half of all non-alcoholic beverages consumed in the EU are estimated to be packaged water of some form.

Climate

Temu, Shein: China’s landfills expose the dark side of fast fashion

Independent fashion watchdog Remake assessed big clothes companies on their environmental, human rights and equitability practices.

Tech News

Shein sets up circularity fund amid regulatory turmoil in Europe

The platform will need to comply with the Digital Services Act by the end of August.

The Road To Green

How is the European Union combating greenwashing?

In partnership with The European Commission

New EU measures to combat 'greenwashing' are aiming to challenge companies promoting so-called sustainable products. In this episode of The Road to Green we travel across Europe to find out more about the labelling changes coming to a supermarket near you.

The Road To Green

The ESPR Ecodesign regulation should reduce footprint of new products

In partnership with The European Commission

A new EU regulation aimed at making products more sustainable has just come into force. What is it exactly and what will it change?