The following article is a transcription of a conversation between Andrew Johnson, Communications Director at CirQulor, and Phanos Hadjikyriakou, Co-Founder and CEO of 2050-Materials, a scale-up that’s leading the change to a sustainable and circular future for the built environment. AJ: Hello Phanos, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat …
Head-to-head: Democratizing sustainable materials selection Read More »
Do you know the difference between an Oxodegradable and a compostable material? And just what is a smart drop-in? In the last year alone, the lexicon surrounding alternative materials has moved on rapidly. At CirQulor, we’ve amassed definitions from trusted sources and leading organisations and popped them into a handy online glossary. The aim is …
The Postplastic Glossary: new words for a sustainable world Read More »
The Substitution Principle When an alternative material, substance or chemical becomes available it must be substituted. Substitution is costly and complex and will require incentives coupled with strict regulation. The United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA5) will meet in Nairobi on 28 February – 2 March 2022 to negotiate and agree on a new legally …
Global Plastics Treaty: One Principle we would like to see upheld Read More »
A report by US market research company Dynata found that 68 per cent of consumers prefer to buy products and services from companies that are environmentally responsible. It is therefore incumbent on brands and businesses to ensure that their products are labelled correctly and accurately and that consumers aren’t misdirected. To avoid accusations of greenwashing, …
Here is what you can do instead. I’m sure I’m not the first person to tell you that the world’s plastic problem is at a critical level today. From the Stone Age to the Iron Age to the Steel Age, we delineate society’s epochs by their primary material for fabrication. Ours will most likely be called …
I’m an Environmental Scientist, and I Don’t Care If You Recycle Read More »
If you thought last year was exciting in alternative materials development, ’22 looks set to be a breakthrough year with great strides being made in developing sustainable, eco-friendly materials for products ranging from performance car parts to toothbrushes. In the CirQulor Alternative Materials Database we’re currently developing, there are now more than 70 alternative bio-based …
The phrase ‘widely recycled’ is part of a recognised labelling campaign run by Recycle Now in England. It is supported and funded by Government, managed by WRAP, and used by over 90% of local authorities. We welcome this development; it’s always good that consumers are informed of the options available to them, so they are …
What does ‘Widely Recycled’ on packaging actually mean? Read More »
Covid-19, supply chain disruption, trade restrictions and new environmental regulatory enforcement have resulted in a wholesale re-evaluation of the true cost of using oil-based materials. Oil-based materials, including plastics, continue to dominate alternative materials mainly for reasons of cheap raw material supply; unrivalled global availability, and favourable regulatory factors. But times are changing: environmental impacts …
Oil-based v Postplastic materials – riding the market dynamic Read More »
With COP26 fast approaching and the expectation that the general focus, particularly in the media, will be on climate heating, global CO2 emissions and the developing energy crisis, it’s worth taking time to view the current situation within the wider context of sustainability – one that encompasses economic, environmental and social development. In 2015 the …
It’s easy to imagine a postplastic world that looks and feels just like the present, but, perhaps, with the odd alternative material here and new recycling point there. And while these topics attract the lion’s share of attention among the media and public, there is a whole area of transition to come that will be …
Postplastic World #03: Squaring up to Circularity Read More »