Industry News

Collaborations and Partnerships:

Porsche and cylib produce battery cells using 100% recycled cathode materials. Lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese recovered from Porsche’s end-of-life high-voltage batteries have been used to produce new test cells, advancing the companies’ closed-loop battery pilot. Read more.

Levi’s and Barbour expand Re-Loved collaboration with one-off upcycled garments. Vintage Levi’s 501 jeans and jackets are repaired and reconstructed using reclaimed Barbour waxed cotton, tartan and corduroy, extending the life of existing clothing through reuse and repair. Read more.

Business Developments:

Google backs near-zero emission steel production for data centre construction. The company will receive environmental certificates linked to up to 91,000 tonnes of Stegra’s first-year steel production, helping address embodied carbon emissions from data centre infrastructure. Read more.

Ralph Lauren applies circular principles to 79% of apparel production. The fashion group is targeting 85% by FY31, while expanding circular initiatives including product repair, reuse and resale through programmes designed to extend the life of its products. Read more.

Nespresso pilots $5 doorstep capsule recycling service in Sydney. Customers can arrange home collection of up to 180 used capsules through the Nespresso app, testing a more convenient reverse logistics model ahead of potential expansion across Australia. Read more.

FedEx transforms four tonnes of retired uniforms into 6,000+ blankets. The Brazilian programme has now repurposed around 30 tonnes of textile material since 2015, turning 93,000 retired uniform items into more than 37,000 blankets. Read more.

We Recycle Solar plans major solar critical materials recovery facility in Texas. The Dallas-area plant is expected to process one solar panel per minute and recover up to 96% of materials, with operations targeted for Q3 2027. Read more.

Market and Regional Developments:

AI data centre expansion could generate up to 13.1 million tonnes of e-waste annually by 2030. New research estimates AI-related infrastructure could generate 8.6–13.1 million tonnes of retired electronics each year by 2030, including servers, networking, power and cooling equipment. Read more.

US House passes legislation to strengthen domestic lithium-ion battery recycling. The bipartisan BRACE Act would update federal rules governing battery storage and recycling, aiming to reduce regulatory barriers and increase domestic recovery of critical materials. Read more.

European Commission launches consultation on VAT reform for the circular economy. The review will explore changes to VAT rules covering second-hand goods and the destruction of viable products, with findings expected to inform future amendments to the VAT Directive. Read more.

UK circular infrastructure investment held back by policy and market uncertainty. New research finds capital is available for reuse, repair and recycling infrastructure, but uncertain end markets, perceived investment risk and insufficient long-term policy clarity are restricting deployment. Read more.

Retailers struggle to recover full value from returned products. New research across 150 UK and European retailers finds just 9% resell more than half of returns at full price, while 82% believe enhanced recommerce could unlock additional value from returned stock. Read more.

Ireland more than doubles funding for circular economy innovation to €1.5m. The expanded grant scheme will provide up to €150,000 per project, supporting areas including reuse, repair, remanufacturing, plastics and critical material recovery. Read more.

Investment News

M&A:

Good Buy Gear acquires Stork Exchange to expand baby gear recommerce. The deal brings Stork Exchange’s overstock and returned baby products into Good Buy Gear, combining two businesses focused on keeping second-life baby equipment in circulation. Read more.

EMV Capital acquires Rotterdam chemical recycling plant for proposed restart. The facility, originally developed for more than €50m, could return to commercial operation following a proposed £6m retrofit using reactor technology developed by portfolio company DeepTech Recycling. Read more.

Venture and Growth Capital:

BuyWander raises $21m to scale retail returns marketplace across the US. The Series A will support nationwide expansion of its auction-based model for returned and overstocked goods, following 400% year-on-year growth. Read more.

Ravel raises $8.2m to scale blended textile recycling technology. The oversubscribed seed round will support the company’s move towards commercial-scale operations, with its process designed to recover materials from difficult-to-recycle blends including polyester and elastane. Read more.

Circular Investment Opportunity:

CRITICAL. seeks €500,000 to develop first-of-a-kind solar panel Urban Mining Factory. The equity raise will fund engineering, permitting and R&D for a planned German facility targeting critical raw material recovery from end-of-life solar panels, ahead of a larger project financing round in 2027. Learn more.

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