It’s been a busy week. Let’s get stuck in!

Industry News

GXO Logistics appoints Patrick Kelleher as CEO. The contract logistics giant has appointed Patrick Kelleher as Chief Executive, effective August 19. Patrick brings 33 years of global supply‑chain and ops excellence leadership experience, including leading DHL Supply Chain North America as CEO. Read more.

DHL Supply Chain appoints Mark Kunar as new North America CEO. Following Patrick’s departure, the leading logistics provider has named CFO and CSO Mark Kunar as its new North America Chief Executive, effective June 20. Mark recently led strategic acquisitions like Inmar, CRYOPDP, and IDS Fulfillment. Read more.

DX Group appoints Ian Truesdale as CEO. DX Group has selected logistics industry veteran Ian Truesdale as its new Chief Executive, effective July 1. Ian joins from Unipart Group, where he served as Global Managing Director of Unipart Logistics and Consulting. Read more.

Target, Gap and Houdini partner with Syre to scale circular polyester. Syre, launched by H&M Group and Vargas, will supply textile-to-textile recycled polyester to the major brands, with Gap targeting 10,000 tonnes per annum, Houdini sourcing 50% over three years, and Target integrating it into owned-brand products by 2040. Read more. 

Circ® partners with Selenis to scale textile-to-textile polyester production in Europe. Circ® has entered a strategic partnership with Selenis to leverage its polymerisation capacity to toll and process thousands of tonnes of recycled polyester annually across Europe, driving textile circularity across the region. Read more.

DHL Supply Chain partners with Fortum Battery Recycling to close the EV battery loop in Europe. DHL will manage safe, compliant logistics, including transport, storage, and handling, to support Fortum’s recycling of end‑of‑life EV batteries. The long-term contract supports EU circular economy mandates and strengthens regional battery-material sovereignty. Read more.

Barrett Distribution Centres partners with Two Boxes to streamline e‑commerce returns. Barrett selected Two Boxes to modernise its reverse logistics workflows, focusing on faster inspections, re‑kitting, and resale readiness. Two Boxes’ tech integrates seamlessly with major platforms and enables warehouse teams to process returns with speed and accuracy. Read more.

Orchestro.AI and PackageHub form strategic partnership to overhaul e-commerce returns. The collaboration merges Orchestro’s AI-driven decision intelligence with PackageHub’s 4,600 retail drop-off points to create a smarter, faster, consumer-friendly returns infrastructure. Read more.

LKQ Europe and Synetiq partner to launch circular remanufacturing joint venture. The JV combines Synetiq’s salvage, dismantling, and remanufacturing expertise with LKQ Europe’s distribution and logistics network, streamlining repair for workshops and bodyshops by offering readily accessible new, recycled, and certified remanufactured parts. Read more.

Tchibo partners with Koorvi to launch circular coffee-machine take‑back programme. The coffee machine retailer is partnering with circular tech start-up Koorvi to offer a take-back portal where customers can exchange their old machines for discount vouchers online, empowering returns, refurbishment and resale at scale. Read more.

Pensana signs MOU with ReElement Technologies and American Resources Corporation to build sustainable rare-earth supply chain. A proposed offtake of up to 20,000 tonnes of ultra-clean mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) will power the independent rare earth supply chain and meet rising demand from US and allied defence and commercial industries. Read more.

Scientists engineer E. coli to convert PET plastic into paracetamol. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh used genetically reprogrammed E. coli to transform PET-derived terephthalic acid into paracetamol. The process runs at room temperature, emits virtually no CO₂, and offers a sustainable alternative to fossil-fuel-driven pharmaceutical production. Read more.

CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation unveil ambitions to accelerate the battery circular economy. The joint commitment aims to decouple new battery production from virgin raw materials by 2045 and signifies a deepening strategic partnership between the two organisations. The battery value chain could support over 10,000,000 jobs by 2040, according to CATL’S VP Jiang Li. Read more.

ToyCycle launches “Resale-as-a-Service” to monetise returned and overstocked toys. The platform helps brands recover value from returns, overstocks, and trade-ins through managed resale operations, handling everything from intake and refurbishment to marketplace listings under each brand’s own name. Read more.

Tariff pressures boost reverse logistics urgency. New US tariffs have made imported goods more expensive, while returned items have already cleared duties. This is pushing retailers to accelerate returns processing and resale, highlighting the growing importance of efficient asset recovery and recommerce capabilities. Read more.

Big firms adopting circularity could create up to 470,000 UK jobs. Research from Green Alliance found that the broad implementation of circularity within the UK could create over 470,000 jobs by 2035. Key enablers include reforming finance and VAT, boosting consumer confidence, and a national green skills plan with training incentives. Read more.

Taiwan’s recommerce market set for rapid expansion. A new report forecasts the market will hit $1,200,000,000 in 2025, representing an impressive 16.8% annual growth rate. Future growth will be driven by B2C and peer-to-peer platforms and reflects increasing consumer interest in resale, rental, and refurbished goods. Read more.

musicMagpie boosts AO’s recommerce revenues. UK appliance and electronics retailer AO has reported a strong surge in recommerce revenue, reaching £42,600,000. This growth comes after AO’s acquisition of musicMagpie in 2024, and reflects growing consumer demand for sustainable, refurbished electronics. Read more.

BMW shifts from carbon fibre to flax-based natural composites. Following years of R&D and motorsport testing, BMW has confirmed flax‑based composites for series production. The natural-fibre parts reduce CO₂ emissions by around 40% in production versus carbon fibre and offer end‑of‑life environmental advantages. Read more.

Investment News

VC and PE investment hits record in UK circular economy. BDO reports UK circular businesses raised £2,200,000,000 in disclosed funding during 2024, a 64% year-over-year jump, with venture capital and private equity accounting for 78% of deals. Activity rose in industrials, manufacturing, technology, media, and telecoms sectors. Read more.

Investors recognise value in circular fashion with $2,100,000,000 deployed globally since 2020. A Sustainable Times analysis shows fast-fashion’s linear model drives overproduction with 30-40% of garments remaining unsold. The heightening need and economic potential for circularity has driven significant investment interest. Read more.

Malaysia’s 3cat raises pre‑Series A to scale circular electronics platform. The omnichannel platform for used electronics secured funding from The Radical Fund, AEON, and returning investors to grow its retail network, in-house repair operation, and digital services across Southeast Asia. Read more.

Papilo acquires Silverwoods’ Waste-to-Land unit to scale circular services. The bolt-on acquisition supports Papilo’s goal to lead the way in fostering a circular economy, where waste is minimised and resources are maximised. Silverwoods previously partnered with Papilo to convert organic waste into natural fertiliser. Read more. 

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Have a great one and we’ll meet again on Monday!

Cheers to circularity,

#TeamCircularConnect #ConnectingTheCircularEconomy