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

Industry News

EU announces new circular economy advancement plan. The European Commission has unveiled reforms including a digital waste tracking system, evaluation of the WEEE directive, and stronger enforcement of the Waste Shipment Regulation to boost repair, reuse, and recycling. Read more.

Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and Ellen MacArthur Foundation partner to advance circular electronics. The two organisations aim to boost electronics circularity, initially with mobile phones. Phase 1 will deliver a regional assessment, policy pathways, and roundtables to support design for reuse, repair, and recycling across Canada, Mexico, and the US. Read more.

Circular Materials achieves industrial-scale metallic recoveries. The Italian firm has recovered its first ton of nickel and first kilogram of ruthenium from industrial wastewater using its SWaP (Supercritical Water Precipitation) process. This milestone supports EU Critical Raw Materials Act goals, preventing heavy‑metal emissions and reducing mining dependency. Read more.

RHI Magnesita and BPI partner to accelerate circularity in North America. The refractory leader and minerals processor will establish a strategic partnership spanning 20 sites across North America and Canada. The partnership will recycle spent refractories, source domestic circular raw materials, and advance sustainable industrial solutions. Read more.

Trane Technologies repurposes single-use plastics into new HVAC components. Trane now transforms discarded plastics, including zip ties, into second-life refrigeration and HVAC parts. Its circular approach cuts costs across global supply chains, lowers emissions, and reduces Scope 3 impacts. Read more.

Sustane Technologies partners with BASF and Pyrovac to scale circularity. Sustane will triple its output of certified pyrolysis oil from hard-to-recycle plastics under a new 2025 offtake deal with BASF. A partnership with Pyrovac will also boost thermal decomposition capacity. Read more.

H&M signs multi-year sourcing deal with Circulose. H&M Group will replace a significant proportion of virgin viscose with CIRCULOSE®, a fibre made entirely from textile waste. The move supports H&M’s 2030 goal of using only recycled or sustainably sourced materials. Read more.

ilionx partners with Closing the Loop to launch ZeroWaste circular IT service. Dutch managed services provider ilionx has launched ZeroWaste, a digital workspace offering that offsets every new device by collecting and recycling an end-of-life unit through Closing the Loop’s One-for-One model. Read more.

Enzymatic plastic recycling makes industrial breakthrough. A US DOE-led team has developed an enzyme-based PET recycling process that cuts chemical use by 99%, energy use by 65%, and operating costs by nearly 75%. The method enables high-quality monomer recovery for true circular reuse. Read more.

Vanden and Oxford University partner to develop terahertz plastic-sorting tech. Vanden Recycling and Oxford Uni are advancing terahertz imaging to sort complex plastics, including black and complex packaging formats. The project aims to scale lab innovation into UK recycling operations. Read more.

US politicians launch bipartisan Recommerce Caucus. Government reps have founded the Recommerce Caucus to promote resale, refurbishment, repair, and support for small sellers. It’s backed by well-established platforms including eBay, Etsy, and Poshmark to drive circular commerce in the US. Read more.

Snitch partners with ClickPost to enhance omni‑channel fulfilment. Men's fashion brand Snitch has joined forces with logistics intelligence platform ClickPost to streamline online and in-store delivery, with real-time tracking, courier analytics, and automated returns. Read more.

Global Electronics Association (GEA) launches Circularity Resource Hub. The GEA has debuted a centralised online Hub offering standards, best-practice guides, and tools to help electronics manufacturers embed circular principles across product lifecycles. It supports design for repairability, e‑waste reduction, and cost savings, and will be continually updated. Read more.

PureCycle and Emerald Carpets partner to close the loop on trade-show flooring. PureCycle will supply ~5,000,000 lbs annually of recycled resin to Emerald Carpets and reclaim used carpets into new polypropylene rolls, creating a true carpet-to-carpet circular system. Read more.

Deakin Institute and Gen Phoenix join the Aviation Circularity Consortium (ACC). Australia’s Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials, and the UK’s Gen Phoenix have joined the ACC to improve circular materials science and advance circular recovery and reuse pathways within the aviation supply chain. Read more.

Investment News

Global circular investment hit $164,000,000,000 but high-impact solutions lag. Circle Economy and KPMG report global circular economy investment reached $164,000,000,000 between 2018–23, with most funding going to resale, rental, and repair. However, only 4.7% supported high-impact design and production innovations. Read more.

Eni and Azimut launch €100,000,000 clean‑tech VC fund. Eni and Azimut are launching a European Long-Term Investment Fund (ELTIF), to finance clean energy, decarbonisation, sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, and circular economy start-ups. Though targeting mainly US start-ups, the fund may also invest in European or other markets. Read more.

Recognize Partners closes Fund II at $1,700,000,000. Recognize, which recently invested in ITAD firm Sprout, has closed its second fund, surpassing its debut and hitting the hard cap in under five months. The fund will back tech services firms valued between $50,000,000–$500,000,000 globally. Read more.

Gomi raises funds to scale upcycled, repairable tech. UK-based Gomi is crowdfunding on Crowdcube to expand its range of electronics made from hard-to-recycle plastics and repurposed batteries. Products are designed for longevity and easy repair, supporting circularity at scale. Invest here.

Sweco acquires circular economy consultancies in Luxembourg. The architecture and engineering consultancy has purchased PROgroup and +ImpaKT, bringing about 40 specialists into its Luxembourg team to boost data-driven sustainability and circular economy advisory services. Read more.

Santander awards €120,000 to 6 circular economy innovators. Winners include startups Metalchemy, PulpaTronics, and Radical Dot, plus scaleups Catalyxx, Lain Technologies, and Kelpi. They share €120,000 in prizes, join the Santander X 100 community, and gain access to global growth resources. Read more.

MITECO commits €26,000,000 to 19 circular economy projects in Spain. The Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO) has awarded the funds for R&D, eco-design, waste management, digitalisation, and virgin-material reduction. Projects span 12 regions and involve SMEs through large firms. Read more.

Shift4 completes acquisition of Global Blue. Shift4 has finalised its acquisition of Global Blue, which previously acquired returns management SaaS specialist ZigZag in 2021. The move integrates Global Blue’s merchant solutions into Shift4’s global payments platform, delivering a stronger end-to-end experience for merchants. Read more.

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

Cheers to circularity,

#TeamCircularConnect #ConnectingTheCircularEconomy