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

Industry News

Circular industries have been growing 3.1% faster than linear counterparts. A new report by environmental action NGO WRAP and OC&C Strategy Consultants uncovered the growth and found that circular business models are becoming more commonplace, due to their resilience and customer retention benefits. Read more.

Apple and McKinsey outline roadmap to scale global use of circular materials. In 2024, 24% of Apple’s product weight came from recycled content, reducing emissions, pollution, energy consumption, and virgin mining, but it aspires to make that 100%. The study maps secondary supply pools and barriers to circular metals adoption, while calling for cross-sector collaboration. Read more.

IKEA steps up circular efforts to align with the EU’s 2050 climate goals. Initiatives span product design, utilisation of sustainable materials, expansion of circular services including buy-back schemes, enhanced spare parts availability, and collaboration with over 1,600 suppliers to reduce supply chain emissions impact. Read more.

Amazon prioritises reuse and recommerce as part of its broader sustainability efforts. In its 2024 report, the company outlined various strategies to tackle waste and enhance circularity, including expanded repair programs, resale of excess inventory, and improved tools for third-party recommerce sellers. Read more.

Syncron partners with Trillium to scale aftermarket solutions for OEMs. The collaboration will deliver advanced aftermarket and supply chain advisory, unlocking new value for manufacturers worldwide by enhancing resiliency, extending asset lifecycles, and optimising remanufacturing. Read more.

ReturnPro relaunches Direct Liquidation platform to streamline resale of returned and excess inventory. The revamped platform aims to simplify liquidation across returns, overstock, and end-of-life goods. AI tools add real-time pricing and smarter transaction controls like deposits and restocking fees. Read more.

RIXO launches resale platform “RIXO Pre‑Loved” powered by resale tech partner Treet. The platform enables customers to buy and sell pre-owned RIXO items, including founder-curated pieces. Sellers earn cash or a generous 110% in-store credit, incentivising wardrobe circularity and brand loyalty. Read more.

RecycLiCo and Lucid partner to secure critical mineral supply for North America. The duo joins the Minerals for National Automotive Competitiveness Collaboration (MINAC) to accelerate domestic sourcing of key battery materials like lithium and nickel. RecycLiCo’s hydrometallurgical tech recovers high-purity materials from ore, scrap, and end-of-life batteries. Read more.

Soorty and Haelixa expand DNA traceability to boost circularity in denim supply chains. Recycled cotton is tagged with invisible DNA markers to verify origin through production stages. The move supports Soorty’s SecondLife® initiative, enhances traceability, and combats greenwashing with forensic proof. Read more.

SER Group appointed as Dunext’s official UK partner for battery energy storage services. The partnership covers logistics, technical support, and certified recycling across the UK and EU. It unites SE Recycling, Cellcycle, and Cellstorage for full end-to-end lifecycle management. Read more.

US lawmakers highlight e-waste recycling as key to securing critical materials. A July hearing stressed the role of e-waste processing in recovering lithium, rare earths, and precious metals. Stronger infrastructure could cut import reliance and boost circular domestic supply chains. Read more.

Retail and apparel groups to launch California textile Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). The National Retail Federation, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, and the California Retailers Association have signed an MOU to launch a PRO ensuring that apparel and textiles are diverted from landfill. Read more.

New bipartisan CIRCLE Act proposes 30% tax credit for US recycling infrastructure. The credit aims to boost domestic sorting, collection, and reprocessing to strengthen circular supply chains. The bill could divert 169,000,000 tons of material and create up to 200,000 jobs. Read more.

Circular Connect joins Sustainability LIVE London as official media partner. We’re proud to support this flagship event bringing together 2,000+ professionals from across the sustainability, circularity, and ESG markets. Expect two days of insight, innovation, and connection in London this September 9 and 10. Register here.

Circular Connect surpassed 1,000 subscribers in July and we’re going to celebrate 🥳! Join your circular peers for a celebratory networking evening hosted by Circular Connect in London on August 21. All are welcome and the first round is on us! Register here.

Investment News

Start-ups supplying scarce materials and rare earths attract major VC attention. Investors are backing tech that extracts high-purity lithium, magnets, and rare earths from waste. The surge reflects growing demand for domestic, circular, and resilient supply chains. Read more.

Finnish recommerce app Bought acquires Netflea to scale secondhand resale. The deal gives Bought access to 200,000 historical Netflea users and their transaction data.
Bought’s AI simplifies the listing process by connecting to users’ email accounts to extract purchase info and auto-create resale listings. Read more.

Veolia acquires Chameleon Industries to scale circular solutions for semiconductor waste. Chameleon Industries captures by-products from chip production and converts them into industrial chemicals. Veolia gains four US sites, boosting hazardous-waste recovery, depollution, and circular capabilities. Read more.

Tapestry increases investment in Gen Phoenix to scale recycled leather supply. The investment lifts Tapestry’s share to 9.9%, alongside a new three-year supply deal.
Gen Phoenix’s leather alternative, made from leather waste and recycled polyester fibres, cuts emissions by around 80% versus virgin materials. Read more.

Brightplus raises €2,000,000 to advance circular textile technology. Its proprietary BrightBio® tech replaces fossil-based coatings with recyclable, bio-based alternatives.
The funding will accelerate industrial scale production and add digital traceability to its supply chains. Read more.

Altilium secures £1,000,000 to advance UK’s first fully circular EV battery supply chain. Funding from Innovate UK backs a prototype for closed-loop battery recycling and logistics. The project integrates safe collection, black mass processing, and EcoCathode™ refining, aiming to boost domestic resilience and reduce emissions. Read more.

Sibanye-Stillwater acquires Metallix to accelerate precious-metals recovery. The $82,000,000 deal adds refining sites and tech to recover gold, silver, and platinum group metals from industrial waste. Metallix processed over 900,000 oz of precious metals from end-of-life materials in 2024. Read more.

Before we wrap up for the weekend, why not take part in our referral scheme and share Circular Connect with someone who will benefit from it (new coffee mugs pending…)?

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

Cheers to circularity,

#TeamCircularConnect #ConnectingTheCircularEconomy