It’s been a busy week!

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Industry News

Collaborations and Partnerships 🤝:

Nike doubles down on circularity with two new partnerships. The global apparel giant has signed a multi-year agreement with Swedish circular materials firm Syre to integrate high-grade recycled polyester into its performance lines, and separately inked an offtake deal with Loop Industries for its textile-to-textile Twist™ resin made from textile waste. Read more.

Marks & Spencer deepens circular fashion push by partnering with Circulose. The retailer has become the first UK brand to join the Circulose Scaling Partner programme, integrating CIRCULOSE® into future collections. The move strengthens its “Another Life” circularity strategy and advances large-scale fibre-to-fibre recycling. Read more.

Maersk and CATL partner to electrify logistics from port to warehouse. The two companies have signed a strategic MoU to advance battery-powered solutions across shipping and logistics, covering port equipment, container transport, warehousing and end-of-life battery systems. Read more.

MIT and Adobe launch software to design reconfigurable modular garments. The partnership has developed “Refashion,” a tool that breaks down apparel into reusable modules, enabling clothes to be resized, restyled or transformed. The platform aims to reduce waste by making garments adaptable from the outset. Read more.

Dr. Martens and Gen Phoenix extend recycled leather partnership with a bold new drop. The two brands have launched the Solar Flare collection, marking their fourth season of working together. The line introduces kids’ boots and bags made with Gen Phoenix’s Genix Nappa reclaimed leather. Read more.

Mango backs deeper traceability through partnership with TextileGenesis. The fashion retailer has teamed with the digital traceability platform to map its global supply chain, and has already tracked over 6,000 tonnes of materials and 40 million finished units across 1,000+ suppliers in 23 countries. Read more.

Company Updates 🔎:

The RealReal reports strong Q3 revenue growth despite continued losses. The luxury-resale platform delivered double-digit top-line growth in the third quarter as demand for authenticated pre-owned fashion remained resilient. Losses widened due to accounting adjustments, but the company says operational improvements and higher consignor engagement are strengthening its path toward profitability. Read more.

Clarios accelerates US battery recycling and critical mineral processing capacity. The company is fast-tracking a restart of its South Carolina facility and selecting a new greenfield site to expand recycling and refining of batteries and critical minerals. These moves deepen its push to enhance domestic supply chain resilience. Read more.

Recover launches new platform to enable adoption of recycled-cotton fabrics. The B2B hub gives fashion brands access to high-quality, low-impact textiles made with Recover’s proprietary recycled cotton fibre, helping them integrate circular materials at scale. Read more.

Ionic Rare Earths signs preliminary deal for US recycling plant. Australian firm Ionic Rare Earths has entered a non-binding MoU with US Strategic Metals to develop a facility in Missouri, producing high-purity magnet rare-earth oxides from recycled materials. Read more.

Clariant technology to power Europe’s first waste-to-methanol plant. Clariant will supply key technology for Ecoplanta, a new facility in Spain that will turn hundreds of thousands of tonnes of non-recyclable household waste into renewable methanol each year. Read more.

Ontic opens new $10 million MRO Centre of Excellence in Florida. The 64,000 square-foot facility in Miramar marks Ontic’s first dedicated US centre of excellence for maintenance, repair and overhaul, and its eighth global site. The investment creates around 150 jobs and strengthens Ontic’s aftermarket network. Read more.

Regional Updates 🌎️:

Global Circularity Protocol for Business launches at COP30. WBCSD and the One Planet Network have unveiled the world’s first science-based, globally harmonised framework to help companies measure and manage circularity performance. Developed with 150+ experts and piloted by leading businesses, the protocol aims to set a new benchmark for credible, comparable circular reporting and adoption. Read more.

Global survey reveals strong belief in circularity but limited real world adoption. A new Bain & Company and World Economic Forum report, drawing on responses from nearly 500 manufacturing executives worldwide, found that while most see circularity as a major value driver, only a small fraction have scaled circular supply chains. Read more.

UK delays its Circular Economy Strategy until 2026. Defra has confirmed that the long-awaited circular economy plan will now open for consultation in early 2026, slipping from the original 2025 timeline. The delay comes as the Circular Economy Taskforce continues developing roadmaps for priority sectors. Read more.

Norway opens 90,000 tonne plastic sorting facility to boost recycling capacity. A new joint-venture plant near Oslo, using advanced sensor-based sorting, will process up to 90,000 tonnes of plastic packaging annually and aims to handle about 80% of Norway’s household plastics by 2030. Read more.

Bangladesh approves $57 million e-waste management project. The government has greenlit a major initiative to build a modern e-waste collection and processing system under the Hi-Tech Park Authority. The project aims to tackle rapidly rising electronics consumption, formalise recycling capacity, and reduce hazardous waste. Read more.

MIT student turns fishing industry waste into a biodegradable plastic alternative. An MIT senior has developed a thin film material made from fish processing waste, including scales, that naturally breaks down in composting conditions. The innovation explores how seafood by-products can be repurposed into next-gen sustainable materials. Read more.

Kenya to ban imports of electronics older than 12 years. Draft 2025 regulations propose blocking entry of older electronics and electrical appliances to curb hazardous waste inflows. The rules exempt museums and certified refurbishers, aiming to cut e-waste dumping and strengthen domestic recycling capacity. Read more.

Investment News

M&A 💰️:

Reconomy completes seventh US acquisition to expand industrial waste footprint. Global circular services group Reconomy has acquired Integrated Waste Analysts through its US subsidiary Lincoln Waste Solutions, adding industrial waste collection, equipment rental and commodity management capabilities to its platform. Read more.

BP Environmental Services acquires Synergis Zero Waste Group to expand US recycling footprint. The specialist waste services provider has taken over Synergis, a commercial recycling and composting business, strengthening its services in landfill diversion, recycling optimisation and waste-programme management. Read more.

Denali expands food waste recycling network with acquisition of SMART Recycling. The organics recycler has acquired the collection and composting business to extend its regional footprint and scale food-waste processing. The deal reinforces Denali’s push to become a national leader in organics recycling. Read more.

Venture and Growth Capital 📈:

Syre plans to raise up to $700 million to build a textile-to-textile recycling plant. Following its newly announced supply deal with Nike, the company is preparing a $500–700 million round to fund a large-scale facility producing recycled polyester from textile and plastic waste. Read more.

Rebel raises $25 million Series B to accelerate its circular retail expansion. The recommerce specialist, which diverts millions of returns from landfill each year, secured new funding led by MarcyPen Capital Partners. The capital will fuel growth of its open-box and overstock marketplace and support expansion into new verticals. Read more.

Limetrack secures funding to scale its food waste tech across the UK & Europe. The London-based startup has raised over £1.3 million to ramp up deployment of its IoT-enabled SMART Bin, designed to measure and report food-waste volume and carbon impact. Read more.

Swish Solar secures $1.5 million to scale its self-cleaning solar technology. The funding will help the startup commercialise panels that automatically shed dust and debris, reducing maintenance demands and extending system performance. The innovation supports longer-life renewable assets. Read more.

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Cheers to circularity,

#TeamCircularConnect #ConnectingTheCircularEconomy