Well, this is it. Our final Friday newsletter of 2025. From sending our first issue to 14 subscribers 320 days ago, to 1,960 of you today, it’s been a remarkable year of growth for Circular Connect.

Momentum across the industry continues to build too. We’re reporting on more strategic partnerships, regional developments, circular commitments, and deals than ever before.

Without wishing our time away, we can’t wait for 2026. But for now, we’d like to wish you all the happiest of holidays ❄️🎁.

For one last time this year, let’s get stuck in.

Industry News

Collaborations and Partnerships 🤝:

BMW partners with Encory to scale circular battery recycling. The collaboration focuses on recovering valuable battery materials through direct recycling processes, feeding materials back into BMW’s battery value chain while reducing reliance on energy intensive methods. Read more.

Hiro Robotics partners with ABB to advance automated e-waste recovery. The process applies industrial robotics to improve the disassembly and material separation of electronic waste, supporting higher-value reclamation and reuse of secondary raw materials. Read more.

Korea Zinc partners with US government on a $6.6bn critical minerals smelter. The company is working with the US Departments of War and Commerce to build a state-of-the-art facility. The project aims to strengthen domestic processing capacity for critical battery and technology metals. Read more.

Decathlon India partners with Ecosis to advance textile-to-textile polyester recycling. The partnership enables post-consumer polyester to be processed back into new fibres for use across Decathlon’s apparel ranges, strengthening local recycling capability and supply chain integration. Read more.

BASF and Essity team up to turn used diapers into reusable energy and materials. The companies are piloting processes in Germany that convert hygiene waste into biogas while recovering fibres and other materials for reuse, uncovering potentially viable circular pathways for one of the most challenging consumer waste streams. Read more.

Circulose launches new fashion brand partnerships. The material innovator is building on earlier collaborations by working with additional brands such as Bestseller and John Lewis to scale adoption of its wood-based circular fibre. The expansion reflects growing confidence in alternative materials to virgin cellulose fibres. Read more.

Syncron expands its aftermarket footprint in Australia and New Zealand. The partnership with Tridant extends Syncron’s service lifecycle and aftersales solutions across the region through a local value-added reseller network, improving access to tools that support service parts planning and lifecycle optimisation. Read more.

Ganni, M&S and Mulberry headline Drapers’ Conscious Fashion Summit line-up. The event will bring together leading fashion brands to explore sustainability, circular design and industry innovation. Panel sessions are expected to cover material sourcing, resale, repair and systemic change. Read more.

Company Updates 🔎:

Mercedes-Benz launches its Tomorrow XX programme to embed circularity across the vehicle lifecycle. The initiative brings together internal teams, suppliers, start-ups and recyclers to rethink materials, improve recyclability and cut carbon from design through end-of-life. Read more.

UPS deploys AI to tackle return fraud as volumes surge. UPS owned Happy Returns is piloting an AI tool called Return Vision to identify fraudulent returns by comparing returned items against purchase data and images. Return fraud now represents around 9 percent of total returns, costing US retailers tens of billions annually. Read more.

eBay steps into industry collaboration to scale textile circularity. By joining AMCirc, the marketplace is supporting collective efforts around reuse, resale and recycling. The move reinforces how major platforms are moving beyond transactions into ecosystem-level impact. Read more.

Aston Martin outlines sustainability commitments across its operations. The luxury automaker is focusing on resource efficiency, material reuse and reduced waste as part of its broader environmental strategy. Initiatives include lightweight design, recycling programmes and carbon reduction targets. Read more.

Everbloom turns chicken feathers into cashmere-like textiles using generative design. The platform applies AI to repurpose discarded feathers into soft, high-value fibres for fashion applications. By redesigning materials at the concept stage, the approach will reduce textile waste and reliance on virgin inputs. Read more.

PowerSafe recycles 200 tonnes of batteries, turning waste into recovered materials. The Brazilian recycling firm processed large volumes of spent batteries, extracting materials for reuse in new supply chains. The operation enhances local capacity to divert hazardous waste from landfill. Read more.

Tommy Hilfiger joins Spinnova consortium to scale sustainable fibre use. The brand has partnered with Spinnova and industry players to increase the adoption of low-impact cellulosic fibres in its products, cutting reliance on conventional cotton and synthetic materials. Read more.

T1 Energy advances solar manufacturing with a new Texas facility. The company has begun construction on a solar cell plant near Austin to strengthen its US supply chain. Output from the site will support module production and reduce reliance on overseas components. Read more.

Basatne integrates TechBridge to strengthen circular telecom operations. The move brings refurbishment facilities, reverse logistics networks, a B2B marketplace and ESG intelligence into a single end-to-end platform, enabling telecom operators to better manage asset recovery, device recirculation and e-waste reduction. Read more.

Canadian peer-to-peer rental marketplace Rax launches in the US. The Toronto-based platform has expanded into New York and other key cities, letting users rent and lend clothing directly to one another. Rax’s model supports longer-term rental periods and aims to reduce fashion waste by keeping garments in use. Read more.

YCH India doubles down on service-led logistics with parts network expansion. The company is widening spare parts availability to cut equipment downtime and improve aftersales support nationwide. Faster access to critical components will enable quicker repairs and more reliable service operations. Read more.

Regional Updates 🌎️:

The global reverse logistics market is forecast to reach $32.4 billion by 2034. The sector is expected to grow as e-commerce returns, refurbishment and recycling infrastructure continue to scale. Rising volumes and cost pressures are driving demand for more efficient asset recovery services. Read more.

Aircraft recycling is being positioned as a new jobs engine for Hong Kong. The government is promoting aircraft teardown and parts reuse to create skilled roles across maintenance, logistics and materials recovery. The push aims to attract global aviation players while diversifying the city’s industrial base. Read more.

New US focused EPR framework offers guidance to strengthen packaging circularity. The draft guidance outlines how extended producer responsibility schemes can be structured to improve recycling, reuse and material recovery across states. It emphasises performance targets, data transparency and harmonised reporting. Read more.

EU Commission clears €4.1 billion Hungarian State aid to support strategic green and circular investments. The funding is designed to attract large-scale clean technology, recycling and resource-efficient manufacturing projects, strengthening Europe’s industrial competitiveness. Read more.

EU Council and Parliament strike deal on new rules for vehicle circularity. The agreement will require vehicles to be designed for reuse, recycling and recovery. Wider measures include recycled plastic targets, stronger producer responsibility and tighter controls on end-of-life vehicle exports. Read more.

Turkey’s recycling push is set to inject $612 million into the economy. The government’s expanded recycling and waste management strategy aims to boost material recovery and industrial reuse. Officials say the plan will create jobs, cut landfill use and strengthen regional supply chains for recovered resources. Read more.

Industrial clusters are hubs for scaling circular economy practices. A World Economic Forum analysis highlights how co-located companies can share infrastructure, digital tools and by-product flows to cut waste, costs and emissions at scale. Success depends on supportive regulation, shared logistics and collaborative innovation. Read more.

Investment News

M&A 💰️:

Bought boosts its European footprint with Robes Rental acquisition. The logistics and returns specialist has acquired Robes Rental to expand apparel rental and reverse logistics services across the region. The deal strengthens Bought’s capabilities in clothing reuse and circular fulfilment at scale. Read more.

Venture and Growth Capital 📈:

Mobius Materials raises $3 million for its secondary semiconductor marketplace. The funding will support expansion of its platform designed to improve liquidity for surplus electronic components. Investors are backing the model as supply chains look to manage risk and unlock value from existing inventory. 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?

Cheers to circularity,

#TeamCircularConnect #ConnectingTheCircularEconomy