Case studies and articles

During a pilot study to decolour drinking water, Vitens discovered that the perceived waste stream removed actually contained humic acids and table salt. Vitens searched for a method to reduce the

The Excess Materials Exchange (EME) is a digital marketplace where companies can exchange excess materials with each other.

Inashco was founded in the Netherlands in 2008 to offer a unique patented technology developed by the Technical University of Delft for recovering and up-grading fine non-ferrous metals from munici

Fruitleather Rotterdam is currently developing a new, eco- friendly process that converts leftover fruits into durable, leather-like material.

Renewi, created in 2017 by the merger of Shanks Group plc and Van Gansewinkel Groep B.V., is a waste-to-product business with over 8,000 employees across nine countries in Europe and North America.

Greengrit is a crushed glass grit made from 100% post-consumer recycled glass. It is crushed, cleaned, sized and packaged to provide the ideal blast media for many applications.

The ECO-WOLF recycling system consists of two major components.

A small Brussels-based brewery, the Brussels Beer Project, teamed up with Atelier Groot Eiland, a nonprofit focused on employment and education, to collect leftover

In a newly published framework from the IWA: Water Utility Pathways in a Circular Economy, transitionary pathways for utilities are described, that position them as engines for sustainable growth.

Ecopneus in collaboration with Matrec has a catalogue of products that are made through the recovery and reuse of end-of-life tyres. Each product and powder / granule of the catalog is presented wi

Circular Clockworks produces watches made from recycled materials.

The Biological House was created by a multidisciplinary team involving more than 40 partners, including Copenhagen-based design firm Een TIl Een, sustainable architecture firm GXN, wood-treatment c

Tjeerd Veenhoven has created innovative uses for discarded tulip petals from the 800,000 flower heads that are discarded annually per hectare.

Coolrec is a leader in the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment into high-quality recovered plastics, metals and other secondary raw material - from display screens to fridges and

Terracycle is a United States company founded in 2001 by a first year student at Princeton University.

Urban Rigger was designed and developed by Kim Loudrup and Bjarke Ingels in the summer 2016 in Copenhagen, as the first in a potential fleet of floating, mobile, sustainable dwellings, for students

At the GreenBiz 2018 conference, Waste Management and GreenBiz collaborate to ensure that the event was zero-waste.

Burning Man is the largest Leave No Trace Event in the world. The poilcy is to leave the desert as it was found before the festival.

The 2018 Super Bowl debuted a collaborative effort called Rush2Recycle that targeted zero waste at US Bank Stadium in Minnesota. NFL, PepsiCo, Aramark, US Bank Stadium, and the Minnesota Sports Fac

The Edmonton Reuse Centre accepts a huge variety of items which it makes available to organisations and individuals for them to use.

Enviro-Grow is a green, social enterprise committed to creating innovative eco-friendly products, packaging and promotional concepts that make a tangible, sustainable difference to our planet and o

In 1993, graphic designers Markus and Daniel Freitag were looking for a functional, water-repellent and robust bag to hold their creative work.

Researchers from North Carolina A&T State University have developed a process that uses pig manure as a low-cost replacement for petroleum in the production of road asphalt.

A Zeeland-based company uses plant waste in an innovative way to produce sustainable, biodegradable egg cartons (and other products), which are already found on the

Nespresso set up collection systems in the Benelux region to recycle used capsules. The company surveyed its customers about recycling capsules and the best routes for collecting used capsules.

In France Veolia has teamed up with a small appliance manufacturer, Groupe SEB, and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) firm, Eco-systèmes, in what was claimed to be Frances first comp

SLAG-REC, an innovative research project recently completed in Italy, aims at realising a new system for slag recycling and introducing it to the market.

RotterZwam uses coffee bean waste that is typically thrown away to grow gourmet mushrooms. 

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Schut Papier has developed a paper made of waste agricultural fibres. ‘Valorise’ is made of remnants of tomato and pepper plants, which become waste after the fruit has been harvested.

Knowaste has been researching and developing waste treatment technology for processing absorbent hygiene products since the 1990's.

Cycleon is a leading Supply Chain and Service integrator that offers solutions to reduce the complexity and cost of Returns Management. Cycleon offers reverse logistics solutions throughout the lif

Researchers in Australia are developing ways to use waste coffee grounds as a material for road construction.

Friesland Campina forged an alliance with Omrin, Wageningen University, and Royal HaskoningDHV to identify the valorisation opportunities of manure.

Globelet, a New Zealand-based company, has developed a plastic cup using recycled plastic, are distributed at events using a deposit system where users pay around $2 or $3 for the right to use one.

Toast Ale is the UK's first bread to beer ale, using surplus bread that would otherwise be thrown away by bakeries, delis, and sandwich makers. 

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Orange Fiber is an Italian startup which has created textile fibres made of 100% citrus juice by-products.

Rainforest Connection is an organisation that aims to stop illegal logging and poaching.

In collaboration with The Real Junk Food Project (a network of 'pay as you feel' cafes), Northern Monk Brew Co. have developed a zero waste beer.

Adidas partnered with Parley for the Oceans to develop shoes made from 95% ocean plastic.

Riz creates swimwear for men. Every pair of swim shorts is tailored from 100% recycled and recyclable fabric from plastic bottles.

CellsUnited has developed a high purity protein supplement from wastes from the fish processing sector.