Day: August 10, 2021

Plastic is a global scourge and accounts for up to 12 percent of Thailand’s total waste every year, amounting to a total of 2 tons according to the Pollution Control Department. Pollution – a related issue given the toxins released when plastic waste is burned or dumped into waterways – presents a range of problems for Thailand. Thailand’s air includes two times the limits set by the World Health Organization for dangerous chemicals, and 32,000 premature deaths in Thailand were attributed to air pollution in 2020. Moreover, the country is ranked sixth in the list of the world’s worst offenders for dumping plastic waste into the sea according to Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Center. Tackling these interconnected issues quickly will take systemic change – and new ways of engaging and collaborating among stakeholders across the entire value chain – from policymakers and producers to consumers.

It’s hard to imagine a world without textiles. From the clothes we wear to the bedsheets we wake up in – we come into contact with textile fabrics nearly all the time. The textile sector, which includes the fashion industry, is marked by low rates of utilisation and low levels of recycling, leading to substantial and ever-expanding pressure on resources.
On average, European citizens discard 11kg of textiles per year, with garments typically having been worn only 7 or 8 times. At the same time, the European market has seen a sharp rise in apparel sales over the last two decades, with a 40% jump in pieces of clothing bought per person.
Both developments are mainly due to the ‘fast fashion’ phenomenon, with quicker turnaround of new styles, increased number of collections and often, lower prices. 

Industrial wastewater is facing tougher regulation, and tighter limits on nutrient discharge are being imposed to secure the quality of waterways. This increases the need for more thorough purification technologies. Meanwhile, there is a significant potential for raw materials lurking in wastewater. industrial waste water Waste Water Show all 3 keywords
© VTT
The treatment of industrial wastewater creates effluents which contain substances such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur. It is harmful to discharge large amount of nutrients into the environment, but when these nutrients are recovered they serve as valuable constituents of new circular economy products. At the same time, the use of virgin raw materials can be reduced, while boosting self-sufficiency e.g. in nitrogen-based and phosphorus-based industrial chemicals and fertilizer products in Europe.
Technically and economically feasible solutions for treatment of wastewater and recovery of nutrients are being developed in the TYPKI project. It is coordinated by VTT and promotes the recovery and refinement of nutrients into industrial chemicals, construction materials, and fertilizer additives.

Thirty years ago, I visited a small local hotel in Switzerland whose owner implemented sustainable practices in the hotel’s operations. The hotel relied on local produce, served organic food, recycled its waste, collected and used rainwater, and treated laundry waste water to use for flushing toilets. While it was amazing to discover such a concept […]

Customers will be able to browse second-hand furniture at dedicated ‘circular hubs’ at Ikea stores and on Gumtree, according to store

In a bid to promote sustainable development, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has decided to adopt circular economy principles. With this new approach, KMRL aims at reducing the cost of building construction. According to the plan, KMRL will begin the initiative by using recycled items as building materials. This will reduce dependence on virgin materials for less important areas. Apart from this, KMRL is also considering minimising environmental impacts from transportation. “Through adopting circular economy, KMRL can work on the concept of reduce, reuse, redesign and regenerate,” Hindu BusinessLine quoted KMRL Managing Director Alkesh Kumar Sharma as saying.