Kingspan and Cargill unveil Paris-aligned climate strategies
Construction materials giant Kingspan and agri-food multinational Cargill have both unveiled new science-based emissions targets at the UN’s COP25 summit in Madrid.
Source: www.edie.net
Construction materials giant Kingspan and agri-food multinational Cargill have both unveiled new science-based emissions targets at the UN’s COP25 summit in Madrid.
Source: www.edie.net
Drawing on natural light for reduced energy consumption and using locally sourced furniture and materials, an environmentally sensitive design for HP Inc.’s new offices at London’s Thames Valley Park achieved a BREEAM Very Good Rating.
Melinda Hanson talks to TreeHugger about taking back the streets.
The circular economy has become, for many governments, institutions, companies, and environmental organisations, one of the main components of a plan to lower carbon emissions. In the circular economy, resources would be continually re-used, meaning that there would be no more mining activity or waste production. The stress is on recycling, made possible by designing products so that they can easily be taken apart.
Attention is also paid to developing an “alternative consumer culture”. In the circular economy, we would no longer own products, but would loan them. For example, a customer could pay not for lighting devices but for light, while the company remains the owner of the lighting devices and pays the electricity bill. A product thus becomes a service, which is believed to encourage businesses to improve the lifespan and recyclability of their products.
The circular economy is presented as an alternative to the “linear economy” – a term that was coined by the proponents of circularity, and which refers to the fact that industrial societies turn valuable resources into waste. However, while there’s no doubt that the current industrial model is unsustainable, the question is how different to so-called circular economy would be.
Several scientific studies (see references) describe the concept as an “idealised vision”, a “mix of various ideas from different domains”, or a “vague idea based on pseudo-scientific concepts”. There’s three main points of criticism, which we discuss below.
In March 2020, two human pandemics were born: one, the deadly spread of a coronavirus causing a disease dubbed COVID-19; and another, the plague of thoughts surrounding it. Now, in 2021, David Attenborough is here to save us from the thought-demic with his documentary special “The Year Earth Changed.”
Consolidation of eco-labelled products is badly needed, according to speakers at the 11th European edition of the Sustainable Food Summit held last month in Amsterdam.
As part of our Mission Possible campaign, edie brings you this weekly round-up of five of the best sustainability success stories of the week from across the globe.