Industry News

Collaborations and Partnerships:

Saha Group, ECOMMIT and ITOCHU partner to launch circular fashion infrastructure. The initiative will establish a nationwide system to collect, sort, reuse and recycle unwanted clothing. Read more.

Aduro Clean Technologies and AstroTurf sign MOU to evaluate synthetic turf recycling. The companies will assess a pathway to recover polyethylene and polypropylene from end-of-life artificial turf, creating circular feedstocks for the petrochemical industry. Read more.

Omni and Plastic Recycling, Inc. partner to scale plastics recovery from end-of-life vehicles. The collaboration will convert automotive shredder residue into recycled compounds, building a traceable domestic supply chain for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. Read more.

SK tes, Singapore EDB and Aubotic Technology partner to automate e-waste processing. The collaboration will develop AI-powered robotics to improve the identification, dismantling and recovery of materials from end-of-life electronics. Read more.

Company Updates:

Outdoor equipment brand Salomon expands its repair programme across Europe. Customers in six countries can now repair apparel and bags through an online service, helping keep products in use for longer. Read more.

Virgin Media O2 aims to double refurbished device sales and recycling by 2030. The targets include doubling O2 Recycle participation while expanding device reuse initiatives to 30 UK cities. Read more.

ReBound Returns identifies £29 million in potentially fraudulent retail returns. Analysis of one million returned orders highlights significant gaps in retailers’ ability to detect and prevent returns fraud. Read more.

Lola Valentina adopts FedEx and Returnity’s reusable packaging system. The programme replaces single-use e-commerce packaging with reusable mailers designed for repeated shipping cycles, integrating into existing parcel workflows to reduce packaging waste. Read more.

Regional Developments:

France passes landmark law to curb ultra-fast fashion. The legislation introduces financial penalties and advertising restrictions for platforms including Shein, Temu and AliExpress, aiming to reduce textile waste and the environmental impact of ultra-fast fashion. Read more.

WHO Europe issues guidance on the repair, refurbishment and recycling of assistive products. The guidance supports countries in extending product lifecycles, reducing waste and improving access to essential self-care and mobility products through circular economy principles. Read more.

Investment News

M&A:

CMA CGM to acquire FedEx Supply Chain for $1.4 billion. The deal will nearly triple CEVA Logistics’ North American contract logistics operations, expanding its warehousing, fulfilment, returns management and integrated supply chain capabilities. Read more.

Earthworks acquires Critical Minerals Recycling and Recovery System. The acquisition strengthens the company’s ability to recover critical minerals from electronic waste, batteries and other secondary material streams through a scalable, modular recycling platform. Read more.

Kappahl agrees to acquire a majority stake in Arkivet Second Hand. The partnership will support Arkivet’s expansion in Sweden and internationally while advancing Kappahl’s circular fashion ambitions. Read more.

Venture and Growth Capital:

Altilium awarded UK government funding for battery materials recycling. Working with Nyobolt and Talga, the project will develop a UK supply chain for graphite recovered from end-of-life EV batteries and manufacturing scrap. Read more.

LabCycle secures £430,000 to commercialise laboratory plastics recycling. The funding will support its AutoDecon technology, which recycles contaminated laboratory plastics into high-grade resources as an alternative to incineration. Read more.

RarEarth secures a €2.5 million European Innovation Council grant. The funding will support the company’s first production plant to recover and recycle rare earths from end-of-life motors and electronic equipment, with the opportunity to negotiate up to €6 million in follow-on equity funding. Read more.

Amazon invests in GranBio to advance fuels made from waste biomass. The investment will support technology that converts forestry residues and construction debris into sustainable aviation fuel and other bio-based fuels. Read more.

Fapis raises a Series A bridge round to expand its second-hand luxury platform. The funding will strengthen AI-powered authentication, expand inventory and position South Korea as a global hub for luxury resale. Read more.

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