Plastics Recycling, Pitfalls & Potential
Mike Biddle, Founder of MBA Polymers calls plastic waste the last frontier in recycling. He knows the challenges and opportunities to be mined from complex waste streams. Mike Biddle has taken on one of the biggest challenges in our modern world. How to turn plastic waste into plastic resources. Despite the value of plastic and its ubiquity, it…
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ZWC 2014 – Textiles in Focus Panel Discussion
Textiles recycling and reuse efforts are scaling up globally, but so too are upstream efforts to reduce the environmental impact of textiles during design, manufacture and sale. An expert panel discusses a range of textile-related issues including how the clothing industry is addressing the wasteful practices associated with 'Fast Fashion', what municipalities can do to keep textiles…
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ZWC 2014 – Plastics in Focus Panel
Plastic. It's an integral part of our modern world. And more and more is recovered and recycled every year, as its impact on the environment and its value as a resource become more widely known.  But, the vast majority still remains in the garbage, or becomes litter in our communities and a toxic health hazard in…
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ZWC 2014 — Profiling the New Business Models of the Circular Economy
What do the business models of the future look like? How can embracing the circular economy be a key to success? Three voices from the front lines of the sustainable business community offer a road map through the challenges of doing business within a zero waste paradigm. Moderated by sustainability strategist Coro Strandberg, of Strandberg Consulting, this wide-ranging…
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Tackling the Scraps – Metro Vancouver Bans Organic Waste from Landfill
As the event organizer for the annual Zero Waste Conference, the Metro Vancouver regional district showcases leading examples of waste reduction, recycling, and sustainability initiatives from around the world. In 2015, Metro Vancouver hopes to solidify its own reputation as a jurisdiction committed to zero waste principles, with a ban on food scraps and organic waste…
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ZWC 2014 Textiles in Focus – Making C2C a Must-Have Label in the Fashion World
In some industries, sustainability initiatives deliver long-lasting benefits, because products and production methods can be used over and over again. But the fashion industry is an ever-shifting landscape, as seasons change and styles fall in and out of favour with the consumer. That can bring big challenges to sustainability efforts. When it comes to bringing…
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ZWC 2014 – Philips and Lego, Embracing Sustainability and Redefining Markets
The Afternoon Keynote featured an armchair discussion with the individuals in charge of sustainability at LEGO and Philips. During the discussion the audience were given insights into how global companies are catalyzing a shift toward a circular economy. Hear what drives these industry pioneers, the obstacles, and opportunities they encountered. And discover some fun facts, such as…
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ZWC 2014 Bridgett Luther – Cradle to Cradle: A New Paradigm for Production
Over 200 companies and 2000 products are now approved by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. But what does this certification mean? Institute president Bridgett Luther offers an overview of the principles behind the label. Luther opens her presentation with a simple definition. “Cradle to Cradle… is about our ‘stuff’,†she notes, “but it’s…
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ZWC 2014 Keynote Address – Jeremy Rifkin ‘Guardedly Optimistic but Not Naive’
 In his keynote address to Metro Vancouver's 2014 Zero Waste Conference, Jeremy Rifkin poses the question: will we succumb to the ecological and economic doom we have ourselves created, or will we thrive, having embraced the transformative technological and philosophical opportunities now available? In a videoconference presentation from Spain, Rifkin offers visionary concepts, sobering realities, and…
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ZWC 2014 – From Diapers to D.I.Y, Redesigning Products and Systems
A panel discusses how rethinking design and manufacturing systems can shift the linear economy to a circular or cradle-to-cradle model. From dealing with disposable diapers to building a better framework for do-it-yourself projects, this wide-ranging conversation explores the ways business goals and sustainability principles can work together to deliver new opportunities within a zero waste world. The panel…
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