Water Boundaries
Water is the best example of circularity in nature. Everybody remembers clearly the charts showing the water cycle on biology textbooks in high schools. Snow, rain, tributaries, lakes, seas, evapora...
Pulses are Circular
It is a fact that the circular economy is in search of a clear definition. This process will hardly stop at the aspect, albeit crucial, of matter recovery, by restoring a role and function to materi...
Earthworms vs. Ecomafia
In Rosarno, situated in the previously lush Gioia Tauro Plain, in the Reggio Calabria province, earthworms are about to start their titanic clash against ecomafia. David vs. Goliath. In this context...
Circulab, the Circular Economy Business Game
Circular economy is not just about rethinking waste management, it is a whole new economical and philosophical approach to business. It is complex, diversified and therefore hard to grasp for the un...
Who Said Flies are Useless?
Disposing of waste thanks to a fly and producing feeds out of it. This is the objective of the “Insect Bioconversion” project, a study on the use of a fly – Hermetia illucens &ndas...
Follow that Waste!
It’s easy to talk about the circular economy. The moment waste is recycled, we start talking about the circular economy. Such statement, to be fair, can be defined as superficial. The apparent...
Missing the Blue
Italy’s regions launched a public consultation, a referendum, concerning the drilling rights of companies mining for oil and gas off-shore, within 12 miles of the beautiful Italian Coast. The ...
Cunning and Lateral
When I occasionally meet the general public I happen to use the following problem, which is totally fictitious, there is no scientific activity of this kind. I say: a recent research shows that in C...
Fairtrade Carrier Bags
The articles we publish in this issue of Renewable Matter on the problem of carrier bags help look at the link between environmental and social issues with a fresh pair of eyes. The association bet...
How Brexit Will Penalize the Bioeconomy
Media is full of news and analyses on Brexit. All European households are talking about it, whereas politicians, investors, entrepreneurs and foreign citizens living in the United Kingdom (and vic...
In Italy, 90% of Waste is Still off the Radar
This is the snapshot of the “dark half” of the circular economy. The flows coming into the urban, agricultural and industrial circuits are under the spotlight and they are carefully meas...
Connett: Creative Communities to Win the Waste Challenge
Paul Connett is considered the “father” of the Zero Waste Strategy, which regrettably often has become a slogan with no real meaning. We asked him to tell us what the state of ...
The Revival of Eco-Local Materials
The innovative use of poor materials (wood, straw and other vegetable materials, earth and stone) is becoming more and more popular in residential buildings, both in public works and in large buildi...
Children of a Lesser God
According to the calculations of the European Commission each of the 28 member countries produces, on average, a mountain of about 173 million tons of waste from C&D (Construction and Demolition...
Houses in Hot Pursuitof Cars
If 30 years ago a mid-range car would run at ten litres of petrol per 100 kilometres, today, a hybrid model only needs a little over three. That’s an incredible evolution for the transport se...
Rwanda's War on Plastic
This article was published on Works That Work, No. 7, worksthatwork.com/7 Translation from Kinyarwanda: “The use of non-biodegradable plastic bags is forbidden&rdqu...
Flowers from Africa
We Europeans often think we are at the forefront with regard to environmental protection. We can show the world how to look after nature and how to reduce waste. More importantly, we can teach the b...
When Loans Go Social
Hands up those who are surprised to know that Italians’ confidence in the banking system has reached a historical low, which collapsed from 30% in 2005 to 10% at the end of 2015. A negative re...
Biomass is the Engine of the Canadian Bioeconomy
Jeff Passmore If biomass is the essential element for the development of the bioeconomy, Justin Trudeau-led country can rightly claim a leadership role in the field. A...
The Future Starts from Wood
“By 2030, we will need 50% more food, 45% more energy and 30% more water. The solution is the bioeconomy.” Reading the opening lines of the portal devoted to the bioeconomy (yes, a whole...