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☆ Can Bamboo Replace Paper and Plastic? and Should It?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Manuel Silva-Paulus | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

With bamboo-based products on the rise, we wanted to see how they compared to their plastic and paper counterparts. We went to Taiwan and China for a behind-the-scenes look at how bamboo is turned into cups, lunchboxes, toilet paper, and cutlery — and figured out which of these products have the biggest impact on our environment. For more on Lastic, visit www.lastico.com.

Locations: Taiwan, China, www.lastico.com

☆ The Startup Keeping Wind Turbine Blades Out of Landfills
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Manuel Silva-Paulus | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Conventional recycling techniques don't work on wind turbine blades. Now, an Ohio startup is turning them into park benches and planters. But how much trash will the wind energy industry create?

Locations: Ohio

Your average EV has six times more mineral content than a petrol- or diesel-powered vehicle. All those metals need to be dug, scraped, blasted, or leached out of the earth. There is massive demand for batteries as countries eye up ambitious zero-emissions targets. But what's the cost?

☆ How Turning Flower Waste Into Natural Dyes Can Reduce Pollution
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Grant Tyler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Worshippers in India buy thousands of tons of flowers every day to give as offerings in temples. The rituals leave behind mountains of flower waste that often end up contaminating already troubled rivers. One business is turning that waste into natural dyes used in garments sold by Anthropologie. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.

Persons: Anthropologie Organizations: Business Locations: India

Cardboard has a high recycling rate in the US. But it can't be reused forever, so producing it also consumes millions of trees each year.

☆ Recyclers reject most plastic. This company turns it into furniture.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Grant Tyler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

But ReFactory, a UK-based family business, has a complex process to give it a new life. It makes plywood-like plastic boards and turns them into furniture, planters, and more. ReFactory processes post-consumer waste from collection bins around the UK, along with recalled or expired manufacturing waste that never hit shelves. The company says the furniture cuts down on emissions compared to transporting plastic to landfill and that the boards can be recycled over and over. But there isn't much demand for the plastic furniture, so ReFactory gives a lot of it away to schools.

☆ Morning Bid: Still seeking decisive stimulus in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Sonali DesaiDisappointment has been the prevailing sentiment so far this week as investors grow impatient with the wait for more decisive Chinese stimulus measures. China delivered the expected 10 basis-point reduction to its lending benchmarks, but disappointed those looking for a bigger cut to the mortgage-linked five-year loan prime rate. Chinese property stocks took a hit and the yuan came under further pressure, reversing much of its bounce against the U.S. dollar late last week when stimulus expectations were driving price action. Still, that helped Australian shares build on recent gains to reach a seven-week high, bucking declines across Asian bourses where rising Treasury yields and souring anticipation of Chinese stimulus efforts spurred broad declines. The wary investor mood is likely to spill into Europe, where the data calendar is confined to German producer prices for May.

Persons: Sonali Desai, Antony Blinken's, Luis de, Pablo Hernandez de Cos, Olli Rehn, Elizabeth McCaul, Luis de Guindos, St Louis, James Bullard, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Sonali, U.S ., Reuters, Bank of Australia's, European Central Bank, Bank of Spain, Bank of Finland, St, Barcelona School of, Thomson Locations: Asia, China, Europe, Luis de Guindos, Hungary

The Ocean Cleanup started removing plastic from the ocean a decade ago. But most of that plastic comes from rivers, so it started building solar-powered river cleaners to catch garbage before it goes out to sea. Experts worry the ocean-cleaning machines could harm sea life, but most say cleaning rivers is a smarter approach.

☆ ECB told not to take banks' word for it when assessing risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, April 17 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank should stop relying on banks' self-assessments when setting capital requirements and do its own homework instead, independent experts said on Monday. It was the most notable recommendation in a report commissioned by the ECB to evaluate its work on the key task as the euro zone's top financial supervisor, namely to decide how much capital banks must have to absorb losses. The ECB has been blending its analysis with the banks' own to come up with capital requirements. They told the ECB to change the way it sets capital demands and focus "on specific risks requiring additional capital coverage, while significantly limiting the use of ICAAPs". Fellow ECB supervisor Elizabeth McCaul welcomed a recommendation to use more "qualitative measures" with banks, which she said could include "limitations on business activity, demanding changes in the board and management, and monetary sanctions".

☆ EU's new crypto asset rules don't go far enough - ECB's McCaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, April 5 (Reuters) - The European Union's proposed regulations for crypto assets do not go far enough, and safeguards need to be strengthened to capture risks adequately, European Central Bank supervisory board member Elizabeth McCaul said on Wednesday. The European Parliament is set to vote on the Markets in Crypto-assets (MiCA) bill later this month, taking a big step in providing oversight of the crypto world after a series of scandals and collapses. "While the new Basel standard and MiCA are important milestones, I am afraid they will not be sufficient on their own," McCaul said in a blog post. Another issues is how the size of crypto-asset service providers is measured because the now-collapsed crypto exchange FTX would not have counted as significant given how the firm was organised. The same goes for conflicts of interest, which must be identified across the group and at affiliated entities, McCaul said.

☆ Morning Bid: Crude cut complicates Q2
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Brent crude surged on Monday in response, settling about 5% higher than Friday's close. The mild reaction in the rates and bond markets to the OPEC move reflects some of that. Asia and Europe's main stock indices were steady to higher, with S&P500 futures only marginally in the red ahead of Monday's open. The VIX (.VIX) volatility index was a touch higher, though still below 20, and the dollar (.DXY) was up smartly. The Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers' index teetered back on the 50 dividing line between expansion and contraction again in March.

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☆ How to make bricks from plastic trash
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Lilian Manansala | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app

☆ Recycling wind turbine blades is nearly impossible. Veolia North America thinks it can keep them out of landfills.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Katie Nixdorf | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

But most of the cement industry's emissions come from heating limestone in kilns, so this process probably won't make much of a dent. A furnace used in industrial cement production. Artur Osypian/Getty ImagesCement factories burn the turbine blades for fuel — replacing some of the coal the factories usually use. Veolia says its product burns cleaner.

☆ Rocks vacuumed off the seafloor can power electric cars. But is mining the ocean worth it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Grant Tyler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Seafloor rocks contain metals that can be used in wind turbines and electric-car batteries. In November, a Canadian mining startup collected tons of them on a test run. This type of deep-sea mining could destroy untouched habitats, among other environmental impacts. More research is likely needed to see how the effects of mining the seafloor compare to mining land. Critics say mining them could cause serious ecological destruction, but no one knows exactly what the impact will be yet.

M&S Schmalberg has been handcrafting custom fabric flowers in Manhattan since 1916. Its flowers have been worn by celebrities like Beyoncé, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rihanna. But since the 1950s, competition from overseas manufacturers has made it difficult for them to stay afloat. But competition from overseas flower manufacturers has made it difficult to stay afloat. For more information, visit the M&S Schmalberg website or Etsy shop.

☆ Morning Bid: Hat-trick
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

For the euro zone, commentary by officials is hinting at a peak in rates but anaemic growth and stubbornly high inflation are haunting investors. ECB policymaker Constantinos Herodotou said on Tuesday that interest rates will go up again but are now "very near" their neutral level. Markets will focus on industrial output data due from Germany, while euro zone third-quarter GDP and employment numbers, and UK house prices are among the other economic indicators for the day. Euro zone government bond yields dropped for the first time in three days on Tuesday in the run-up to a raft of major central bank decisions next week. The central bank has made conservative estimates on inflation despite Russia cutting gas supplies to Europe in response to Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

☆ How seaweed could replace plastic bags and packaging
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Grant Tyler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Morning Bid: Red alert
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsEuropean markets are likely to take a cue from the wave of red splashed across Asian markets on Monday, while investors will also scrutinise Wednesday's euro zone inflation data to see if the worst of the price surge is behind. While economists at Citi expect headline inflation to post the first decline since mid-2020, driven by falling energy inflation, European Central Bank's top economic thinkers have been sparring on the outlook for inflation and rates. Though U.S. inflation may be close to peaking, euro area price pressures remain strong. Inflation in the euro zone was 10.6% in October, more than five times the ECB's 2% target. The comments come after Switzerland's second-largest bank flagged a hefty loss last week as wealthy clients turn their back on the embattled bank.

☆ Morning Bid: China, COVID and Crude
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Rare anti-government unrest across China's cities over the weekend has unnerved world markets, weakening crude oil prices and adding fresh political risks to a fragile year-end. Wary that both the unrest and the COVID crunch compound the economic hit to China and the world, the initial market reaction on Monday was to sell Chinese stocks, the yuan and oil - with crude oil prices falling to close to $80 per barrel, their lowest since January. A U.S. regulatory clampdown on Chinese tech giants, citing national security concerns, also weighed on shares of tech firms. As U.S. markets return after the Thanksgiving weekend, attention will return to Federal Reserve tightening, the labour market and inflation picture. The German banking giant said it expected U.S. output to drop 2% over the whole year, euro zone output to decline 1% and world economic growth to slow to a recessionary 2%.

☆ Making eyeglasses from coffee grounds in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Grant Tyler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Kyiv startup is making eyeglass frames out of old coffee grounds, despite the ongoing war with Russia. The frames are biodegradable and help keep organic waste from creating methane in landfills. Loading Something is loading. This Ukrainian startup is using some of those leftovers to make eyeglass frames and cases. We visited Kyiv to see how it's kept going despite the war with Russia.

☆ Why asphalt is one of the world's most recycled materials
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | Grant Tyler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Asphalt pavement is one of the most recycled materials in the world. Recycled roads can replace mined rocks and fossil fuels used to make new asphalt. Regulators often limit the recycled content of roads to about 30%, but one company found a way to make 100% recycled asphalt. But regulations often limit the recycled content of roads to around 30%. We visited a company making 100% recycled asphalt to see how it does it.

☆ Factbox: From property to bonds, four financial flashpoints for the euro zone
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Francesco Canepa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationFRANKFURT, Oct 12 (Reuters) - While a financial storm gathers nearby, the euro zone has so far been comparatively unscathed. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterHere's a look at four possible flashpoints that are keeping investors and regulators awake at night: property prices, bank loans, government bonds and "shadow banks". REAL TROUBLEThe euro zone enjoyed a real-estate boom until last year, with home prices rising by some 40% since 2015 and commercial real estate prices up 26%. gross debt-to-income ratio for selected euro zone countriesSPREAD TOO THINThe rise in interest rates has raised fresh questions about one of the world's most indebted borrowers: Italy.

☆ Morning Bid: Dysfunction and intervention
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Amid all the chaos in British bond markets, the forced intervention by the Bank of England to buy gilts has given some investors a crumb of comfort about the limits of central bank tightening. Cold comfort maybe, but enough to drag bond yields back and lift stocks briefly around the world. While 30-year gilt yields steadied just below 4% on Thursday after their 100bp swoon the previous day, the pound was sliding again and UK midcap stocks dropped. read moreEasing inflation in Spain was better news read more . Market leader Inditex (ITX.MC), the owner of Zara, slipped 2.2%, while the wider STOXX retailers index <.SXRP> slid 4.3%.

☆ How roof waste became a massive issue, and how we can solve it
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Elizabeth Mccauley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Asphalt shingles can be recycled by mixing ground shingles into pavement for roads. But there isn't enough demand to keep up with all the waste, so the vast majority still go to landfills. A roofing company has found a way to turn old shingles into new ones, but it will take time to scale up. Loading Something is loading. One company says it's figured out how to turn used shingles back into new ones.

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