Halloween aside, the world is full of scary sustainability stories. We at 4Change prefer to keep things positive when we look towards the future, and the purpose-driven people building it. Check out our favourite conscious news stories from October 🥰🥰
eBay and WRAP Team up for Circular Furniture
eBay UK has joined forces with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to create a Circular Change Council, aiming to enhance the circularity of homeware and furniture. UK households discard approximately 455,079 tonnes of home furniture each year, most of which ends up in landfills or incinerators.
The council, including major retailers like IKEA, Sainsbury’s, and Dunelm, seeks to address this issue by reducing furniture waste, raising consumer awareness, and promoting the commercial benefits of circular business models. We love to see circular policies and initiatives put into place like this one!
Source: sgVoice
‘Beanless Coffee’ to Combat Global Deforestation
Seattle-based startup Atomo Coffee, is introducing the world’s first beanless coffee. Coffee farming, especially of delicate arabica beans, is contributing to deforestation due to climate change, making it the second-largest cause of climate change after fossil fuels.
Atomo’s innovation uses superfoods and upcycled ingredients to mimic coffee’s molecular structure, producing 93% fewer carbon emissions and using 94% less water than regular coffee. Wondering how long until our local coffee shop gets involved…
Source: Reuters
Stockholm Introduces a Fossil Fuel Car Ban in its City Centre
Stockholm, Sweden, will ban petrol and diesel cars from its city centre to combat pollution and emissions, starting December 31, 2024. The ban covers 20 blocks and aims to create a pedestrian-friendly environment with space for walking and cycling.
Only electric vehicles (EVs), low-emission gas vehicles, and plug-in hybrid heavy goods vehicles will be allowed. The city also plans to introduce environmental zones and reduce total car traffic by 30% by 2030 to address air pollution that causes premature deaths. This move signifies Sweden’s commitment to strict environmental regulations for vehicles.
Source: Euronews
Vinted Valued at over €200 Million with no Signs of Slowing Down
Vinted, Europe’s largest online marketplace for used clothes, is has been valued at over €200 million. The Lithuanian startup, valued at €3.5 billion in May 2021, is exploring options for business sale.
This demonstrates a huge step up in the second hand clothing market, which is growing three times faster on average than the global apparel market overall. Vinted’s focus on sustainable fashion aligns with this growing demand for circular fashion, and we at 4Change have found some of our favourite items through Vinted! Get involved.
Source: Financial Times
14-Year-Old US Student Receives Award for Pioneering Skin Cancer Treatment Soap
A remarkable middle-school student has earned the prestigious title of ‘America’s top young scientist’ for his groundbreaking work.
He’s developed a soap bar with the potential to aid in the treatment of melanoma, a form of skin cancer that affects approximately 100,000 individuals in the US each year, leading to the loss of about 8,000 lives. Now that’s impressive!
Source: The Guardian
The Transatlantic Clean Hydrogen Trade Coalition (H2TC) for Decarbonisation of Trade
A new coalition has been formed with the goal to ship the first ever clean hydrogen from the US to Europe by 2026. This aims to facilitate the decarbonisation of transatlantic trade through clean hydrogen in using green ammonia.
The initiative has been welcomed by key industry players, ports, investors, and policymakers, demonstrating huge collaboration in sustainability efforts to accelerate clean initiatives within industries and the hydrogen economy.
Source: Business Green