Page 13 from: September 2015

Business

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ÖTASAD
In order to raise education levels among Turkish end-of-life vehicle (ELV) opera-
tors, the country’s car dismantlers’ association ÖTASAD has opened a dedicated
training centre known as Ötaset at Kocaeli near Istanbul. This follows strength-
ened domestic ELV regulations and is aimed at lifting operational standards.
Günay Dar, president of Ötasad, describes the centre as ‘a fi rst step towards a
more sustainable recycling system, which equates to European standards’.
www.otaset.org

Aurubis
The world’s largest copper recycler Aurubis has returned ‘very good’ operating
earnings before taxes of Euro 261 million for the fi rst nine months of fi scal year
2014/15; this compares to Euro 75 million in the corresponding period of
2013/14. www.aurubis.com/en

ZenRobotics
Robotic sorting technology specialist ZenRobotics of Finland has appointed Sun
Earth Co. as distributor of its waste sorting systems in Japan. Several units will
be delivered in late 2015 – claimed to be ‘the fi rst of their kind’ in Japan.
www.zenrobotics.com

Small increase in
England’s recycling rate
The recycling, reuse and compost-
ing rate in England reached 44.8% in
the 12 months to December 2014, says
a new report from the Department for
Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
(DEFRA). The fi gure represents a slight
increase when compared to the 44.2%
recorded in the previous year.
The small upturn is believed to have
been driven by an almost 10% increase
in the volume of organic waste recycled.
And yet, Defra observes, the UK still has
some catching up to do if it is to achieve
the EU target of recycling 50% of house-
hold waste by 2020.
In a bid to boost recycling results, the
Waste & Resources Action Programme
charity and environmental consultancy
Valpak are teaming up to research the
lifecycle of paper and cardboard. The
material fl ow project will assess how
paper and cardboard are treated as

waste and will predict potential fl ow and
recycling rates through to 2020. The
steering group tasked with co-ordinat-
ing the project – including representa-
tives from industry, DEFRA and the
Environment Agency – will publish its
fi ndings in early 2016.
Meanwhile, WRAP reports that its work
in the UK over the last fi ve years has
resulted in 4 million tonnes less waste
being produced and nearly 50 million
tonnes of carbon equivalent emissions
being avoided. www.wrap.org.uk

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H&M: ‘green’ is the
new black
H&M’s Conscious Foundation is
to give a Euro 1 million grant to ‘pio-
neering’ sustainable fashion ideas that
will close the loop for the apparel indus-
try. Designers fi nishing in the top fi ve of
the company’s inaugural Global Change
Award will receive a guaranteed Euro
100 000 apiece to jump-start their work.
According to the retailer, its Conscious
Foundation aims to ‘catalyse green
fashion’ to make a positive contribution
in the resource effi ciency debate. The
winner of the innovation accelerator
will be revealed at an awards ceremony
in the Swedish capital Stockholm in
February 2016. Designers can sign up
for the competition until October 31
this year.
The global public will be invited to dis-
tribute half of the total grant through an
online vote to boost awareness of eco
fashion. The five finalists will subse-
quently take part in a fashion boot camp

as well as a one-year training and
coaching programme with a circular
economy focus. 
‘The question for fashion is no longer
“What is the new black?” but rather
“What innovative ideas can close the
loop?”’ comments Rebecca Earley, pro-
fessor in sustainable textile and fashion
design at University of the Arts London
and also a member of the Global
Change Award jury. Other jury members
include cradle-to-cradle expert Dr
Michael Braungart, supermodel and
actress Amber Valletta, Ellis Rubin-
stein of the New York Academy of Sci-
ences and Vogue Italia’s editor-in-chief
Franca Sozzani.
‘Game-changing ideas can come from
anywhere, so the challenge is open to
anyone,’ says Karl-Johan Persson, ceo of
H&M and board member of the Con-
scious Foundation.
www.globalchangeaward.com

Cypriot recycling charity
benefits children
A charity in Cyprus called Cans for
Kids has collected 25 million aluminium
beverage cans for recycling since its
launch in 1990. Through sales of the
used cans, the volunteer-based initiative
is raising funds for children’s hospitals.
Some Euro 260 000 worth of state-of-the-
art medical equipment has been acquired
thanks to the project, according to its co-
founder and vice president Rosie Chara-

lambous. The Cans for Kids scheme recy-
cles about 10% of the used beverage cans
exported from Cyprus and now has 60
collection points around the country.
Charalambous points out that the initia-
tive was recognised for its efforts in
2013 when it won the so-called ‘Envi-
ronmental Oscar’ – the Energy Globe
Award – in the ‘youth’ category.
www.cansforkids.org

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