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A subscribe and recycle model for kids’ bicycles and toys 
CategoriesSustainable News

A subscribe and recycle model for kids’ bicycles and toys 

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Cycling is widely recognised as one of the most sustainable modes of transportation available and a great form of exercise for various age groups, but researchers point out that at the end-of-life stage, bicycles have “a significant (and uncalculated) carbon footprint.” And as fast as children grow, so does the volume of waste they produce as they outgrow everything from shoes and clothes to bicycles and toys. 

Determined to reduce their waste, a group of friends with children ranging from four to fifteen started a circular, direct-to-consumer subscription company called Gro Club. Offering bicycles and other children’s products such as car seats, strollers, and bunk beds, the company provides equipment maintenance, home delivery and recycling. Subscriptions are available for either 12 or 18 months, and the cost is approximately 70 per cent less than buying elsewhere. Customers can opt to extend their subscription for a nominal fee, upgrade to a larger-sized product, or buy the item outright.  

Based in Bengaluru, the Gro Club says that its average cost is Rs 6,000 (around €68) per year or Rs 500 (around €5.70) per month. Bicycles are custom-made in-house, and the company reuses each bicycle frame at least five times for maximum carbon emissions savings. Every bicycle that’s returned to the company is taken apart and then reconstructed with a fresh paint job, meaning that every bike looks new when it’s delivered. 

Gro Club also offers bicycles for adults at a slightly higher subscription price of around Rs 549 (around €6.20) per month. All subscriptions include a lifetime warranty on parts and home service maintenance support.

Having completed a pre-seed round of funding and with more than 5,000 subscribers in Bengaluru, the company is planning to use its next round of funding to expand both the number of products available on subscription and its servable locations. Subscriptions will shortly be available in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune.  

The subscription model is being applied to many products and services, with Springwise’s archive including options for reusable nappies and office furniture.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Smart threads make it easy to disassemble and recycle clothes
CategoriesSustainable News

Smart threads make it easy to disassemble and recycle clothes

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In the drive to become more sustainable, the fashion industry faces a number of serious challenges. One major issue is how to recycle clothing that is made from several different materials. Taking the clothes apart in order to recycle their constituent materials is costly and time-consuming, and often leads to a large loss of usable material. Now, startup Resortecs has an innovative solution.

The company has designed ‘Smart Stitch’ threads that dissolve at different temperatures – either 150, 170, or 200 degrees Celsius. This makes it possible to disassemble garments in stages.

In addition to producing the threads, Resortecs has also developed a low-emission thermal disassembly system. Designed for recyclers, this system allows up to 500 kilogrammes of garments to be dismantled at one time.

By combining the threads with the thermal disassembly system, it is possible to recover up to 90 per cent of a garment’s fabric.

The benefits of this circular system could be extensive. In the fashion industry, around 50 per cent of carbon emissions and 75 per cent of water use occurs during the production and material processing stage. By making it easier to recycle, Resortec could reduce the amount of new material needed, leading to big savings in both carbon and water.

And there are also economic benefits to Resortec’s approach. The company claims its threads and disassembly system can deliver a saving of around €0.50 for each pair of jeans.

Springwise has spotted innovators taking a range of approaches to fashion sustainability, from the use of more sustainable materials to resale options for high-end items and closed-loop production methods. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

5th May 2022

Website: resortecs.com

Contact: resortecs.com/contact

Reference

A new app incentivises people to recycle
CategoriesSustainable News

A new app incentivises people to recycle

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Incentives definitely help make daily chores more fun! Bower, an app developed by an eco-minded team from Sweden, makes sure that every trip to a recycling centre is rewarded. Users scan anything with a barcode to find out where the nearest recycling point is for that product. And if something cannot be recycled, that is part of Bower’s mission too – to educate people about what exactly goes into packaging their favourite products.

The app uses crowdsourced data to list local recycling options, and users are encouraged to add to the directory. After scanning and sorting the waste at home, users receive the deposit value of each item directly to their account after confirming drop-off at an approved location. Rewards come in either monetary or coupon form and can be transferred between users, spent, or donated to a charity.

The app is free to download and use for both iOS and Android devices, and the company is seeking commercial partners for dedicated recycling campaigns. Brands can use the app to build a better understanding of the life cycle of their products and use the data to engage in new ways and at new contact points with customers. Having recently secured more than €4 million for development purposes, the company plans to use the investment to expand first into the UK and then beyond.

Bower will join similar solutions like the UK’s Litter Lotto app as another way to incentivise people to behave in a more sustainable fashion.

Written by: Keely Khoury

29th March 2022

Email: hello@getbower.com

Website: getbower.com

Reference

First California Recycled Plastic Highway
CategoriesConstruction International News

First California Recycled Plastic Highway

By Zarkon Group,

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has repaved a busy stretch of Highway 162 using recycled plastic bottles.

Source: CBS Sacramento

First California Recycled Plastic Highway

To make the recycled plastic roads, crews grind up the top 3 inches of old pavement and mix it with a liquid plastic polymer binder made largely from used plastic bottles. This mixture is then placed on top of the road.

Paving one mile of road with the new plastic-asphalt mix recycles about 150,000 plastic bottles and is estimated to last two to three times as long as traditional asphalt. The plastic-asphalt mixture eliminates the need for double layers and saves dozens of truck trips, reducing smog and greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re excited about introducing a new sustainable technology and helping pave the way for recycled plastics throughout the state,” said Caltrans District 3 Director Amarjeet S. Benipal. “This process is better for the environment because it keeps plastic bottles out of landfills and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.”

Millions of pounds of plastic have ended up landfills across California and in the Pacific Ocean where it breaks apart and harms marine life.

Some environmentalists are concerned that the new roadway would create little bits of microplastics which could enter the state’s waterways.

Caltrans officials plan to monitor and conduct detailed studies on the plastic-asphalt section.