Waste Innovation Stories

What if Your Jacket Grew in the Forest? Imagine wearing a jacket that didn’t come from an animal or a factory — but from a forest. Meet mushroom leather, the next-generation material reshaping the fashion industry from the roots up. 🍄 What makes it extraordinary: ✅ 100% plant-based, biodegradable, and plastic-free ✅ Grows in days, not months or years ✅ Uses just 0.1% of the water needed for animal leather ✅ Produces near-zero waste ✅ Durable, breathable, and stunningly versatile From handbags to jackets, sneakers to dresses, this material isn’t imitation — it’s innovation. Developed from mycelium, the root structure of fungi, mushroom leather combines biology and design to create a fabric that feels luxurious while healing the planet. 💬 As fashion faces rising pressure to decarbonize and ditch plastic-based synthetics, biomaterials like this are proving that sustainability and style can coexist — beautifully. This isn’t just a product story. It’s a paradigm shift — a move from extraction to regeneration, from factory floors to forest floors. The question isn’t if mushroom leather will transform fashion — but how fast. Deborah HutchinsonAurora ConstantinAfshan KhanFabrizio Armando #BioFashion #SustainableDesign #MushroomLeather #CircularEconomy #EcoInnovation #FungiFabric #FutureOfFashion Video credit: Ciara Doyle and Ben Brown

Floating Roads from Flip-Flop In flood-prone regions of Indonesia, innovation is literally rising with the tide. Engineers have developed rubberized floating pathways made from recycled flip-flops and other rubber waste — turning discarded pollution into climate resilience. Here’s how it works 👇 When heavy rains and floods hit, these buoyant pathways lift with the water instead of being submerged, keeping communities safely connected. The design uses compressed rubber waste to create flexible, water-resistant surfaces — a smart blend of waste recycling and flood adaptation. 💡 It’s a beautiful example of circular design thinking: ♻️ Solving the waste crisis 🌍 Reducing landfill and microplastic pollution 💧 Adapting to the impacts of climate change 🚶 Supporting safe mobility in vulnerable regions While large-scale deployment is still emerging, this idea shows how innovation can float us toward a sustainable future — one where even old flip-flops find new purpose. Because in the circular economy, nothing is truly waste — everything can be reimagined. Kingsley AdinduAnas KazaalKelum KarunarathneMauricio Lopez #WasteInnovation #CircularEconomy #ClimateAdaptation #Sustainability #Innovation #Recycling #Upcycling #ClimateResilience #Indonesia Credit: What's Hot News

🔴 Unlocking Circular Potential for SMEs - Listen Now! 🎧 A few days ago, I shared a small teaser about a podcast I have been working on with Sama A from The Sustainability Side, on how circularity can be accessible to small businesses. If you haven't seen it, please feel free to click on the link below. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eyNwyxeP 🎙️ The podcast episode went live on Wednesday, 28 October 2025, and the positive feedback was very humbling. Thank you! I am proud to say that I can now share with you the FREE version, of this podcast, so you can have a listen too. Apart from explaining the core fundamentals of the circular economy, the episode takes a deep dive into how SMEs can: ✅ Unlock new revenue streams ✅ Cut costs through smart, circular practices ✅ Build deeper customer loyalty ✅ Strengthen resilience from the inside out 🎙️ Listen for FREE wherever you get your podcasts: ➡️ Apple iTunes: https://lnkd.in/eBDMDuu6 ➡️ Amazon Music: https://lnkd.in/ew4QBUWK ➡️ Spotify: https://lnkd.in/e568mBaw ➡️ YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eHacCk8n ➡️ PocketCast: https://pca.st/hddmdr2d ➡️ Castbox: https://lnkd.in/e7SmtCxF ➡️ Rephonices: https://lnkd.in/eteQW2JE ...and other major platforms. 💖 Want to support the full-length version and help keep this work going? 🎧 Patreon: https://lnkd.in/eteRd92e 🎧 Ko-fi: https://lnkd.in/eBUySkKn Every contribution via Patreon or Ko-fi goes directly to: 🌱 Environmental and sustainability projects 📚 Open-source academic publishing 🤝 Community-building for sustainability advocates worldwide 👉 Whether you're a founder, changemaker, or just circularity-curious - this one is for you. 📣 If this sounds interesting, or if you know a small business that could benefit - please feel free to share. Let’s make sustainability practical, profitable, and personal. If you want to know more about us, please feel free to: 👉 Explore more: https://lnkd.in/ehMBe4QS 👉 Get in touch: practicalsustainability.coach@gmail.com Connect with us on Social Media: 🔗 LinkedIn: PracticalSustainability 📘 Facebook: https://lnkd.in/eeDK7_JN 🎦 Instagram: https://lnkd.in/eykQT8xD 🐦 X: @PracticalSus 🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/edcYJUwq 🌍 Join our growing network: https://lnkd.in/eBPz4MHX #CircularEconomyForSMEs #SustainabilityInBusiness #SmartCircularStrategies #DesignOutWaste #SustainabilityPodcast

From Cup to Crop: Brazil’s Plantable Coffee Cups What if your morning coffee could help grow a tree? In Brazil, an innovative idea is taking root — biodegradable coffee cups embedded with seeds. Instead of ending up in a landfill, these eco-friendly cups can be planted after use, sprouting into new life. It’s a simple but powerful shift — turning something disposable into something regenerative. 💚 How it works: The cup is made from biodegradable materials like natural fibers and plant-based polymers. Tiny seeds are embedded in the cup walls. Once used, the cup can be buried in soil, where it decomposes and the seeds germinate. 🌍 Why it matters: Every year, billions of coffee cups are thrown away — most lined with plastic that makes them nearly impossible to recycle. By replacing waste with growth, these plantable cups help reduce pollution, restore greenery, and inspire a new wave of circular innovation. This is sustainability in action — creative, practical, and full of hope. Imagine a world where every sip leaves something good behind. Would you plant your cup after coffee? Morten Kronholm MathiasenJayasimha MakineniMarion FraisseRoselle Roberts #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #Innovation #GreenDesign #EcoFriendly #ZeroWaste #Brazil #ClimateAction #SustainableLiving #RegenerativeDesign Source – Eco-Innovation concept

Turning Banana Waste into Sustainable Packaging In the Philippines, innovation is transforming agriculture and sustainability — one rice sack at a time. Instead of using plastic, local producers are now making rice sacks from banana fibers — a material that’s strong, reusable, and 100% compostable after its final use. This shift is more than just eco-friendly — it’s a model for circular design: ♻️ From waste to value: Banana stems, usually discarded after harvest, are now repurposed into durable fibers. 🏭 Local production: Farmers and small enterprises are creating new income streams through fiber extraction and weaving. 🌱 Compostable end-of-life: When these sacks wear out, they naturally return to the soil — no plastic pollution, no landfill waste. This innovation shows how simple materials can solve complex problems — from reducing agricultural waste to cutting down on plastic dependency. The result: ✅ Cleaner environment ✅ Empowered rural communities ✅ A step closer to zero-waste economies It’s proof that sustainability doesn’t always need high-tech solutions — sometimes, it’s about rethinking what’s already in our hands. Aamer durraniMariam AliKen Njoroge, CFENadia KettellThaweesak Suksalung #CircularEconomy #SustainablePackaging #Innovation #ClimateAction #GreenDesign #EcoInnovation #Compostable Image credit: thebrainypedia

Turning Plastic into Powerful Bricks 🇰🇪 In a world drowning in plastic, one Kenyan entrepreneur turned pollution into possibility — and is reshaping the future of sustainable construction. 💡 Meet Nzambi Matee, the engineer behind Gjenge Makers, a startup transforming discarded plastic into durable, affordable building materials. What others saw as trash, she saw as untapped potential. 🚧 The impact is extraordinary: 🔹 Plastic waste is melted and compressed into vibrant, lightweight bricks. 🔹 Each brick is 25% stronger than concrete — yet cheaper to produce. 🔹 Thousands of kilograms of plastic are diverted from landfills every week. 🔹 Local jobs are created while reducing carbon and construction costs. This is innovation with purpose — merging climate action, circular design, and social impact. It proves that sustainable solutions don’t always start in big labs; sometimes, they start in small workshops with big ideas. 🌍 From Nairobi to the world, this project is redefining what it means to build — not just homes, but hope. 💪 Empowering women. Cleaning the planet. Building resilience, one brick at a time. 👏 Tag someone who believes innovation can change the world. 🔁 Share this story to amplify climate-smart entrepreneurship. Jolanta GolczykSamuel GyasiAlisha AdrianOphelia Jenkins , BS #CircularEconomy #WasteToWealth #SustainableConstruction #WomenInInnovation #ClimateAction #PlasticRecycling #GreenTech #Kenya #InnovationForGood #ImpactEntrepreneurship