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The report argues that existing fragmented governance is insufficient to tackle the transboundary crisis of plastic pollution, which causes an estimated $13 billion in annual environmental damage to marine ecosystems. It proposes a new global Convention structured around four pillars: monitoring and reporting, plastic pollution prevention, coordination with other international instruments, and technical and financial support. Key recommendations include the implementation of national plastic pollution reduction plans, global caps and phase-downs of virgin plastic production, and the establishment of a financial mechanism based on the polluter-pays principle to support developing countries.

The document argues that Canada's post-pandemic reconstruction offers a historic opportunity to pivot toward a low-carbon economy. It outlines seven specific principles, or 'green strings,' to guide bailouts, stimulus, and recovery measures. These include requiring companies to develop net-zero plans, prohibiting stock buybacks and dividends for aid recipients, and ensuring a just transition for workers in high-carbon sectors. The report emphasizes that green stimulus can create as many jobs as neutral measures and calls for increased transparency, equity for Indigenous peoples, and the protection of environmental regulations during the recovery phase.

The document argues that Canada's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. It proposes seven 'green conditions' to guide government spending, including requiring companies to have net-zero plans, banning stock buybacks for aid recipients, and ensuring a just transition for workers. The report emphasizes that without deliberate conditions, recovery funds risk perpetuating unsustainable economic structures.

The report demonstrates that the S’Ena Arrubia and Corru S’Ittiri-Marceddì-San Giovanni wetlands provide substantial economic value through ecosystem services and the support of local aquaculture, tourism, and agriculture. It finds that a 'continued degradation' scenario would lead to significant losses in labour income and ecosystem service value, while a circular business model for reusing livestock manure could generate net benefits of EUR 81.3 million for S’Ena Arrubia and EUR 124.2 million for Corru S’Ittiri-Marceddì-San Giovanni. The analysis argues that the cost of maintaining these wetlands is far lower than the cost of replacing their functions with built infrastructure.

The report presents the inaugural results of the ReSource Footprint Tracker, analyzing the 2018 plastic footprints of Keurig Dr Pepper, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, and The Coca-Cola Company. Together, these companies reported 4.2 million metric tons of plastic. The analysis identifies a significant gap between corporate recycled content goals and actual use, which ranged from 0.4% to 11.3%. It highlights the United States as a primary area for increasing recycling due to high landfill rates (72%), and identifies China, India, and the Philippines as priority regions for mitigating plastic mismanagement. The document calls for collective action to scale recycled polypropylene (PP) and the adoption of reusable packaging systems to prevent 50 million metric tons of plastic from entering nature by 2030.

The authors contend that EU stimulus plans must prioritize a zero-carbon future to avoid exacerbating climate risks. They highlight broad business support for this transition, citing various corporate coalitions and analysis suggesting that green projects offer higher short-term returns and more job creation than traditional stimulus. The statement calls for the strengthening of the European Green Deal, specifically targeting a 2030 emissions reduction of at least 55%, and recommends targeted investments in green infrastructure, innovation, and workforce reskilling.

California's bottle bill, once successful with 85% recycling rates, has seen redemption rates fall to 66% due to the closure of recycling centers. This has resulted in consumers receiving only 2.65 cents of their 5-cent deposit on average, with $400 million in deposits failing to return to residents annually. A YouGov poll from March 2020 indicates 37% of Californians are unaware of the bill and 53% do not use redemption centers. The COVID-19 pandemic has further decreased onsite redemption. The document proposes reforming the system using "no-touch" reverse vending machines (RVMs) and bag-drop systems, and increasing the number of redemption sites. It suggests using part of the $400 million in the Beverage Container Recycling Fund for modernization. A system with a 90% redemption rate could provide $1.2 billion in annual refunds to residents, secure 8,000 existing jobs, and create 5,000 new ones. The briefing references a study by Eunomia Research & Consulting comparing California to best-in-class systems in Oregon, Michigan, Norway, and Germany.

The report advocates for a mandatory deposit return system (DRS) in Austria to achieve EU targets of a 90% collection rate for single-use plastic bottles by 2029 and a 30% recycled content rate by 2030. It identifies a 'plastic pollution lobby'—including Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA), major retailers like REWE, Spar, Hofer, and Lidl, and various beverage producers—that opposes the DRS to protect existing financial interests and market positions. The document highlights that a DRS is the most cost-effective method for high-quality recycling and is supported by 83% of the Austrian public, contrasting this with the current system where only 25% of plastic packaging is recycled.

The report argues that a deposit return system (DRS) is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound method for Austria to achieve the EU's target of collecting 90% of plastic bottles by 2029. It identifies a powerful coalition—led by Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA) and including major retailers like REWE Group, Spar, Hofer, and Lidl, as well as beverage companies—that is lobbying the Austrian government against a DRS to protect licensing fee revenues and market dominance. The document highlights that 83% of Austrians support a DRS and rebuts industry claims that current collection rates are sufficient or that a DRS would be too expensive.

The briefing highlights a crisis in California's bottle bill, where redemption rates have fallen to 66% due to the closure of over 1,200 recycling centers between 2013 and 2019. It proposes reforming the system by implementing 'no-touch' reverse vending machines (RVMs) and bag-drop systems, and expanding the scope to include wine and liquor containers. According to analysis by Eunomia Research & Consulting, moving to a 'best-in-class' (BiC) system with a 96% redemption rate would create 5,000 additional jobs, save 400,000 metric tons of GHG emissions annually, and significantly reduce plastic and aluminum litter in the environment and oceans.

The document examines the postponement of critical 2020 ocean governance negotiations due to COVID-19, highlighting the urgent need for integrated climate and biodiversity action to prevent marine ecosystem collapse.

The report finds that Estonia consumes approximately 19,530 tonnes of textiles annually, with 16% being used items. While separate collection has grown to 30% of new textiles placed on the market, about 50% of separately collected textiles are still handled as waste (landfilled or incinerated) due to a lack of domestic recycling capacity. Estonia is a major European importer of used textiles, often acting as a sorting hub for export to Africa and Pakistan.

The report analyzes seven European Green Capital (EGC) winners—Bristol, Ljubljana, Essen, Nijmegen, Oslo, Lisbon, and Lahti—across 12 environmental domains to establish 'threshold activities' necessary for reaching the EGC finals. Comparing these to Tallinn, the study finds that while Tallinn excels in air quality, green space proportion, and the use of green electricity in municipal buildings, it lags in CO2 emissions per capita, waste landfilling rates, and the formal adoption of strategic planning documents. Key findings highlight the importance of carbon neutrality targets by 2050, integrated sustainable mobility strategies, and the implementation of 'polluter pays' principles in waste management.

The report analyzes bioeconomy visions in Colombia based on a 2019 expert workshop, concluding that a 'bioresources' vision—balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability—currently predominates. While sectors like agriculture, biochemistry, bio-pharmaceuticals, and bioenergy show varying alignments with biotechnology or bioecology visions, common barriers include land tenure insecurity, poor rural road infrastructure, and the risk of overexploiting commercial species. The document argues that for a bioeconomy to be truly sustainable, Colombia must move beyond viewing biodiversity as a mere competitive advantage and instead integrate holistic monitoring of environmental outcomes and inclusive regional development.

The document outlines a framework for a 'green and resilient recovery' following the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing that the next 18 months are critical as countries invest $10-20 trillion. It advocates for low-carbon infrastructure, fossil fuel subsidy reform, and a revamp of the Bretton Woods system to prioritize well-being over traditional growth metrics. The dialogue warns against bailouts for carbon-intensive sectors like aviation and coal, and highlights the urgent need for debt cancellation in vulnerable developing countries.

A joint letter from several NGOs calling for the activation of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to support EU Member States during the Covid-19 crisis without imposing austerity measures, instead aligning recovery funds with the European Green Deal and climate objectives.

The BONUS RETURN decision-support toolbox offers 16 tools to help decision-makers transition to a circular economy by adopting eco-technologies for nutrient and carbon recovery. It covers the entire innovation lifecycle, from identifying criteria through social innovation and multi-criteria analysis to promoting existing technologies via sustainable and circular public procurement. The guide also details methods for supporting pre-commercial innovation, such as innovation competitions, market surveys, independent comparative analyses, and testbed trials. It concludes by framing these tools within a Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) approach to create long-term strategic incentives and co-benefits for the Baltic Sea Region.

The document asserts that achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires a zero-carbon industrial sector, noting that industrial emissions currently represent 16% of the EU's total CO2 pollution and are not expected to decrease by 2030 without intervention. It calls for the EU to increase its 2030 greenhouse gas emission cut target to 65% and demands that the Commission's industrial strategy move beyond general direction to include specific measures and governance structures.

The document examines the role of fixed-income instruments in funding waste management and circular economy initiatives. It highlights that while waste management is only the fourth largest category for green bond use of proceeds, there is significant latent potential and investor demand. The briefing details specific issuances from corporates and local governments in Europe, the US, and Asia, and discusses the barriers to scaling these markets, such as the lack of standardised definitions. It particularly emphasizes Japan's leadership in resource efficiency and the potential for green bonds to support its circular economy goals.

WWF and Carbon Market Watch argue that the EU Industrial Strategy must prioritise the decarbonisation of Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs), which account for approximately 16% of the EU's annual CO2 emissions. The authors propose ten 'asks', including the creation of an Independent Observatory to monitor progress, the implementation of emission performance standards, and the phase-out of free emission allowances in the EU Emission Trading System. They emphasize that investment should be directed toward zero-carbon technologies, specifically in the chemicals, steel, and cement sectors, while limiting Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to unavoidable process emissions.