// circular economy

All signals tagged with this topic

Aug 1

China's EV recycling advantage could reshape global battery supply

China's dominance in EV manufacturing creates a closed-loop opportunity that Western competitors lack: as its massive fleet of first-generation EVs reaches end-of-life, recycled batteries and materials can feed directly back into production, reducing dependence on mined lithium and cobalt. Chinese manufacturers gain a structural cost advantage that compounds over time, allowing them to undercut rivals on input costs while meeting circular economy standards that appeal to Western regulators and consumers.

theme-consumer consumer behavior circular economy repair culture

Jul 26

Right to Repair Startups Now Sell Broken Devices as Teaching Tools

Source: Hackaday

Team Repair is monetizing repair education by intentionally shipping broken electronics to consumers who want to learn hands-on skills—reversing the typical e-waste flow and creating a direct revenue model from something previously discarded. It solves two problems simultaneously: manufacturers' reluctance to support repairability, and consumers' growing frustration with planned obsolescence, turning a compliance gap into a new product category. The model treats repair knowledge as a marketable skill in a sector where manufacturers have systematically eliminated repair as an option rather than a choice.

theme-connected infrastructure energy circular economy

Jun 6

Waymo's Used Robotaxi Batteries Find Second Life in Grid Storage

Source: Slashdot: Hardware

Waymo and B2U Storage Solutions are creating a closed-loop supply chain where degraded EV batteries—no longer efficient enough for autonomous vehicles but still holding 70-80% capacity—become grid-scale energy storage. This partnership addresses a concrete problem in EV adoption: disposing of millions of batteries reaching end-of-life over the next decade. It also provides utilities cheaper storage than new battery packs, which could accelerate grid decarbonization in regions with high renewable penetration.