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(Alliance News) - The environment takes top billing in environmental, social and governance investing, but what are companies actually doing for the earth?
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Zotefoams PLC, a Croydon-based cellular material technology firm, on Monday says its ReZorce beverage cartons are named 'best recycled plastic product of the year' at the 2023 Plastic Industry Awards. ReZorce is mono-material barrier packaging board that is readily recyclable and can replace difficult-to-recycle multi-layer barrier packaging board now commonly used for beverages. It can be processed on existing packing and filling equipment. In addition to being recyclable itself, ReZorce is made with 30% post-consumer recycled materials. ReZorce is scheduled for commercial trials in early 2024, after Zotefoams back in July announced a joint development agreement with an unnamed "world-leading packer of beverages".
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A Hungarian firm wants UK farmers to use special drones for spraying fields and orchards, saying this would reduce the use of water and chemicals. ABZ Innovation Ltd, based just outside Budapest, developed its agricultural drones in partnership with the University of Gyor in Hungary. Farmers in European countries such as Poland, Portugal and Greece already use the ABZ Innovation drones. Rule changes in the UK mean drones now are allowed to be used for crop spraying. ABZ Innovation claims its drones will enable UK farmers to use up to 50% less chemicals and 95% less water for crop production. They are capable of navigating on "centimetre level accuracy", the company says.
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Technology Minerals PLC, a London-based battery metals and recycling firm, notes the UK battery strategy document released on Sunday by the UK government's Department for Business & Trade. Technology Minerals owns 48% of Recyclus Group Ltd, which is a member of the industry taskforce that helped develop the strategy. The strategy aims for the UK to develop a "battery ecosystem" encompassing design, development, manufacturing and recycling. Recyclus operates the UK's first industrial-scale recycling facility for spent lithium-ion batteries. The facility in Wolverhampton, England takes spent batteries from electric cars and other sources and extracts their component materials, including 'black mass', which is used to make new batteries.
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Eqtec PLC receives three certifications from the International Organisation for Standardisation, including for environmental management. Eqtec is a London-based thermochemical conversion technology firm developing 'waste-to-value' solutions for hydrogen, biofuels, and energy generation. It says the three ISO certifications - also for quality management and occupational health & safety - are required by the top-tier customers and suppliers that Eqtec is targetting for its business growth.
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By Tom Waite, Alliance News editor
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