Ones to watch: Recycling
The need to reduce pollution, reuse materials and promote a circular economy is becoming a vital focus in global decarbonisation efforts - and investors are taking notice.
The waste and recycling sector has experienced a rapid rate of growth in recent years thanks to a huge wave of momentum from policy makers, major manufacturers and shifting consumer demand. By 2032, the global waste market is expected to surpass a value of $88 billion USD.
Below, Harpswood looks at some of the most innovative leaders in the sector that are emerging as ‘ones to watch’ around the world.
TerraCycle is a global leader in dealing with hard-to-recycle materials. From contact lenses to construction materials, all waste is technically recyclable. But a lot of ‘complex rubbish’ is expensive and difficult to process. TerraCycle is on a mission to save as much waste as possible from entering landfills or being incinerated.
The US-founded company has developed a range of processes to ‘recycle the unrecyclable’ while establishing partnerships with a number of major brands such as Lavazza, Huggies, Warburtons and Gillette.
TerraCycle now operates in more than 20 countries and has a non-profit arm that works to reduce plastic waste from rivers and canals - which has already removed more than two million pounds of waste from waterways in Thailand. The business’s global expansion and innovative recycling processes have established it as a true global leader in this space.
Releaf is turning fallen leaves into a sustainable alternative to traditional paper, tackling both deforestation and urban waste in the process. Every year, 7.3 million hectares of forest are lost to paper production—the equivalent of 20 football fields disappearing every minute. But leaves contain the same fibers as wood, and Releaf has found a way to use them instead.
Co-founded by Valentyn Frechka, the company now produces over 100 tons of paper every month, working with brands like WWF and Google to create bags, notebooks, and boxes. Their process avoids harmful chemicals and reduces carbon emissions by 78% compared to traditional paper production.
Leaves are typically treated as waste in cities, often burned, releasing pollutants like carbon monoxide into the air. Instead, Releaf collects them from parks, sidewalks, and residential areas—turning discarded foliage into a resource while keeping forests standing.
CleanHub is on a mission to end plastic pollution by creating waste recovery systems in communities around the world. According to CleanHub, more than two billion people dispose of their trash in nature because no one collects it. The global startup helps to connect people in coastal communities with waste collection hubs, helping to collect and safely dispose of plastic waste that would otherwise be dumped or burned.
By partnering with local operators or launching their own CleanHubs, creating safe and dignified local jobs with fair pay, the company has already collected over 11.7 million kilograms of plastic from homes, businesses and beaches around the world.
With an AI-powered platform that allows waste collection organisations to track and verify all waste streams, they’re well on their way to achieving their goal to install a CleanHub in every plastic pollution hotspot around the world.
The world’s first B2B platform for surplus resource sharing, The Surpluss helps businesses to reduce waste and save costs by identifying excess assets and materials and finding new homes for them.
Used by 28,000 businesses globally and counting, the AI-powered platform connects businesses with under-used resources, enabling both sides to reduce their sourcing costs and increase profitability while reducing their carbon footprint.
The Surpluss has been designated an accelerator by the UN-backed Race to Zero - one of only 29 organisations given this distinction. Race to Zero is a global campaign that supports non-state actors around the world to pursue ambitious climate missions that will contribute to their mission to halve global carbon emissions by 2030.
It is estimated that more than €66 billion-worth of plastic changes hands every year in the EU alone. Cirplus was founded to make it cheaper and simpler for brands worldwide to purchase recycled plastics and shift away from virgin materials.
Backed by Pale Blue Dot and the EU’s climate innovation initiative Climate-KIC, Cirplus is now Europe’s largest B2B marketplace for recycled plastics. The Hamburg company connects brands with recycling companies and plastics processors to shorten the transaction process and support the shift to a circular economy in plastics.
Cirplus is also a global leader in standardisation efforts, having financed and published the world’s first standard for high quality plastic recycling.
With 85% of carbon emissions saved for every tonne of recycled plastics purchased via the platform, Cirplus is poised to play a critical role in helping to solve the global plastic waste crisis.