Daily Digest: Friday, 30 January 2026

Wales cemented its position as a global recycling leader, with multiple sources confirming its municipal recycling rate reached 68.4% for 2024/25. The energy storage sector surged, highlighted by battery storage claiming 46% of Australia's record 64GW energy investment pipeline and Tesla reporting its energy storage business as its fastest-growing segment. LDES (Long Duration Energy Storage) saw significant activity: Hydrostor secured a key equipment deal with Baker Hughes for A-CAES projects, RWE began construction on a massive 400MW/800MWh BESS in Germany, and Tesla topped a new LDES supplier ranking, with Energy Dome leading non-lithium firms. Sungrow debuted its long-duration PowerTitan 3.0 BESS in Europe.

Circular economy initiatives gained traction: iFixit partnered with Team Repair to launch educational repair kits for kids, promoting repair culture early. The Prevented Ocean Plastic campaign hit a milestone with 1,000 products using its certified material. However, Defra faces a transition as Emma Bourne departs her circular economy role. In recycling tech, Cyclic Materials secured $75M for domestic rare earths recovery, and WireFlow reported 150% growth in its battery division, alongside a reported molten salt breakthrough for battery recycling. ESG frameworks advanced with IPSASB launching a climate reporting standard for governments and Puro.earth enabling more frequent carbon credit issuance.