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The tireless work of Zero Waste Romania recently won many victories, here they share some of their achievements. To find our more get in contact via their Facebook page or email them directly. In the coming weeks we will be looking at other stories of zero waste practices in Central & Eastern Europe.

Latest posts by Matt Franklin (see all)

by Joan Marc Simon

The zero waste strategy is a way to create green jobs and infrastructure. This needs to be on the agenda for the G20

Zero Waste Europe Alliance in view of the G20 meeting calls the EU leaders to contemplate the Zero Waste strategy as a way to create green jobs and green the infrastructure.

From the US to Europe the message is clear: "Politicians must put people first! The economic downturn caused by the negligence of the financial controllers is hitting people from all over the world and the economic recovery has to go through the change of the productive system, the de-carbonisation of our economy and the creation of green jobs."

"The economic crisis proves, among other things, that our model of linear throw-away carbon-based economy has reached its limit. Humankind will only survive if we starting using a systemic approach and, by imitating natural cycles, we design an economy that produces no waste. Waste is the result of either badly designed or badly functioning economy and as such it should be changed. Zero Waste programs are the fastest and most cost effective ways that local governments can contribute to reducing climate change, protect health, create green jobs, and promote local sustainability." said Rick Anthony from Zero Waste International Alliance.

The Zero Waste Alliance urges Mr Brown to bring Zero Waste into the agenda of the G20 meeting as a strategy to create green jobs and new more efficient infrastructure.

"The G20, hosted by British PM Brown, is not allowed to come with elusive answers. We need structural solutions able to change current patterns and provide lasting jobs for those suffering from the crisis. Investing in prevention, separate collection schemes, reuse centers, recycling and composting facilities and creative design is cheaper than investing in finalist solutions such as incinerators or landfills and above all they create 10 times more jobs. These Zero Waste systems also save business' money by helping them become more resource efficient and resilient" Said Maxine Narburgh, UK coordinator of Zero Waste Europe (ZWE).

"The European Union plays a major role not only as environmental actor but also in defining production patterns. It is vital that the EU stops promoting and financing incinerators that only destroy resources and starts focusing in truly developing a recycling society. Incinerators create 10 times less jobs than Zero Waste and by burning resources they only continue with the outdated linear throw-away society" said Joan-Marc Simon, EU coordinator of Zero Waste Europe.

"During the 5th Zero Waste International Dialog celebrated in Naples, 18th-22nd February, 300 professionals and activists from all over the world gathered to define the Zero Waste Overarching Principles which detail the guidelines to implement Zero Waste strategy"

"From the US to Europe the message is clear: "Politicians must put people first!"

Latest posts by Matt Franklin (see all)

by Joan Marc Simon

The zero waste strategy is a way to create green jobs and infrastructure. This needs to be on the agenda for the G20

Zero Waste Europe Alliance in view of the G20 meeting calls the EU leaders to contemplate the Zero Waste strategy as a way to create green jobs and green the infrastructure.

From the US to Europe the message is clear: "Politicians must put people first! The economic downturn caused by the negligence of the financial controllers is hitting people from all over the world and the economic recovery has to go through the change of the productive system, the de-carbonisation of our economy and the creation of green jobs."

"The economic crisis proves, among other things, that our model of linear throw-away carbon-based economy has reached its limit. Humankind will only survive if we starting using a systemic approach and, by imitating natural cycles, we design an economy that produces no waste. Waste is the result of either badly designed or badly functioning economy and as such it should be changed. Zero Waste programs are the fastest and most cost effective ways that local governments can contribute to reducing climate change, protect health, create green jobs, and promote local sustainability." said Rick Anthony from Zero Waste International Alliance.

The Zero Waste Alliance urges Mr Brown to bring Zero Waste into the agenda of the G20 meeting as a strategy to create green jobs and new more efficient infrastructure.

"The G20, hosted by British PM Brown, is not allowed to come with elusive answers. We need structural solutions able to change current patterns and provide lasting jobs for those suffering from the crisis. Investing in prevention, separate collection schemes, reuse centers, recycling and composting facilities and creative design is cheaper than investing in finalist solutions such as incinerators or landfills and above all they create 10 times more jobs. These Zero Waste systems also save business' money by helping them become more resource efficient and resilient" Said Maxine Narburgh, UK coordinator of Zero Waste Europe (ZWE).

"The European Union plays a major role not only as environmental actor but also in defining production patterns. It is vital that the EU stops promoting and financing incinerators that only destroy resources and starts focusing in truly developing a recycling society. Incinerators create 10 times less jobs than Zero Waste and by burning resources they only continue with the outdated linear throw-away society" said Joan-Marc Simon, EU coordinator of Zero Waste Europe.

"During the 5th Zero Waste International Dialog celebrated in Naples, 18th-22nd February, 300 professionals and activists from all over the world gathered to define the Zero Waste Overarching Principles which detail the guidelines to implement Zero Waste strategy"

"From the US to Europe the message is clear: "Politicians must put people first!"

Latest posts by Matt Franklin (see all)

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The tireless work of Zero Waste Romania recently won many victories, here they share some of their achievements. To find our more get in contact via their Facebook page or email them directly. In the coming weeks we will be looking at other stories of zero waste practices in Central & Eastern Europe.

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Introduction
Romania is a country located at the intersection of Central and Southeastern Europe, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south. At 238,400 square kilometers (92,000 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with more than 19 million people.

Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the ninth largest city in the EU.
With the fall of the Iron Curtain and the 1989 Revolution, Romania began its transition towards democracy and a capitalist market economy. After a decade of post-revolution economic problems and living-standards decline, extensive reforms fostered economic recovery. As of 2010, Romania is an upper-middle-income country with a high human development index.
Romania joined NATO on 29 March 2004, and the European Union on 1 January 2007. It is also a member of the: Latin Union, Francophonie, OSCE, WTO, BSEC, United Nations, etc. Today, Romania is a unitary semi-presidential republic, in which the executive branch consists of the President and the Government.

With a GDP of around $267 billion and a GDP per capita (PPP) of $12,476 for the year 2011, Romania is an upper-middle income country economy and has been part of the European Union since 1 January 2007.

Since the country's accession to the European Union, this has begun to change. After being slashed by 50% in 2009 due to the global recession, R&D spending was increased by 44% in 2010 and now stands at $0.5 billion (1.5 billion lei). The country has joined or is about to join several major international organizations such as CERN and the European Space Agency. Overall, the situation has been characterized as "rapidly improving", albeit from a low base.

Science and technology
Historically, Romanian researchers and inventors have made notable contributions to several fields, such as: aeronautics, medicine, mathematics, computer science/engineering, physics, biophysics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology. In the history of flight, Traian Vuia made the first airplane to take off on its own power and Aurel Vlaicu built and flew some of the earliest successful aircraft. Also, Henri Coandă discovered the Coandă effect of fluidics. Preceding him, Elie Carafoli was a pioneering contributor to the field of aerodynamics in the world.

Victor Babes discovered more than 50 germs and a cure for a disease named after him, babesiosis; biologist Nicolae Paulescu discovered insulin. Another biologist, Emil Palade, received the Nobel Prize for his contributions to cell biology. George Constantinescu created the theory of sonics, while Lazăr Edeleanu was the first chemist to synthesize amphetamine and also invented the modern method of refining crude oil. Costin Nenițescu found new methods for the synthesis of pirilium salts, of carbenes, tryptamine, serotonin, two new syntheses for the indole nucleus, and a new method of polymerisation of ethylene.

Several mathematicians distinguished themselves as well, among them: Gheorghe Titeica, Spiru Haret, Grigore Moisil, Miron Nicolescu, Nicolae Popescu and Stefan Odobleja; the latter is also regarded as the ideological father behind cybernetics.
The Romanian mathematics team is the first in Europe and 10th in the world, a performance recently acquired.

Notable physicists and inventors also include: Horia Hulubei in atomic physics, Serban Titeica in theoretical physics, Mihai Gavrila specialized in quantum theory and discoverer of the atomic dichotomy phenomenon, Al
The nuclear physics facility of the European Union's proposed Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) laser will be built in Romania. Romania currently has 1,400 MW of nuclear power capacity by means of one active nuclear power plant (Cernavodă) with 2 reactors, which constitutes around 18% of the national power generation capacity of the country. This makes Romania the 23rd largest user of nuclear power in the world. Alexandru Proca (known for the first meson theory of nuclear forces and Proca's equations of the vectorial mesonic field), Stefan Procopiu known for the first theory of the magnetic moment of the electron in 1911 (now known as the Bohr-Procopiu magneton), Theodor V. Ionescu, the inventor of a multiple-cavity magnetron (1935), a hydrogen maser in 1947, 3D imaging for cinema/television in 1924 and hot deuterium plasma studies for controlled nuclear fusion, Ionel Solomon known for the nuclear magnetic resonance theory in solids, Solomon equations and photovoltaic devices, Petrache Poenaru, Nicolae Teclu and Victor Toma, with the latter known for the invention and construction of the first Romanian computer, the CIFA-1 in 1955.

In early 2012, Romania launched its first satellite from the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guyana.

Information technology
Romania is one of the fastest-growing information technology (IT) markets in Central and Eastern Europe. The country has made significant progress in all of the information and communications technology (ICT) subsectors, including basic telephony, mobile telephony, the Internet and IT. The country's telecoms sector has been deregulated, expanded and modernised over the past 15 years.

Romania is the leader in Europe, and sixth in the world, in terms of the number of certified IT specialists, with density rates per 1,000 inhabitants greater than in the US or Russia. There are almost 100,000 specialists in the IT sector. Approximately 5,000 of the 30,000 engineers graduating every year in Romania are trained in ICT.
Microsoft acquired Romanian Antivirus Technology in 2003. According to Microsoft, Romania has a clear potential in information technology, an area in which Romanian students, researchers and entrepreneurs excel. Its western-oriented culture and the high educational degree of its youth bring Romania forward as a huge potential market (the second largest software producer in Eastern Europe). In terms of IT outsourcing services Romania is ranked in the third place worldwide successfully challenging India.

The IT market is one of the most dynamic sectors of the Romanian economy. Since the year 1994 the IT market has demonstrated growth rates of 40-60 percent a year. The biggest sector in terms of revenue is system and network integration, which accounts for 28,3% of the total market revenues. Meanwhile the fastest growing segment of the IT market is offshore programming. The industry of software development outsourcing crossed the mark of $3 billion of total revenues in 2005 and reached $4.8 billion in 2006. Nowadays it account for about 6-10% from the GDP.

Currently Romania controls 5 percent of the offshore software development market and is the third leading country (after India and China) among software exporters. Such growth of software outsourcing in Romania is caused by a number of factors. One of them is the supporting role of the Romanian Government. The Government has launched a program promoting construction of IT-oriented technology parks - special zones that have an established infrastructure and enjoy a favorable tax and customs regime. Another factor stimulating the IT sector growth in Romania is the presence of global technology corporations such as Intel, Motorola, Sun Microsystems, Boeing, Nokia and others, which have intensified their software development activities and opened their R&D centers in Romania.

The ICT industry has broadened its focus beyond manufacturing equipment to maintenance and management services as well as creating audio, video, print and digital content. These developments are anticipated to create a variety of new opportunities in Romania's ICT market. On the occasion of the World Electronics Forum (Paris 2000), the "Worldwide ICT Professionals Market Situation Study" showed that, by 2008, Romania will be the only European country to have excellent IT specialists.
Romania's main competitive advantage in software development consists of its highly qualified, cost-effective human resources.
Currently, about 25,000 software professionals work in the industry and almost 1/5 of them are involved in software export activities. Romania ranks the 6th in the world by number of certified professionals ("2003 Global Skills IQ Report", Brainbench) and has been awarded a bronze certificate in the category of "Most Certified Nation (Overall)" during the first annual Bench Games 2005 ("2005 Bench Games Report", Brainbench). Vicepresident for EMEA, showed that Oracle is committed to encourage this country to take advantage of its potential: "Oracle aims to help push Romania into becoming the Silicon Valley of Central and Eastern Europe."

In Romania there are 7.8 million connections to the Internet, out of which 4 million are broadband (end of 2010).
Country code (Top level domain): .ro
There were approximatively 250 000 domains registered under .ro at the end of 2007. This number had risen to over 340,000 in November 2008 and in 2012 the number went even higher: over 600,000 (710,000 domains in 2013).

Based on Akamai report at January 2011, Constanţa, Iasi and Timisoara are in the top 100 cities at the world level with the highest average Internet speeds.
Based on Pando networks content delivery service released on September 2011, Romania is in the top 5 Internet speeds in the world (2013) averaging at 37 Mbit/s download. Romania surpassed Bulgaria, Lithuania and Latvia on the top five, while the United States was only the 14th.

For business use, services are usually provided through fiber optics or radio. Companies providing such services are providing very flexible and negotiable plans also based on the Metropolitan/International distinction. Usually prices and bandwidths are fully negotiable, with the micro-ISPs discussed above being influential resellers. There is very strong competition, with no peering between many such companies (again requiring a lot of traffic to be routed through international routes) and not even access to another's fiber-optics infrastructure (leading to the existence, in some cases, of over 25 fiber optics cables on the same street, hanging from the same pole). As such many companies have two separate providers for basically the same services.

Romania is aggressively promoting and developing its biotechnology industry. Hundred of millions of dollars were invested into the sector to build up infrastructure, fund research and development and to recruit top international scientists to Romania. Romania features one of the world's newest competitive bio-industries, in key areas as pharmacogenomics, protein engineering, glyco-engineering, tissue engineering, bio-informatics, genome medicine and preventive medicine. Romania is devoting substantial resources to developing universities and R&D facilities, increasing bioventure startups, growing bio-clusters (communities of biotechnology companies and institutions) and developing human resources, all with the goal of making it one of the world's most advanced biotechnology regions.
More:

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Introduction Romania is a country located at the intersection of Central and Southeastern Europe, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south.

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Could Romania's clothing industry really become the first beneficiary of the economic crisis?

In the early years of this decade, Romania was set to become Western Europe's biggest clothing supplier on some measures. Two days or so by fast truck from retailers' distribution centres in Germany or the UK, no duty or quota and a couple of hours' flight for managers and quality controllers, it was the perfect location for making Fast Fashion.

The phasing out of quotas on Asian imports in 2005 undermined Romania's competitiveness, which was further hit when Romania's 2007 EU entry allowed Romania workers easier access to better-paying jobs in the West, and sent local wages up. Recruiting trained staff didn't get easier either. And in the first few months of EU membership, growing confidence in Romania's economy sent its currency up - creating further pressure for higher prices.

Signs are, though, that all that's started to reverse. Just as Western European buyers need Romania more than ever.

Buyers' needs for reliable, close, garment makers are growing more urgent every day. Retailers and wholesalers need smaller inventories - and with no Customs controls between Romania and its French, Italian, German or British customers any more, garments and other sewn products can move from final factory inspection to shops' clothes rails in just days. Order quantities can be tiny. Buyer managers can get to supplying factories, and factory management to buyers' offices, without any of the visa palaver that's making business travel between Europe and China such a nightmare - so decisions can be made a lot later than they have to be if garments need shipping halfway round the world. And Romania's location, together with the growing frequency of air links, means raw materials can be shipped in from both the West and Turkey in little more than hours if necessary. Again: without all those time-consuming documentation requirements.

EU membership didn't put prices up as much as many think. Using Far Eastern fabric in Romania actually got cheaper when Romania joined the EU, since buyers paid only 4-5% duty on the fabric value, rather than the full 12% on the whole garment value they'd had to pay beforehand.

But now the economic crisis is improving Romania's competitiveness. Its currency is devaluing - even against the British pound, which is worth more against it today than in April last year. The recession in Italy is sending Romanian migrant workers home - leading to easier recruitment for garment factories. While Western buyers want value, they want short orders, fast response and late decision making more than ever before. Romania's still got a formidable infrastructure of good facxtories. And it's just a great deal easier - and more transparent - to work in than most of its rivals. Could it really become the next big sourcing hotspot again?
Declaration of interest: Clothesource operates a quality control business in Romania. We obviously make no secret we'd like to see more people using it. But the truth is: now is the time it makes better sense to use it than ever.

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Could Romania be Europe's next apparel sourcing hotspot? Again? - Clothesource

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Could Romania's clothing industry really become the first beneficiary of the economic crisis? In the early years of this decade, Romania was set to become Western Europe's biggest clothing supplier on some measures. Two days or so by fast truck from retailers' distribution centres in Germany or the UK, no duty or quota and a...

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H&M Group is a family of brands and businesses, driven by the desire to make fashion and design available to everyone, in a more sustainable way.

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Cotton is synonymous with the production of fabric throughout the world, and some of the highest quality of clothes has a unique cotton blend that makes them appealing to the customers. What most of you may not know or realize is that cotton is not only used as fabric but as food as well. The cotton plant makes up cotton lint which is the fabric like material and makes up 42 of the total weight of the plant. By official estimates, cotton lint makes up for the 85% of the total cotton income while the rest is from the cotton seed. The cotton plant also produces a fruit called bolls which are used as the food.
The production of cotton is done all over the world. However, some countries produce quite a lot which makes them leading exporters as well. Discussed below are the top 10 cotton producing countries.

Continental Produce

As it is with many of the agricultural products, Asia reigns supreme with the most cotton producing nations as well as cotton itself. The largest cotton producing country is India for now with China trailing closely behind. In fact, the two nations have often changed hands when it comes to the title of largest cotton producing nations. Other Asian countries include Pakistan which is also a major player in the international cotton market, as well as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan which makes five countries from Asia alone regarding cotton production. South America has only Brazil as one of the top producers of cotton. Similarly, Europe, North America, Oceania and Africa all have one country in the top with Turkey, USA, Australia and Burkina Faso respectively.

The Big Four

China and India, latter especially, are often labelled as the land where cotton is. The south Asian region is ripe with the most optimum climate for the growth of cotton. Similarly, Pakistan has always been one of the major producers of cotton, and even though their production area fell after the formation of Bangladesh, they have still stayed competitive in the cotton and fabric industry. The access to custom free cotton is the primary reason why big clothing brands operate manufacturing plants in these four countries. Finally, we have the fourth major player who is the third largest regarding production, and that is the United States of America.

Note: Following figures are according to USDA Cotton Production report, with projections made for the 2017/2018 season in Aug.

Uses and Benefits of Cotton

It is true that cotton is used to produce more clothes in the world than any other fabric in the world. It is also one of the oldest fabrics in the history of humanity. And it is not just used to make clothing objects; the following are the most common uses of cotton.

1. The clothing items that are made from cotton including shirts, pants, jeans, boxers, socks and boxer shorts.

2. Cotton seed is used to make cotton seed oil which is cholesterol free and used to make products like soaps, cosmetics, rubbers and emulsifiers.

3. Different levels of cotton blends are also used to make several ranges of synthetic fabrics.

4. Apart from clothing, cotton is used to make drapes. Bed sheets, blankets, tents, tarpaulins.

5. The by-product of the cotton seed oil is used as stock feed for millions of animals.

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Top Ten Cotton Producing Countries in the World

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Cotton is synonymous with the production of fabric throughout the world, and some of the highest quality of clothes has a unique cotton blend that makes them appealing to the customers. What most of you may not know or realize is that cotton is not only used as fabric but