HERNDON, VA—Volkswagen Group of America Inc. and Redwood Materials Inc. are collaborating to create a supply chain to recycle Volkswagen and Audi electric vehicle batteries in the United States.

According to expert materials scientist and author Julia Goldstein, here are five tips for accomplishing more sustainable, less wasteful manufacturing operations and products. 

KARLSRUHE, Germany—Chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste is both technically feasible and environmentally and financially promising, according to new research from Audi and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

CAMBRIDGE, MA and STANFORD, CA—A team of MIT and Stanford University researchers have developed a machine-learning-based system that increases the feasibility of manufacturing perovskite solar cells, which have an energy conversion efficiency of 18.5 percent.

Manufacturers around the world are increasingly concerned about their carbon footprint. One company that is doing something about it is General Motors. Last fall, the automaker announced that it plans to source 100 percent renewable energy to power its U.S. sites by 2025.

TAMIL NADU, India—Yanmar Engine Manufacturing India has installed a 1 megawatt peak solar photovoltaic generation system on the roof of its plant here to provide about 30 percent of the facility’s energy.

OSAKA, Japan, and HELMOND, the Netherlands—Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd. recently announced that it has acquired a majority share in ELEO Technologies B.V.

STUTTGART, Germany—Mercedes-Benz is increasingly integrating recycled and sustainable materials into its vehicles.

WASHINGTON—The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is opening Stage 2 of the “Conductivity-Enhanced Materials for Affordable, Breakthrough Leapfrog Electric and Thermal Applications Conductor” Manufacturing Prize. This three-stage competition will award up to $4.5 million to accelerate the development of affordable, manufacturable materials that conduct electricity more efficiently than existing materials.

LONG BEACH, CA—Heliogen says it will build a full-scale facility here to develop, assemble and test heliostats (reflective mirrors) and other components for its concentrated solar power system.