Advancing a sustainable economy
Instead of a linear economy—which moves raw materials through manufacturing, distribution, and consumption to create waste—we imagine a circular economy that keeps materials moving through reuse, repair, redistribution, and recycling to preserve natural resources and minimize climate-altering emissions.
Our impact is driven by our core research pillars
active projects
scholars funded in 2024
funded in research & scholarships since 1992
News
March 10, 2026
The Smith Gardner Scholarship: Investing in the People Who Will Carry the Work Forward
There’s a particular way Stacey Smith, President of Smith Gardner, talks about solid waste. He doesn’t frame it as an afterthought of modern life or a problem to be tucked…
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February 25, 2026
EREF and SWANA Sign MOU to Advance Research and Education in Waste and Resource Management
February 24, 2026 – Raleigh, NC The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) signed a Memorandum of…
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