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As a society, we are a long way from having an information technology industry that is anywhere near a closed-loop system, but Dell has been among the companies at the forefront of this movement.

H&M has just closed the loop on itself. The Swedish apparel chain, which in February 2013 became the first retailer to launch a global textile take-back program, is set to debut its inaugural collection of products made from those same recycled fibers.

The North Face has expanded its Clothes The Loop recycling program to all of its retail and outlet stories in the US and has set a goal to recycle more than 100,000 pounds of apparel and footwear this year.

Levi's is offering customers a 20% discount if they bring their old duds to the denim brand's retail locations for recycling -- even if the old clothes aren't Levi's brand. The take-back program is an attempt to further the company's "vision of a more circular economy or closed-loop system for our products," said sustainability chief Michael Kobori. 

Dell has become the second high-profile company to announce a deal with AirCarbon, an innovative plastic material from Newlight Technologies created by pulling carbon out of the air.

the Closed Loop Fund, a budding $100 million effort by a group of large companies to invest in recycling infrastructure and, in the process, put more recycled materials into manufacturing supply chains. Along the way, it aims to give a boost to recycling in the United States at a time when rates are leveling off but the demand for recycled feedstocks is picking up.

PepsiCo is committed to working to increase the U.S. beverage recycling rate, with a goal of reaching 50 percent by 2018. Such a shift would capture billions of containers that otherwise would end up in landfill, streets, parks and waterways. PepsiCo and The Nature Conservancy forged a new initiative to "Recycle for Nature." By recycling any plastic bottle or aluminum can, consumers are directly helping support The Nature Conservancy's efforts to save and restore 1 billion gallons of water over the next five years.

The chemical giant's new sustainability goals also include a renewable energy commitment and a deeper focus on closed-loop manufacturing.

Sodexo, the food services and facilities management company, Deloitte consulting, Mission Point Capital Partners impact investment firm and the Closed Loop Fund have taken it upon themselves to study the economics and data points of food waste in the U.S. and develop a road map for action.

Increasing the recycling rate to 100 percent industry-wide could generate an estimated $10 billion in cost savings and natural capital benefits, according to Trucost. For example, creating better closed-loop processes for reusing gold would have a bottom-line benefit of almost $100 million compared with $14.6 million at current recovery levels, according to the Trucost data.

Dell continues to make headway on its plans to dramatically increase the amount of repurposed and reclaimed content in its supply chain, with a goal of 100 million pounds of reused materials in its products by 2020 (double its original goal of 50 million, which it achieved in 2017). Its model could provide the entire industry with methods, practices and - through collaboration - opportunities to reduce the growing global e-waste problem and shift towards a more circular economy in the electronics sector.

Novelis' latest sustainability report shows the aluminum rolling and recycling giant making significant investments and strides to advance the circular economy and increase the sustainability of its business, the aluminum industry and its value chain. The report details the company's efforts to increase its recycling capacity and the recycled content of its products to 80% by 2020.

Live Zero is part of a growing movement of "zero-waste" supermarkets that aim to end packaging waste by doing away with packaging altogether. The concept began in Europe more than a decade ago, and has since spread globally. There are now zero waste supermarkets from Brooklyn to Sicily to Malaysia to South Africa.