In our weekly good news round-up, we feature three positive stories from across the week that showcase remarkable innovation, breakthroughs, and progress within the realms of healthcare, sustainability, equity and inclusion, workplace wellbeing, social impact and more.

Here are three positive stories for the week of 21 to 26 January, 2025, reminding us of the positive change happening around the world.

Primark launches inclusive fashion range for people with disabilities

Primark has introduced a groundbreaking adaptive fashion range, featuring 49 items of menswear and womenswear designed to cater to a variety of needs. This latest collection follows the success of its adaptive underwear range launched in January 2024.

Developed in collaboration with Victoria Jenkins, a disabled fashion designer and founder of Unhidden, the new range includes thoughtful features such as magnetic zippers, snap fastenings, waist loops for easier dressing, and discreet openings for tubes, stomas, or catheters. It also offers options for wheelchair users, including specially designed trench coats and other seated-friendly items.

Primark worked closely with members of the disabled community through focus groups and hands-on fit sessions to ensure the collection meets real-world needs. This initiative marks an important step toward greater inclusivity in affordable fashion, blending practicality with style to empower more people to dress with ease and confidence.

Aarhus recycles 750,000 coffee cups in groundbreaking initiative

In Aarhus, Denmark, an innovative scheme to cut down on single-use coffee cups has been a runaway success, with 750,000 cups reused in just three years. The initiative, backed by the government, revolves around Reusable, a firm distributing sturdy plastic coffee cups and lids to local cafés. To encourage participation, large vending machine-like installations have been placed throughout the city, allowing consumers to return their cups and claim a €0.70 rebate on their coffee.

The project, launched in partnership with Norwegian tech company TOMRA, was born from a discovery that 45 per cent of Aarhus’ waste came from takeaway packaging. With 45 cafés on board and collection points in popular shopping areas, the scheme has revolutionised how the city manages waste.

During the city’s Aarhus Uke festival, vendors exclusively used the reusable cups, resulting in 100,000 cups being returned—a volume equivalent to filling 1,200 trash bins. Simon Smedegaard Rossau, project manager for circular packaging, credits the program’s success to its visibility and ease of use, marking Aarhus as a leader in sustainable urban practices.

Rare red squirrel colony discovered in Yorkshire Dales plantation

A rare colony of red squirrels, one of Britain’s most endangered species, has been discovered in a Sitka spruce plantation in the Yorkshire Dales.

The squirrels were first identified by Julie Bailey from the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) during a thermal imaging survey of the North Yorkshire site. Initially spotting four individuals, Ms Bailey later confirmed the presence of a colony after placing cameras in the area.

The plantation, located in the western Dales and typically used for timber, pulp, and Christmas tree production, had not previously been known to host red squirrels. The landowners expressed their delight at the discovery and have committed to managing the landscape to support the squirrel population, according to UKSA.

Julie is optimistic about the colony’s future, believing the habitat offers the potential for the red squirrel population to thrive and grow.

Red squirrels, native to the UK, have been pushed to the brink of extinction by the introduction of grey squirrels. Today, their numbers are estimated at just 160,000, with most of the remaining population found in Scotland, Ireland, parts of northern England, and pockets along the south coast.