On the 6th and 7th of December, partners from the Circular Based Waste Management project visited Linz, Austria, in a tour designed by collaboration between Green Business Norway and Business Upper Austria. Participants included representatives from the Lithuanian Energy Institute and the Innovation Agency Lithuania.
Prior to the two day tour, introductory presentations were given in a meeting held at the offices of Business Upper Austria. The organisations visited, focus on circularity in the lifecycle of plastics from academic and commercial viewpoints.
Business Upper Austria is the Upper Austrian government agency promoting innovation, collaboration, and investment solutions in the region.
One of its goals is for the region to be the leading model region for Circular Economy by 2030. As a result, among the several support mechanisms provided by Business Upper Austria, assisting enterprises in transitioning to a more circular model is key.
The region has a strong plastics industry, so they have placed emphasis on how this plays a role in a Circular Economy. They collaborated with the plastics cluster to develop a technology roadmap with the goal of reaching 100% recycling of the contents of the yellow bag, which contains all plastic trash from a typical household.
Projects and initiatives are also being organized to address issues such as circular use and consumption, the role that digitalisation can play in facilitating recycling, raising knowledge and awareness, and business models based on making equipment or electrical appliances last as long as possible so that they do not need to be replaced frequently.
Sites visited include a wide range of organisations focusing on various stages in the lifecycle of plastics:
The LIT Factory at the Linz Institute of Technology, located at the Johannes Kepler University, where the whole value chain for the production and recycling of plastics is studied, from their molecules through to product specific development.
Tabakfabrik, a tobacco factory converted into a hub for new technologies, creative and cultural industries. Within Tabakfabrik, Strada del Startup, an accelerator, offers office and working spaces of various sizes for startups and larger companies.
Carbon Cleanup, a startup that has developed a mobile recycling station for carbon fibre.
Borealis, a global manufacturer of high-quality plastics, which at their facilities in Linz, are working to plastic waste and its recycling while focusing on the entire lifecycle of plastics.
EREMA, a manufacturer of recycling machines that take plastic items and convert them into pellets, sheets, strappings or fibres for use in the production of new items.
LAVU, Upper Austria’s waste management company which collects 90 different types of waste materials, over 70% of which is recycled.
Greiner, a global supplier with solutions for plastic packaging, foam and plastics for the pharmaceutical industry.
The Circular Based Waste Management project is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation.
For further information visit the project news page here or contact:
Thor Sverre Minnesjord: thor@greenbusiness.no
Maritsa Kissamitaki: maritsa@greenbusiness.no
