TheCircularLab: a packaging innovation laboratory

TheCircularLab
Type of organisation or company
Country
Spain
City
Madrid
Language for original content
Key Area
Project elaborated in partnership
Yes
Submitted by
Circular Economy Club
Start/End date
Ongoing
Yes
Type of funding
Ecoembes
Description

In 2017, Ecoembes has launched its pioneering circular economy project in Europe; TheCircularLab, which will involve all phases of packaging: from creation, via ecodesign, up to the reintroduction of our products into the consumption cycle. Based in the La Rioja region, TheCircularLab aims to turn the region into a great centre for experimentation by enabling innovations to be tested on a real scale. Cities and municipalities will serve as testing ground for researching into concepts such as packaging of the future, smart waste management within smart cities, responsible consumption or the development of new techniques/processes making recycling easier for citizens.

TheCircularLab main lines of research include:

1) the study of future packaging through ecodesign
2) the development of solutions enabling citizens to recycle

3) smart waste management and
4) entrepreneurship.

The CircularLab was established in close collaboration with the public authorities of the testing location and together with companies active in each of the fields of research.

Main results

Currently, the TCL is developing projects:

1. Ecodesign

  • ECO IMPACT standardisation of the sustainable packaging
  • Horizontal project to evaluate the recyclability of multilayers with the existing technologies with a special focus on adhesives.

2. Waste management field

  • An INFORMATION AND MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGICAL PLATFORM to improve municipal waste services
  • CONTENEDOR GO: containers geolocation through artificial vision
  • 4.0 SORTING PLANT.

3. Citizen science

  • BIG DATA: ANALYTICAL AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: real-time analysis on what, why and how the citizen recycle.

4. Entrepreneurship

  • ACCELERATOR FOR START UPS
  • LAB TALENTUM: development through the entrepreneurship of elements that helps the recycling at home.