Inaugurated in 2016, Mater-Biotech is the first world industrial plant for the production of 1.4 bio-butanediol (BDO) directly from sugars, paving the way for the production of new chemical intermediates from renewable sources. The plant was designed to reuse the by-products for its energy needs, thus optimizing the life cycle of the entire process.
Rifò regenerates noble textile fibres, such as cashmere, using a proven technology developed in the textile district of Prato (Tuscany) over a hundred years ago.
Valdelia collects and recycles furniture waste from French businesses. Its services are geared to:
Owners of used, non-residential furniture, such as public and private companies, public authorities and services
Valdelia members, such as removal companies and office furniture dealers
Valdelia enables professionals to meet legal requirements while also helping the environment, the economy and society.
Furniture which is still in good condition is reused byValdelia's partners in the social and solidarity economy. The rest is used or recycled back into secondary raw materials.
A large range of non-residential furniture can be collected and recycled.
Atelier Extramuros is a social enterprise specialising in upcycling waste wood into office furniture. It has a strong focus on circular economy principles and social impact.
When Dublin's Ballymun suburb was scheduled for regeneration, a local environmental project redeveloped the neighbourhood's heating plant into a 3D textbook on repair, reuse and refurbish. The Rediscovery Centre, housed in the old boiler house, is now a cutting-edge creative space connecting people, resources and ideas that includes four social enterprises.
In October 2015 the Luxembourg government named the municipality of Wiltz a Circular Economy Hotspot. In February 2018 Wiltz renewed its political commitment with a Circular Economy Charter signed by its municipal council, by which it undertook to mainstream the circular economy in its future project and activities.
The 2023-2029 political declaration keeps up this momentum.
Van Hulley is a Dutch SME that upcycles worn-out shirts into boxershorts, employing disadvantaged women as seamstresses every year and training them to join the labour market more permanently.
Bracenet collects discarded fishing nets, has them upcycled into fabric and then produces unique Bracenets, dog leashes, keychains, and rings in workshops that provide employment opportunities to disabled persons.
Munich has taken its ambitious waste reduction strategy to the next level by developing an innovative reuse lab and shop concept. Its Halle 2 municipal secondhand store not only enables people to take responsibility for living more sustainably, it also provides opportunities for job creation, educational programmes and voluntary activities.
