First2Run is a flagship project  involving four companies and universities from Italy, UK and The Netherlands, demonstrating technical, economic and environmental sustainability on an industrial scale. This involves a first-of-kind value chain where low input and underutilized oil crops grown in arid and/or marginal lands and not in competition with food or feed, are exploited for the extraction of vegetable oils to be further converted into bio-monomers. These bionomers act like building blocks for high added value bioproducts, biolubricants, cosmetics, bioplastics, additives through the integration of chemical and biotechnological processes.

Stand-up innovation is like stand-up comedy, but instead of comedians performing comedy, scientists, pioneer thinkers, and circular economy pundits set the stage for innovative ideas.

Ok, we promise they’ll throw in a few jokes, too.

Globally, the circular economy movement is gaining momentum, and the Vienna-based NGO, alchemia-nova aims with stand-up Innovation to inspire people to think circular in Austria. This second event of the stand-up innovation event series is focusing on materials in a circular economy. How will they circulate, what does it need for it? Quality, Infrastructure, customers, new laws, …

The EREK international conference will demonstrate how successful businesses and industries seek resource efficient solutions, collaborate in a circular and social economy, and pursue digitalisation to gain a competitive edge. From keynote speeches to practical sessions, the conference aims to gather the Resource Efficiency community by promoting exchanges between all actors, from newcomers to front runners, from SMEs to business intermediaries, raising awareness of existing and upcoming opportunities to make the Circular Economy a reality.

The conference will introduce the recent CECIMO report on the machine tool sector and its contribution to the circular economy.