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Rediseño de productos voluminosos de vida media desde cero

Visión general

El desafío: los productos 'voluminosos' (MLBP) de vida media, como las alfombras y los colchones, son difíciles de reciclar y contienen más químicos tóxicos de lo que puedas imaginar. Debido a esto, la categoría de producto es un gran contribuyente al vertedero y es un riesgo para la salud humana y el medio ambiente.

La solución: DSM-Niaga ha desarrollado tres principios clave de diseño que se basan en el pensamiento de la economía circular. Aplicado diligentemente, este enfoque ha llevado a nuevas tecnologías de producción para una nueva generación de productos de vida media. Todos los productos fabricados con tecnología Niaga pueden reciclarse en el mismo producto.

¿Qué lo hace particularmente circular? Para cumplir con su promesa de reciclabilidad, la compañía necesitaba diseñar un adhesivo que se desacople bajo demanda. Junto con el uso de componentes monomateriales reciclables, no tóxicos y fáciles de reciclar, el diseño modular también permite un fácil mantenimiento. Esto ha permitido el uso de nuevos modelos de negocio para estos productos.

Los beneficios: los productos 'voluminosos' de vida media (MLBP), como alfombras, muebles y colchones, contienen mucho material. Mediante el arrendamiento de productos 100% reciclables, una industria de reciclaje podría prosperar, eliminando al mismo tiempo los problemas de desechos locales y la demanda global de materiales vírgenes.

FUENTE: Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation. Estudios de casos. DSM-Niaga

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/redesigning-medium-life-bulky-products-from-scratch

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The challenge

Medium-life 'bulky' products (MLBPs), like carpets and mattresses, are difficult to recycle and contain more toxic chemicals than you could imagine. Because of this, the product category is a large contributor to landfill and is a risk to human health and the environment.

The solution

Niaga®️ has developed three circular design principles which underpin the development of production technologies for a new generation of medium-life products. All products made with Niaga®️ Technology, can be recycled back into the same product.

What makes it particularly circular?

To meet their recyclability recyclability The ease with which a material can be recycled in practice and at scale. promise, the company needed to design an adhesive that decouples on demand. Together with the use of non-toxic, easy recyclable mono-material components, the modular design also supports easy maintenance. This has enabled the use of new business models for these products.

The benefits

Medium-life 'bulky' products (MLBPs), like carpets, furniture, and mattresses contain a lot of material. Through the leasing of 100% recyclable products, a recycling industry could flourish, eliminating local waste issues and global demand for virgin materials at the same time.

The dirty mattress on the roadside

Everyone has seen one - damp and stained on the hard shoulder or abandoned on the edge of a field. Why would an item containing valuable materials end up being discarded in this way? Are we so rich that we can afford to throw away all this value, or is it just too expensive to recover these materials and turn them into a new product?

The story is similar for carpets. For more than 60 years commercial carpeting has been made the same way, a complex mix of chemicals bound together so that the materials are unrecoverable at the end of the product's use. As a consequence, after a relatively short use period, a large amount of valuable materials are lost. Each year in the US, around 1.8 billion kilograms of carpet ends up in land-fill or incineration, with an estimated material value of USD 5 billion.

The primary reason for the wasteful product system, is that bulky items such as carpets and mattresses are not designed in a way so that materials can be recovered easily and economically. How can this linear status quo be shifted towards more circularity where waste is designed out and the materials are kept in use for longer?

Niaga®️, a company set-up as a joint venture between two entrepreneurs and the multinational DSM, and now owned by Covestro, was set up to deal with this innovation challenge.

Three design principles to unlock circular innovation

It all started with a fascination among the co-founders of Niaga®️, about how product innovation was dominated by constantly adding extra ingredients, to the point where nobody understood exactly what was in the products. This initial insight about the need to de-complexify inspired the two founders to develop a set of principles which would underpin all future products:

Keep it simple - use the lowest possible diversity of ingredients

Clean materials only - use only materials that have tested positive for impact on human health and the environment

Use reversible connections -connect different materials in a way that allows easy disconnecting at the end of each use phase

Applying these principles, Niaga®️ make products healthier and fully recyclable, without compromising on performance. All used materials can be decoupled after use. This is made possible through an adhesive that Niaga®️ has developed which can be reversed at a certain frequency or temperature. The separated pure materials can then be fed into the next manufacturing cycle.

Medium-life bulky products

So far Niaga®️ has targeted its efforts on the top 10 items found in landfill which often happen to be bulky with a typical use life of around 10 years. So far, they have found commercially scalable solutions (manufacturing technologies in their case) for mattresses, carpets, and furniture. They invite manufacturers of other top landfill items to join in a redesign effort, just like the mattress firm Auping did after a connection made via the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

Fully recyclable carpets

The first product Niaga®️ took on was the carpet. As already stated, carpets are composed of a complex, tightly bound array of chemicals. In their pure form, many of these compounds are unsafe to humans, with an estimated 50 toxic substances present in European and US carpets, including carcinogens and mutagens. Because of the difficulties in separation and recovery, the material flow for carpets is wasteful and polluting with less than 1% of materials recycled into new carpets:

Niaga®️ has developed a carpet material which can be recirculated in an effective and economically viable way. The carpets are created out of single or simple combinations of materials, either pure polyester or a mix of polyester and polyamide, or wool. In the latter case, the two layers are bound together with a reversible adhesive. The holistic design means value is preserved and production costs are reduced for the next generation of carpet products.

There are other benefits, such as indoor air quality, through the elimination of carcinogenic, endocrine, and volatile organic compound emissions; as well as reduced water and energy resources in the production process. The new carpet is also lighter, making transport and handling easier. In early 2017, Niaga®️ partnered with Mohawk, the second-largest flooring maker in the US, and the first company to incorporate Niaga®️ system into its own production processes.

Every year, it is estimated that 35 million mattresses are disposed in Europe and 20 million are disposed in the US. Seeing a great opportunity to capture some of this lost value, Niaga®️ partnered with Auping a large Dutch mattresses manufacturer, to develop a modular and fully recyclable mattress.

A common argument to get rid of your mattress is that the comfort layer is worn out. Niaga®️-Auping's modular mattress allows such components to be easily swapped.

The mattress is made from six components all of which can be replaced when comfort, hygiene or other factors demand (see image below). The components include: a comfort layer, springs, the backing material, zippers. All are designed to be easily separated and replaced through reversible connections like yarn, Velcro and Niaga's reversible adhesive.

Auping offers the mattresses to hospitality and consumers via a product sale and lease option. The lease options include a maintenance contract for hospitality. This way, hotels are offered the option to only pay for the mattress when the bed is used, and all components will be washed and/or replaced when needed for quality or hygiene reasons. Consumers pay a fixed fee per month, and Auping will take the mattress back for recycling at the end of life.

Unlocking circularity in other product sectors

Niaga®️ are constantly exploring other product areas that could be transformed through the application of circular design principles. Most recently they have partnered with ECOR, to rethink the way that building materials are laminated, so that they can be easily disassembled and recycled. The partnership, focusing on particle board and panel materials used in furniture and construction, has already yielded the Niaga-ECOR Panel (photo below). The panels have laminated surfaces that can be easily 'un-clicked' using microwave frequency to separate panels from veneers, meaning the bulk of the material can be retained in multiple use phases.

Company info

Niaga®️ - the word 'again' spelled backwards

A joint venture between DSM and two entrepreneurs, owned by Covestro since April 2021

Based in, Geleen, The Netherlands

Grew from 6 to 40 employees between 2017 and 2019

Provides a B2B model, selling all required technologies and materials to manufacturers (e.g. Mohawk, Auping) - enabling customers to produce their own Niaga®️ products

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Redesigning medium-life bulky products from scratch: Niaga

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Niaga®️ has developed three circular design principles which underpin the development of production technologies for a new generation of medium-life products. All products made with Niaga®️ Technology, can be recycled back into the same product.

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Cerrar el ciclo en el empaque de alimentos de un solo uso

Visión general

El desafío: el sector de comida para llevar en rápido crecimiento da como resultado que muchos envases de plástico de un solo uso se descarten cada año. El reciclaje generalmente no es práctico debido a la contaminación causada por los residuos de alimentos, por lo que los envases para llevar a menudo terminan en vertederos. Los contenedores reutilizables deben implementarse siempre que sea posible, pero esto a veces no es práctico, dejando una proporción que sigue siendo de un solo uso.

La solución: los envases compostables para servicios de alimentos de BioPak hechos de materiales renovables a base de plantas ofrecen una solución parcial para los artículos de servicios de alimentos que permanecen de un solo uso.

¿Qué lo hace circular? Simplemente sustituir una alternativa compostable no es circular por sí sola. Al proporcionar también un servicio de recolección y compostaje, BioPak ha creado un sistema circular, asegurando que el empaque y, lo que es más importante, la comida que contiene termina siendo compostada, contribuyendo así a la preservación de suelos saludables.

¿Cuáles son los beneficios? BioPak ha puesto a disposición su servicio de compost para más de 2000 códigos postales en Australia y Nueva Zelanda. Desde su lanzamiento, 200 empresas se han unido, desviando 660 toneladas de envases compostables y restos de comida del vertedero y creando 66,000 bolsas de compost rico en nutrientes.

FUENTE: Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation. Estudios de casos. Biopack

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/closing-the-loop-on-single-use-food-packaging

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The rapidly growing takeaway food sector results in many single-use plastic containers being discarded every year. Recycling is generally impractical due to contamination caused by food residues, so takeaway packaging most often ends up in landfill. Reusable containers should be implemented wherever possible, but this is sometimes not practical, leaving a proportion that remains single use.

The rapidly growing takeaway food sector results in many single-use plastic containers being discarded every year. Recycling is generally impractical due to contamination caused by food residues, so takeaway packaging most often ends up in landfill. Reusable containers should be implemented wherever possible, but this is sometimes not practical, leaving a proportion that remains single use.

BioPak's compostable foodservice packaging made from renewable plant-based materials offers a partial solution for the foodservice items that remain single-use.

Simply substituting a compostable alternatives is not circular on its own. By also providing a collection and composting composting Microbial breakdown of organic matter in the presence of oxygen. service, known as Compost Connect, BioPak has created a circular system, ensuring that packaging and importantly, the food it contains does end up being composted thus contributing to the preservation of healthy soils.

BioPak has made its compost service available to more than 2000 postcodes across Australia and New Zealand. Since launch, 200 companies have joined together, diverting 660 tonnes of compostable packaging and food scraps from landfill and creating 66,000 bags of nutrient rich compost.

How our takeaway food habits degrade the environment

Takeaway food is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global food industry. This growth is inextricably linked with an increased demand for packaging, the majority of which is plastic and single-use, to satisfy an industry where convenience, hygiene, and food safety standards are paramount.

Packaging uses 26% of all plastics produced, and 90% of plastic packaging becomes 'waste' after only one use. Despite many decades of recycling, the collection rate for plastic packaging is about 14%, of which only 4% is recycled to new plastics, and a staggering 32% leaks out of the collection system and into the environment, visible on nearly every beach and body of water on the planet.

Public awareness of the environmental impact of plastics is at an all-time high and customers are driving demand for alternatives. Single-use plastic and non-recyclable packaging is being targeted globally by legislators. Through initiatives like the New Plastics Economy and its Global Commitment, governments, cities, and businesses are committed to eliminating problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic packaging through redesign, innovation, and new delivery models. Designing packaging solutions that meet the needs of the foodservice industry, help keep food out of landfills, and align with the principles of a circular economy circular economy A systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. is critical as we move towards a system where plastics never become waste.

While recycling is an important part of the solution, it is not always the best option and can be very expensive. Reuse The repeated use of a product or component for its intended purpose without significant modification. models are a good alternative, but not always appropriate. In cases where single-use is needed, when recycling or reuse are not practical or economic, and there is the opportunity to divert food waste from landfill, compostable packaging can have a role to play.

Compostable packaging designed for a circular economy

As demand for packaging increases, the development of better options for plastic packaging, that are decoupled from the use of finite resources, becomes more important. Based on circular economy principles, these alternatives should be reusable, recyclable or compostable by design and fit within a system that carries this out in practice and at scale.

Designed to be part of a circular economy, BioPak compostable packaging is made from responsibly-sourced materials, backed up by a collection service that ensures its products are composted in practice.

In Australia alone, the foodservice industry sends more than 250,000 tonnes of organic waste to landfill every year. BioPak's compostable foodservice packaging, and crucially, its after-use collection service guarantees the diversion of a proportion of these resources away from landfill.

BioPak packaging is produced in facilities certified to ISO14000, a family of standards that help organisations minimise how their operations negatively affect the environment. The process starts with the responsible sourcing of materials and ends with the diversion of food and plastics from landfill. These materials are instead used to produce compost that can then be used to regenerate soil and grow new plants, at the same time reducing plastic pollution and cutting carbon emissions.

Project Drawdown, a 2018 study to identify the most substantive solutions to global warming, categorised composting as one of the top 80 strategies for reducing GHGs. Their analysis found that nearly half of the solid waste produced globally is organic or biodegradable, but much of it ends up in landfills, decomposing to produce high global warming potential methane. While many landfills have some form of methane management, it is more effective to divert organic waste to composting facilities.

Closing the nutrient loop to enhance soil health

When it comes to foodservice packaging, contamination caused by food residue makes conventional recycling impractical. But for composting, food residues are actually an advantage. As a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shown, food scraps are an exceptional source of nitrogen (N), a critically important macronutrient needed for healthy plant growth.

In the composting process nitrogen-rich food residue assists biodegradation, balancing with other feedstocks that are richer in carbon (C), such as dry leaves, wood, and cardboard. The ideal C:N ratio is about 30:1, too much carbon and the decomposition slows down. Compostable packaging can facilitate diversion of food waste, allowing beneficial nutrients to return and regenerate soils, rather than ending up in landfill.

"By collecting Biopak's compostable packaging, we are ensuring that it is composted, rather than going to landfill where it would release the potent greenhouse gas, methane."

- Loren Walker, Reclaim, supplier of recyclable resources in New Zealand

Solving the material challenge is just part of the solution

For packaging to be considered compostable, it must comply with relevant international standards and fit into a successful post-consumer collection, sorting, and composting system that is proven to work in practice and at scale. Organic waste collection services are still not universally offered, so to ensure its packaging is effectively composted, BioPak established its own compost service. The compost service is designed to close the loop, with the ability to divert single-use food packaging away from landfill. The service collects compostable packaging, food scraps, and organic waste all in one organic waste bin - no separation required.

The collection service has been rolled out across Australia and New Zealand, reaching over 2,000 postcodes. BioPak is working with local, industrial composting services and waste management partners. So far, 200 companies having joined together, resulting in 660 tonnes of compostable packaging and food scraps being diverted from landfill and creating 66,000 bags of nutrient rich compost. BioPak has partnered with the Australian Organic Recycling Association (AORA) and is working collaboratively with the waste management industries and local governments to increase access to composting infrastructure and scale the operations.

The road to even more circular

BioPak believes that the use of compostable packaging can play a significant role in reducing the negative impact of single use food service packaging.

The key challenge now lies in scaling up collection systems and organic recycling infrastructure worldwide. In areas where composting is not available, BioPak is working on expanding options for organic recycling. This could include converting organic material into biochar, a benefit to soil structure as well as carbon sequestration; or utilising the organic waste as a feedstock for worm and insect farming.

To further increase benefits, Biopak could also explore different options for the growing or procurement of feedstock. For example, feedstock could be sourced from agricultural or industrial by-products; or grown in marginal areas helping restore degraded land; or cultivated using 'regenerative practices' which activate soil biology, enhance biodiversity, increase water storage, and sequester carbon.

All of the above measures would increase even further the circularity of Biopak materials and systems, and at the same time make it easier for citizens to make choices that have a positive impact on the planet.

Further info:

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Closing the loop on single-use food packaging: BioPak

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Packaging made from renewable plant-based materials.

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Política de movilidad eléctrica de Shenzhen

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Política de movilidad eléctrica de Shenzhen

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Desarrollar un sistema de movilidad eléctrica en la ciudad

Visión general

La necesidad: muchas ciudades luchan con la mala calidad del aire. En Shenzhen, se estimó que los vehículos de combustible contribuyeron con hasta el 20% de la contaminación del aire de la ciudad. El gobierno local y nacional quería explorar posibles desarrollos para reducir las emisiones, reducir la contaminación acústica y mejorar la calidad del aire, además de gestionar la sobrecapacidad actual de energía eléctrica.

La solución: cambiar a un sistema de movilidad 100% eléctrico crea oportunidades y potencial para flujos de ingresos adicionales. La introducción de nuevos modelos de servicio que permiten a las organizaciones alquilar autobuses electrónicos y baterías, además, reduce la barrera de las altas inversiones iniciales y crea nuevos incentivos de mercado para los fabricantes.

Los resultados: en 2017, la ciudad se convirtió en la primera del mundo en alcanzar una meta de autobuses 100% eléctricos. El esquema de pilotaje nacional ha alentado el desarrollo de la industria local de vehículos eléctricos, que se está expandiendo a un mercado global. Las lecciones del piloto se están extendiendo a otras formas de movilidad.

¿Cómo apoya la iniciativa la transición a una economía circular? - La electrificación de vehículos es un paso importante para permitir una transición a energías renovables y bajas en carbono. La adopción de nuevos modelos de servicio también incentiva a los fabricantes a diseñar componentes de vehículos que se mantengan y se mantengan en uso, conservando el valor. También se está trabajando para mejorar las tecnologías de batería que fomentan la reutilización, las velocidades de carga y la idoneidad para una gama más amplia de vehículos.

Para 2050, dos tercios de nosotros viviremos en ciudades. Sin embargo, nuestros centros urbanos están lidiando con los efectos de nuestra economía actual de recolección de residuos. Bajo este 'sistema lineal', las ciudades consumen más del 75% de los recursos naturales, producen más del 50% de los desechos globales y emiten entre el 60-80% de los gases de efecto invernadero. Una economía circular brinda la oportunidad de repensar cómo hacemos y usamos las cosas que necesitamos, y nos permite explorar nuevas formas de garantizar la prosperidad a largo plazo.

La economía circular en las ciudades se centra en las oportunidades en tres sistemas urbanos clave: edificios, movilidad y productos, y analiza cómo los gobiernos de las ciudades pueden trabajar para permitir una transición de la economía circular. El proyecto aborda preguntas como:

·         Visión: ¿Cómo será la implementación de los principios de la economía circular en las ciudades?

·         Hojas informativas: ¿Qué beneficios puede aportar una transición de economía circular en sistemas urbanos clave a las ciudades?

·         Palancas de políticas: ¿Qué pueden hacer los encargados de formular políticas urbanas para acelerar esta transición?

·         Estudios de caso: ¿Qué ejemplos hay de formuladores de políticas urbanas que ya están poniendo esto en práctica?

·         Otras redes y recursos: ¿Qué están haciendo otras organizaciones sobre el tema de la economía circular y las ciudades?

FUENTE: Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation. Estudios de casos. Política de movilidad eléctrica de Shenzhen

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-opportunity-and-benefit-factsheets#urban-mobility-system En el documento, ver CASO SHENZHEN

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Conservación de materiales para la próxima revolución de la movilidad.

Visión general

El desafío: la creciente demanda de productos electrónicos y el creciente mercado de vehículos eléctricos producen un gran volumen de baterías y desechos electrónicos

La solución: GemChina recolecta y recicla metales preciosos y otros materiales valiosos de las baterías y dispositivos electrónicos desechados.

¿Qué lo hace circular? Tal enfoque mantiene en uso materiales importantes, evitando las externalidades ambientales asociadas con el descarte y conservando los recursos que serían necesarios para crear insumos vírgenes

Los beneficios: costos evitados y externalidades ambientales de la toxicidad de los desechos y el procesamiento de material virgen

Un líder en reciclaje chino

GEM Co. Ltd (GEMChina) es una empresa pública de minería urbana, reciclaje de recursos y reciclaje de RAEE (Residuos de equipos eléctricos y electrónicos) fundada en 2001 en Shenzhen. GEMChina es reconocida internacionalmente por sus cadenas industriales integrales para la recolección y reciclaje de recursos en cinco categorías:

·         Pilas

·         Cobalto, níquel, tungsteno y carburo

·         Electrónica

·         Desechar piezas de automóviles

·         Residuos, lodo y aguas residuales.

En 2016, GEMChina procesó un total de tres millones de toneladas de desechos, recicló 37 categorías de recursos, evitó 7.5 millones de toneladas de emisiones de carbono, ahorró 14 millones de barriles de combustible fósil y 18 millones de acres de bosques.

Poner los desechos electrónicos nuevamente en circulación

China es el mayor productor mundial de electrónica de consumo y electrodomésticos, y representa casi el 40% de la producción mundial. Mientras tanto, China también es uno de los mercados más grandes del mundo para estos productos, debido a su creciente riqueza y urbanización. La alta rotación de productos electrónicos tiene consecuencias no deseadas. Cada año, se descartan unos seis millones de toneladas de productos electrónicos, lo que representa una gran pérdida de valor económico y un riesgo para el medio ambiente.

GemChina ha invertido CNY 2 mil millones (USD 300 millones) para construir ocho centros de tratamiento en China, con una capacidad de procesamiento anual combinada de 1.2 millones de toneladas de electrodomésticos usados ​​(15% del total de China); 30,000 toneladas de placa de circuito (20% del total de China); y 10.000 toneladas de residuos plásticos. Existen líneas de desmontaje especiales para televisores, lavadoras, pantallas LCD, pequeños electrodomésticos como teléfonos y tableros de circuitos.

FUENTE: Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation. Estudios de casos GEM China 格林 美. Conservación de materiales para la próxima revolución de la movilidad.

Más información actualizada:

Protección de los recursos mediante el reciclaje de metales preciosos: GEM

Reciclar no es suficiente. Aunque el reciclaje es vital, una estrategia de mayor conservación del valor se centraría en la fase de diseño de los productos electrónicos.

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/es/ejemplos-circulares/gem-china

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GEM Co. Ltd (GEM) recolecta y recicla metales preciosos y otros materiales valiosos de baterías y dispositivos electrónicos desechados.

"Los recursos son finitos, pero el reciclaje es infinito". GEM

Por qué es un ejemplo de economía circular

El enfoque circular de GEM mantiene los materiales en uso, evitando la creación de residuos tóxicos, y conserva recursos valiosos.

El reto de las baterías usadas de VE

El objetivo del gobierno chino de aumentar el número de vehículos eléctricos (VE) hasta cerca del 20% del mercado automovilístico en 2025 ha creado la necesidad urgente de ofrecer una solución sostenible para las baterías usadas de VE. China ya cuenta con el mayor mercado mundial de vehículos eléctricos. En 2019, había más de 2,5 millones de VE en China, en comparación con la UE y los EE. UU., que juntos tenían menos de un millón. La primera generación de VE ya ha llegado al final de su vida útil. Se estima que a finales de 2020, China produjo 240.000 toneladas de residuos de baterías de VE, un volumen que se prevé que se duplique para 2022.

Qué recicla GEM

GEM opera en 16 centros industriales circulares utilizados para el reciclaje de baterías usadas, productos electrónicos desechados y coches desguazados. La tecnología de GEM permite reciclar las baterías de litio desechadas de los vehículos eléctricos, extrayendo níquel, cobalto y otros recursos importantes, transformándolos en componentes utilizados por productores de baterías como Samsung SDI y Ecopro Co Ltd.

GEM goza de reconocimiento internacional por su labor de recogida y reciclado de recursos:

Reciclar no es suficiente

GEM lidera el mercado del reciclaje de alta tecnología en China. Sin embargo, aunque el reciclaje es vital, una estrategia de mayor conservación del valor se centraría en la fase de diseño de los productos electrónicos, de modo que los elementos redundantes pudieran desmontarse fácilmente y reutilizarse. Consciente de ello, el gobierno chino planea establecer normas y reglamentos basados en los principios de la Responsabilidad Ampliada del Productor para seguir ampliando el sector. Empresas como GEM podrían desempeñar un papel importante aportando sus conocimientos y experiencia en el tratamiento de productos al final de su vida útil.

GEM en cifras

1. GEM tiene la mayor capacidad de reciclaje de pilas usadas de China, procesando más del 10% del total de pilas usadas o unas 300.000 toneladas de pilas usadas al año.

2. GEM calcula que de 2013 a 2019 ha reciclado 16 millones de toneladas de residuos electrónicos. Esto equivale a una reducción de 52 millones de toneladas de emisiones de dióxido de carbono, una reducción de 400.000 km cuadrados de contaminación del suelo y 590.000 millones de toneladas de contaminación del agua.

3. Según MarketsandMarkets, se calcula que el mercado mundial de reciclaje de baterías de vehículos eléctricos alcanzará los 79.300 millones de CNY (12.200 millones de USD) en 2025 y los 117.650 millones de CNY (18.100 millones de USD) en 2030.

4. GEM recicló más de 12.000 juegos de baterías de VE en el primer semestre de 2020.

5. GEM tiene ahora acuerdos de recogida de baterías de VE con más de 280 empresas automovilísticas y fabricantes de baterías.

6. Los centros tienen una capacidad de procesamiento anual combinada de 1,2 millones de toneladas de electrodomésticos usados (15% del total de China), 30.000 toneladas de placas de circuitos (20% del total de China) y 10.000 toneladas de residuos plásticos, recuperando 5.000 toneladas de cobalto y 10.000 toneladas de níquel al año.

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Protección de los recursos- reciclaje de metales preciosos: GEM

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Collecting and recycling precious metals and other valuable materials from discarded batteries and electronics.

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Haciendo circular los muebles de oficina

Visión general

El desafío: la demanda de muebles de oficina está creciendo rápidamente, para 2024, el tamaño de la industria será de aproximadamente USD100 mil millones de dólares. La fabricación de muebles de oficina requiere muchos materiales y energía y el 80-90% de estos valiosos recursos se pierden después de un corto período de uso. ¿Cómo puede la industria del mueble de oficina abordar la creciente demanda en un mundo cada vez más limitado de recursos?

La solución: Ahrend fabrica productos de mobiliario de oficina con modularidad, desmontaje y prolongación de la vida útil como principios básicos de diseño. De esta forma, la reparación, las actualizaciones y las modificaciones se logran fácilmente para que cada producto pueda tener múltiples vidas.

¿Qué lo hace circular? Ahrend ofrece a sus clientes muebles como servicio (Furniture as a Service, FAAS) donde los clientes pagan una tarifa mensual y devuelven los muebles cuando ya no los necesitan.

¿Cuáles son los beneficios? Una reducción en el uso de materiales y las emisiones de carbono; relaciones más estrechas con los clientes, más ganancias y una cadena de suministro de materiales más segura; menores costos de configuración de oficina y más flexibilidad en un entorno empresarial que cambia rápidamente.

Muebles como servicio (FAAS)

Ahrend estableció el Primer Modelo de Muebles como Servicio (FAAS), con la Fundación Ellen MacArthur como el primer cliente. El desbloqueo del potencial del nuevo 'acuerdo de uso circular' se basó en una serie de habilitadores importantes:

Tecnología: la inclusión de códigos QR en los productos, junto con una nueva base de datos interna, ha permitido a Ahrend registrar, almacenar y rastrear continuamente el historial de todos los activos bajo su propiedad. Esto garantiza un flujo fluido de información sobre la calidad y el estado de sus productos, y conjuntos de datos importantes para permitir el escalado y la gestión del modelo FAAS.

Financiamiento: la creación de un modelo de financiamiento alternativo ha proporcionado la flexibilidad y el espacio experimental necesarios para que funcione el modelo FAAS. Ahrend es de capital privado, lo que le permite a la empresa crear una entidad financiera separada llamada Circular Interiors que posee los productos. Esto le permite a Ahrend, la compañía de muebles, liberarse de ciertas restricciones financieras, como la necesidad de generar retornos a corto plazo, que a menudo pueden limitar a las compañías para probar e implementar modelos comerciales similares de acceso sobre la propiedad.

FUENTE: Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation. Estudios de casos. Ahrend. Haciendo circular los muebles de oficina.

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/bringing-office-furniture-full-circle

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Demand for office furniture is growing rapidly, by 2024, the size of the industry will be about USD 100 billion dollars. Manufacturing office furniture requires a lots of materials and energy and 80-90% of these valuable resources are lost after a short use period. How can the office furniture industry address rising demand in an increasingly resource constrained world?

Ahrend manufactures office furniture products with modularity, disassembly, and life extension as core design principles. In this way repair, upgrades, and modifications are easily achieved so that every single product can have multiple lives.

Ahrend offers their customers furniture-as-a-service (FAAS) where customers pay a monthly fee and return the furniture when they no longer need it.

A reduction in material usage and carbon emissions; closer relationships with customers, more profits, and a more secure materials supply chain; lower office set up costs and more flexibility in a fast-changing business environment.

The rising tide of white collar workers

Hundreds of millions of people around the world begin their day at the office by sitting down on their swivel chairs and resting their arms on their desks. With rising education levels and a growing service economy, the number of people starting their day like this will rise. Urbanisation and expanding global middle class, also contribute to the growth of 'white collar' employment. Combining these factors mean demand for office space and therefore office furniture will increase significantly in the next few decades.

A high material using sector

Like most industrial sectors, office furniture typically adheres to the linear model of production. Many of the materials in products today come from increasingly expensive finite sources. Cross-sector competition for resources combined with an increasingly volatile supply chain for pure and high quality materials, mean that there is likely to be a considerable raw material supply risk for office furniture manufacturers in the future.

Office furniture also requires the use of natural materials, mainly wood, which is in fact the highest material input for the sector. Although there are some emerging timber innovations that could increase of wood (e.g. Accoya) or reduce the quantity of wood required (e.g. cross-laminates), because of the rapid growth in the sector, there is potential tension between wood supply for furniture and the critical importance of preserving forest ecosystems to address the climate crisis.

Recycling of materials from old furniture will not be enough on its own. Material recycling not only reduces purity and quality of materials, but also by breaking down products and components into their constituent materials, there is an associated loss in energy, labour, and other resources.

Fast turnover and mostly linear

Once office furniture falls out of use, through wear, tear, breakages or as a result of business relocations or closures, furniture typically enters the municipal waste stream, ending up either in landfill or incinerated for energy. According to European Federation of Furniture Manufacturers (UEA) statistics, in Europe as a whole, 80-90% of all furniture ends its life in this way.

This high turnover 'fast furniture' model is exceedingly wasteful in a material sense, with the result that a substantial amount of resources (energy, labour, water) embedded in products are lost at the point of disposal. The loss in value and associated negative environmental and social impacts, mean that there is a clear case to rethink office furniture design and delivery mechanisms.

A sector that is ready for change

Recognising future supply risks as well as the opportunities in shifting from the linear production and sales model, Dutch office furniture company Royal Ahrend has started to shift the sector onto a different trajectory by putting principles at the heart of their business.

Since the early 1990s, Ahrend have designed all of their furniture products with life extension in mind. Their manufacturing facilities have been configured for over 20 years, with stations and processes specifically designed to create modular products. Office chairs, tables, and other furniture move through the manufacturing facility with components added in sequential steps, like building a lego model. This facilitates more effective product maintenance, as well as upgrading with new parts, thus giving the best chance of conserving the embedded value in products, components, and material for as long as possible.

Supply chain engagement

Ahrend have not only shaped their manufacturing processes to create components and products fit for modularity, the company also insists that material suppliers and externally sourced components adhere to this model. When Ahrend develop a new product, many parties are invited to collaborate from the first day of the design process to drive innovation within the supply chain.

Successful projects so far have included a collaboration with KLM Airlines to provide old upholstery material along with component manufacturer PLANQ to provide expertise and facilities to break down the used fabrics and transform them into durable table top surfacing materials. A more recent collaboration involved Ecor and DSM, two other members of the CE100 network, providing 100% modular and reusable desktops manufactured with cellulosic waste and DSM-Niaga's non-toxic reversible glue. The potential impact is significant. Based on an annual production of 150,000 desks, such a collaboration could save the extraction of 2250 tonnes of virgin timber from carbon-sequestering woodland.

Furniture as a service (FAAS)

Innovative manufacturing processes and use of high performance recycled materials are great design strategies through which Ahrend has created circular products. The next ambition level is to reshape their entire business model, to ensure that the benefits of life extension can be realised. Under a traditional transactional model, products are sold to other businesses, but there is no way of knowing what happens to them next. If the business model changes so that Ahrend remains owner, the company can ensure materials and the embedded resources are conserved.

With this in mind, in the last few years, Ahrend established the very first Furniture As A Service (FAAS) model, with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as the very first customer. Unlocking the potential of the new 'circular use agreement' relied on a number of important enablers:

Technology - the inclusion of QR codes on products, along with a new internal database, has allowed Ahrend to continually log, store, and track the history of all assets under their ownership. This ensures a smooth flow of information on the quality and health of their products, and important datasets to enable the scaling and management of the FAAS model.

Financing - the creation of an alternative financing model has provided the flexibility and experimental space needed for the FAAS model to work. Ahrend is private equity owned, allowing the business to create a separate financial entity called Circular Interiors that owns the products. This allows Ahrend, the furniture company, to free themselves from certain financial constraints, such as the need to generate short-term returns, which can often limit companies from piloting and implementing similar access-over-ownership business models.

The obstacles that were overcome

There are a number of lessons that can be learnt from Ahrend's journey in scaling up the first FAAS offering in Europe.

Firstly, the potential benefits of capturing value and mitigating supply risks through FAAS were not widely appreciated in the Netherlands when Ahrend introduced the new option to customers. Today, we see far more awareness about circular economy and material advantages at various levels. Ahrend have found that as the key players in the value chain have come to understand the rationale of the FAAS option, the easier it has become to form the necessary partnerships, contract new customers, and bring the model to scale.

Another challenge related to the establishment of the reverse logistics infrastructure needed for the business model to be successful. As systems have matured over the last decade in the Netherlands, the viability of the FAAS model has increased. Ahrend only offers FAAS in and around the Netherlands (and to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation), because they want to understand the challenges in one small area, before scaling up into other regions of Europe.

The final barrier that Ahrend needed to overcome, was the significant internal resistance in bringing the FAAS option to life. Convincing various departments that the company's future direction lay in leasing furniture rather than selling it outright, took considerable time and effort, including developing the business case that such an approach would work in the long term. Once internal buy-in was achieved, internal digital and physical infrastructure needed to be adapted - particularly in the production facilities - to ensure systems were prepared for the return of products from customers.

Multiple benefits across the board

By definition, the design of long lasting furniture delivered via a circular business model will create advantages and benefits to business, customers, and society more broadly.

The main benefit of FAAS is the reduced need for virgin materials, which directly correlates to less energy use, reducing carbon emissions and other environmental impacts related to material extraction and processing. As an indication of potential material savings, Ahrend sold 150,000 desk chairs in 2018, which in total comprises 2,400 tonnes of material. During a 30 year period, including periodic upgrades of wheels, control mechanisms, textiles, and other components, the potential material savings from keeping such a chair in use, compared to the manufacture, use and disposal of three 'standard' desk chairs, could total more than 4,000 tonnes.

In terms of business benefits, FAAS means Ahrend can have a closer relationship with customers and there is potential for greater profits. If the desk or chair can be maintained in use for more than about 5 - 6 years, from that point on, the revenue per item is increased compared to a straight sale. Also as Ahrend maintains ownership of the furniture, many of the recovered components and materials can be used to make the next chair, thus reducing future manufacturing costs and fulfilling Walter Stahel's famous observation that: "the products of today are the materials of tomorrow at yesterday's prices".

Finally, Ahrend customers can benefit through greatly reduced office set-up costs, as well as an increased ability to stay lean and agile, particularly advantageous if in the startup phase or in a fast-moving industry. For larger business customers, leasing rather than owning furniture reduces the level of asset-management required within its operations. If they have left over furniture in one facility, Ahrend can match it with demand in another facility. In general, the FAAS model gives clients more flexibility around planning cycles which are usually 5-8 years (for example, due to changing work force and new ways of working), while furniture easily lasts longer. This flexibility allows FAAS customers to have an up-to-date interior design that fits the needs of the brand and the employees, avoiding the need for storage or production of waste as situations change.

All of this suggests that circular economy thinking is the bright choice for an office furniture industry that can work in the long term.

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Bringing office furniture full circle: Ahrend

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Ahrend manufactures office furniture products with modularity, disassembly, and life extension as core design principles.

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2. 1.principios de eliminar residuos al no generar emeisiones de CO2 durante su uso. Tambien el principio de regenerar el sistema natural al disminuir las emisiones y mejorar la calidad del aire, permintiendo la mejora en la calidad del aires para los seres humanos y otros seres vivos. 

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2. 1.principios de eliminar residuos al no generar emeisiones de CO2 durante su uso. Tambien el principio de regenerar el sistema natural al disminuir las emisiones y mejorar la calidad del aire, permintiendo la mejora en la calidad del aires para los seres humanos y otros seres vivos. 

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2.2 ODS 3.9 reducir el numero de muertes por productos quimicos y la polución del aire. 7.2 aumentar la proporción de energia renovable. 7.A Aumentar la cooperación internacional para la investigación y desarrrollo . 8.4 Promover el desarrollo de la producción para evitar la degradación del ambiente. 9.A Facilitar el desarrollo de infraestructura sostenible. 11.2 proporcionar acceso a transporte sostenible. 11.6 reducir el impacto ambiental negativo per capita.

3. La innovación es el cambio del uso de combustibles fosiles por electrico y disminución de la contaminación sonora , mejoras de salud

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EQUIPO 1: Paula Maidana Cendra; Alejandro Villar; Ezequiel Diaz; Lucas Turrisi Boretsky 

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EQUIPO 1: Paula Maidana Cendra; Alejandro Villar; Ezequiel Diaz; Lucas Turrisi Boretsky 

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1) La marca desarrollo tres principios de diseño circular, por lo que aplica el Principio 1. También menciona el fácil desguace de sus piezas, aplicando el principio 2.

2) Primario: ODS12 producción y consumo responsable. Meta 12.5 "De aquí a 2030 reducir desechos..."

Secundario: ODS9 Industria, Innovación e infraestructura. Meta 9.2 acceso sostenible.

El proceso consume menos agua y energía, y genera menos emisiones de VOCs, cancerígenos y endocrinos.

3) Utilización de componentes monomateriales no tóxicos y fácilmente reciclables para facilitar el reúso de los mismos y el mantenimiento.

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Respuestas a consignas:

1) Encontramos que nuestro caso hace referencia principalmente al primer principio de eliminación de residuos y contaminación desde el diseño y al segundo sobre mantener productos, partes y materiales en su mayor. Esto debe a que la iniciativa surge a partir de la necesidad de reducir los materiales de la industria de muebles (80 y 90 se pierden en un corto período de tiempo) Fabrica productos con desmontaje, modularidad y prolongación de vida útil como principios de diseño.

2) ODS 9 Industria, innovación e infraestructura y 12 Producción y consumo respondable.

3) Reusar.

4) Cambia el mueble de un producto / bien a un servicio.

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Pregunta 1) ¿Sobre cuál o cuáles principios de la economía circular se fundamenta el caso? Justifiquen.

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Pregunta 1) ¿Sobre cuál o cuáles principios de la economía circular se fundamenta el caso? Justifiquen.

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El principio seleccionado es el 2) “mantener productos y materiales en uso en su mayor valor”, porque la empresa está asentada en el país con mayor producción de electrónica de consumo y electrodomésticos. Asimismo ha realizado inversiones específicas destinadas a contar con plantas de tratamiento de residuos con líneas específicas de desmontaje según el tipo.

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Pregunta 2) ¿A cuál o cuáles ODS contribuye fundamentalmente el caso (máximo 2)? ¿Con qué meta concreta
de cada ODS se vincula? Justifiquen.

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Pregunta 2) ¿A cuál o cuáles ODS contribuye fundamentalmente el caso (máximo 2)? ¿Con qué meta concreta
de cada ODS se vincula? Justifiquen.

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Elegimos el ODS 12, en particular asociando el caso a la meta 12.5 “De aquí a 2030, reducir considerablemente la generación de desechos mediante actividades de prevención, reducción, reciclado y reutilización”, siendo una empresa pública de minería urbana, reciclaje de recursos y reciclaje de

RAEE (Residuos de equipos eléctricos y electrónicos)

GemChina ha invertido CNY 2 mil millones (USD 300 millones) para construir ocho centros de tratamiento

en China, con una capacidad de procesamiento anual combinada de 1.2 millones de toneladas de

electrodomésticos usados (15% del total de China); 30,000 toneladas de placa de circuito (20% del total de

China); y 10.000 toneladas de residuos plásticos.

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1.- Principios de la economía circular que se aplican:

Eliminar residuos y contaminación desde el diseño + regenerar sistemas naturales.

2.- ODS que se aplican:

12 producción y consumo responsable (12.5 De aquí a 2030, reducir considerablemente la generación de desechos mediante actividades de prevención, reducción, reciclado y reutilización -12.4 De aquí a 2020, lograr la gestión ecológicamente racional de los productos químicos y de todos los desechos a lo largo de su ciclo de vida, de conformidad con los marcos internacionales convenidos, y reducir significativamente su liberación a la atmósfera, el agua y el suelo a fin de minimizar sus efectos adversos en la salud humana y el medio ambiente) ;

13 acción por el clima (reducción de emisiones de metano a partir de la degradación de los componentes biológicos en vertederos);

15 vida de ecosistemas terrestres (15.1 Para 2020, velar por la conservación, el restablecimiento y el uso sostenible de los ecosistemas terrestres y los ecosistemas interiores de agua dulce y los servicios que proporcionan, en particular los bosques, los humedales, las montañas y las zonas áridas, en consonancia con las obligaciones contraídas en virtud de acuerdos internacionales- 15.3 Para 2030, luchar contra la desertificación, rehabilitar las tierras y los suelos degradados, incluidas las tierras afectadas por la desertificación, la sequía y las inundaciones, y procurar lograr un mundo con una degradación neutra del suelo)

3.- Innovación que introduce:

Si bien, no se rompe con la lógica de un solo uso, hay valorización del empaque al darle un destino de biodegradación y compost posterior. Asimismo, y centrado en los principios de la Responsabilidad Extendida del Productro, Biopak se encarga de la logística inversa.

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Pregunta 3) Introduce alguna innovación o cambio de concepción/paradigma? En caso afirmativo, expliquen.

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Pregunta 3) Introduce alguna innovación o cambio de concepción/paradigma? En caso afirmativo, expliquen.

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Si, introduce cambio de paradigma asociado al reciclaje de recursos siendo una empresa pública del país con mayor producción de electrodomésticos y productos electrónicos

Esto se ha visibilizado por la profesionalización del modelo de negocios y la especificidad del modelo. Hoy la empresa recolecta y recicla recursos en cinco categorías, habiendo llegado a reciclar hasta 37 categorías de recursos,.