Waste or Value? Transforming industrial waste into by-products

The circular economy teaches us that production waste can in many cases be a value for the company if it is sold as a by-product.

However, companies often continue to consider them as waste: out of habit, because of difficulties in finding the technical and regulatory information, or because they cannot find ‘downstream’ companies interested in using those waste materials.

The aim of this seminar, which is dedicated to companies and will be held in hybrid mode, is to explain technically how to valorise industrial waste, turning it into by-products. The regulatory requirements that companies must comply with in order to consider production waste a by-product will be analysed, and the necessary documentation that companies must comply with in order to comply with the conditions set out in Article 184-bis of Legislative Decree 152/2006 will be indicated. Special attention will also be paid to the issue of waste from the agro-food sector and how it can be used for the production of biogas and high quality bio-based fertilisers.

Federica Cisilino, presented the RUSTICA Project. After introducing the project’s objectives and motivations, she focused on the two pillars that constitute its foundations: the development of innovative technologies for the transformation of residues into bio-based fertilisers and the analysis of market opportunities through circular business models. The multi-actor approach adopted, i.e. the involvement of stakeholders in the five Rustica regions as well as in workshops at international level, will contribute to the proposal of tailor-made solutions. The presentation then focused on what the opportunities might be for companies adopting environmentally friendly innovations such as bio-based fertilisers. The speech concluded with an invitation to participate in the next regional RUSTICA workshops to be held starting in June 2023.

During the meeting, participants will have the opportunity to actively dialogue and discuss with the experts and present them with questions, specific requests, or testimonies.

The event was organised by Area Science Park and Confindustria Alto Adriatico, as part of the Enterprise Europe Network project, in collaboration with the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

More information about this seminar and the Rustica presentation from Federica Cisilino, both in italian language.