ISLOPOL is one of the standout winners of our second Open Call, which focused on real-world demonstrators in circular manufacturing. Based in Greece, ISLOPOL impressed the evaluation panel with its ambitious yet practical approach to turning plastic waste into high-quality raw materials. By leveraging R-strategies such as recycling and repurposing, ISLOPOL exemplifies how micro and small enterprises can lead impactful transitions toward circular economy models. In this interview, we dive into their project goals, partnership dynamics, and the digital tools they are testing through the CIRCULOOS platform to bring scalable circularity into the plastics value chain.
Read on to discover how ISLOPOL is setting a new benchmark for circular transformation in manufacturing!
1. Can you briefly introduce your team? What’s your story and what drives you?
A: ISLOPOL team brings together a dynamic and multidisciplinary group of researchers and engineers with a shared mission to use digital innovation for environmental impact. Drawing on their collective experience in artificial intelligence, computer vision, Internet of Things (IoT), and project management, the team combines technical excellence with a strong commitment to sustainability and social relevance. Their proven track record in successful R&D initiatives—such as XR-CARE and Theia Vision—demonstrates their ability to deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that improve urban and environmental systems.
Under the leadership of Nuno Rodrigues, PhD in Computer Science, the team will ensure ISLOPOL’s architecture and AI components leverage the latest advances in deep learning and generative AI. Andreia Sá, Digital Area Manager, will coordinate system analysis and stakeholder requirements to align technological development with user needs. Magda Duque, Corporate Operations Manager, will oversee financial management and compliance, ensuring administrative and governance excellence. João Feixa, Mechanical Engineer (MSc in IoT Systems), will lead hardware–software integration, field deployment, and dataset management, ensuring reliable edge computing operations. André Torneiro, MSc in Electronics Engineering and PhD researcher in Generative AI for urban object monitoring, will head the design of computer vision models for EPS classification. Tiago Ribeiro, MSc in Informatics and lead developer of Theia Vision, will optimize AI models for mobile and edge deployment, enabling real-world validation.
Driven by curiosity, creativity, and a belief in technology’s power to enhance human and environmental well-being, Logimade’s young and talented team is ready to make ISLOPOL a benchmark in circular innovation for island and regional sustainability.
2. In simple words, what is your project about and how is it linked with CIRCULOOS?
A: ISLOPOL aims to give a new life to Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) — the lightweight white plastic used in things like food boxes, insulation panels, and packaging.
Right now, most of Madeira’s EPS waste is shipped more than 1,000 km to mainland Portugal for recycling or disposal. This is expensive, polluting, and wasteful. ISLOPOL wants to change that by creating a local circular system where EPS waste is collected, sorted, cleaned, and reused directly on the island to make new products.
To make this possible, the project uses smart waste bins with AI-powered cameras that can recognize if the material is clean enough to be reused. Clean EPS will go to local factories, like Esferolight, to be remanufactured into new insulation and packaging.
Through CIRCULOOS, ISLOPOL connects to advanced digital tools such as:
- RAMP, a platform for finding partners and sharing circular services,
- the CIRCULOOS Data Platform, for securely sharing and tracking data between partners, and
- GRETA, a Life Cycle Assessment tool that measures environmental impact.
In short, ISLOPOL will show how circular economy principles and digital technologies can turn waste into resources, reducing pollution, saving money, and building a more sustainable island economy.
3. How did you come up with this project idea/concept and what innovative benefits will it bring to the end users?
A: The idea for ISLOPOL emerged naturally from Logimade’s ongoing work in smart waste management and environmental technology. Having developed LogiLock, an intelligent access control system for waste bins, and operationalized the waste collection management system used by the city of Funchal, Logimade gained deep, hands-on insight into how waste is generated, collected, and processed on the island. This experience revealed a clear gap: despite growing awareness of recycling, many valuable materials, like EPS, were still leaving Madeira as waste, instead of being reused locally.
ISLOPOL was born from the desire to close that loop, transforming EPS waste into a reusable resource within Madeira itself. By combining Logimade’s expertise in AI, IoT, and data-driven waste systems, the project introduces a new approach to identifying, classifying, and reusing EPS through smart bins and vision-based sorting.
For end users the innovative benefits are significant:
- Citizens gain smarter recycling systems that are easy to use and promote accountability.
- Manufacturers like Esferolight access a reliable source of clean, locally sorted EPS, reducing dependence on imported materials.
- Public waste managers such as ARM can cut transport costs and emissions by keeping materials on the island.
4. What type of synergies do you want to explore/are already exploring with other circular economy partners?
A: Logimade aims to build strong synergies with circular economy partners that can help expand and replicate the ISLOPOL concept both within Madeira Region and beyond.
In the short term, Logimade seeks to collaborate with local industries and waste producers that can reuse or supply EPS. By connecting these actors through the digital platform developed in ISLOPOL, the company intends to create a wider regional ecosystem for EPS circularity, linking manufacturers, recyclers, and waste managers in real time. Partnerships will also focus on collecting EPS closer to its source, such as retail, logistics, or construction sites, reducing contamination and ensuring higher-quality material for reuse.
In the medium to long term, Logimade envisions expanding these collaborations to new material streams, applying the same digital and AI-based framework to other forms of industrial waste, starting with automotive parts. Through partnerships with recyclers, repair shops, and material processors, Logimade aims to design automated systems for identifying, analyzing, and qualifying reusable components, fostering transparency and efficiency across new circular supply chains.
Ultimately, Logimade wants to position its platform as a digital enabler for circular partnerships, where data-driven tools, smart sensing, and AI-powered quality assessment help diverse industries transition from linear to circular production models.
5. What are your plans for the future when it comes to the development of your ideas & projects?
At Logimade Research, innovation is at the heart of everything we do. Our young, highly qualified, and motivated team continuously generates new ideas in our two main areas of expertise: digital health solutions and environmental technologies (envirotech). Looking ahead, our goal is to keep transforming the most promising of these ideas into impactful, market-ready products and services. We plan to continue investing in research and development, nurturing creativity while focusing on solutions that make cities more sustainable, efficient, and enjoyable places to live. Turning ideas into real-world results is always a challenge, but it is also what drives us to bridge the gap between innovation and implement.