Meet an ambitious team of technologists, engineers, and sustainability strategists united by a clear mission: enabling the circular transformation of European manufacturing through smart, data-powered solutions. Selected as one of the winners of the CIRCULOOS Open Call, this multidisciplinary team is developing a cutting-edge digital platform that brings full traceability to materials and products across their lifecycle—leveraging blockchain, digital product passports, and AI.
In this interview, they share their story, the innovation behind their project, and how they’re working with CIRCULOOS tools like RAMP and GRETA to empower circular supply chains. From plastic recyclers to industrial SMEs, their solution offers measurable sustainability, regulatory compliance, and collaboration opportunities across the value chain. Get inspired by their vision for a smarter, transparent, and more circular future for European manufacturing.
1. Can you briefly introduce your team? What’s your story and what drives you?
Our team is a multidisciplinary group of technology and business experts driven by the mission to accelerate digital and circular transformation through data-powered, AI-driven, and user-centered solutions.
Héctor Gil (CEO) brings over 10 years of experience in the technology and finance sectors, combining strategic leadership with a strong background in computer engineering. He leads the overall vision and coordination of our projects, ensuring that innovation is aligned with measurable business impact.
José Varet (CTO), with more than 15 years of experience as a data scientist and software architect, leads the design and integration of our AI and analytics systems. His expertise in deep learning, TensorFlow, and computer vision ensures our solutions remain at the cutting edge of technological advancement.
Meg Hodgert (Project Manager) combines an engineering background in industrial electronics with an MBA, ensuring rigorous planning, coordination, and quality management throughout each project’s lifecycle.
Antonio Parrilla (Full-stack Developer) specializes in developing scalable, secure, and interoperable software architectures, transforming conceptual ideas into intuitive, high-performing digital platforms.
David Monllor Jimenez (Head of Future Business), with 15+ years in R&D&I management, expert in innovation, technology transfer, and project evaluation, holding degrees from the European University of Valencia and IESE Business School
Jose Carlos Sola (Head of Immersive Digital Technologies at AIJU), Computer Engineer and PhD student specializing in AI, Big Data, and Data Science, leading R&D projects in smart toys, healthcare, and industrial optimization.
Alvaro Carbonell Espí (Business Administration graduate), specialized in international R&D&I project management with 2 years of experience in national and European programs such as Erasmus+, Interreg, Eurocluster, and Horizon Europe.
Our story is defined by our complementary expertise and a clear commitment to applying technology to solve real industrial challenges efficiently and sustainably. What drives us is the conviction that technology — when applied thoughtfully and responsibly — can optimize resources, reduce waste, and foster measurable, long-term growth. Through projects like CIRCULOOS, we aim to help European SMEs transition from linear to circular models, demonstrating that innovation and sustainability can advance together.
2. In simple words, what is your project about and how is it linked with CIRCULOOS?
Our project focuses on developing a digital platform that tracks materials and products throughout their entire lifecycle, using a digital product passport combined with blockchain technology to ensure full traceability, transparency, and data integrity. The system allows manufacturers, recyclers, and other actors to record each transformation a product undergoes from production to reuse, repair, or recycling in a secure and verifiable way.
The platform is fully aligned with CIRCULOOS objectives, as it integrates with CIRCULOOS core tools such as RAMP, GRETA, and the Supply Chain Orchestrator. By synchronizing lifecycle data with these tools, our solution enables real-time sustainability assessments, supports circular value chain orchestration, and helps measure environmental impact through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
In simple terms, our project provides the digital backbone for circular manufacturing, allowing all stakeholders to share trustworthy data, optimize resource use, and validate the circularity and sustainability of their products.
3. How did you come up with this project idea/concept and what innovative benefits will it bring to the end users?
The idea emerged from our experience working with industrial SMEs that struggle to monitor the lifecycle of their materials and prove the sustainability of their processes. We identified that data fragmentation, lack of traceability, and limited interoperability between systems make it difficult for companies to adopt effective circular strategies.
To address this, we designed a digital product passport powered by blockchain and connected to the CIRCULOOS ecosystem. This combination ensures that every material or product transformation is traceable, verifiable, and securely stored, enabling transparent collaboration among manufacturers, recyclers, and other partners.
For end users, this solution provides transparency, traceability, and compliance. Consumers can make informed purchasing decisions by accessing sustainability data; companies can meet EU regulatory requirements, optimize production, and enhance their reputation; and recyclers can access accurate material information to improve recovery efficiency.
Ultimately, the project promotes circularity in plastics manufacturing, enabling smarter reuse, recycling, and reduction of waste through a data-driven, interoperable system aligned with the CIRCULOOS framework.
4. What type of synergies do you want to explore/are already exploring with other circular economy partners?
We are actively exploring synergies with partners across the circular economy ecosystem to ensure data interoperability, traceability, and sustainability assessment throughout the value chain. Our collaboration with AIJU focuses on the plastics sector, integrating their expertise in material testing and recycling processes with our digital platform for traceability and lifecycle monitoring.
Through the CIRCULOOS framework, we aim to connect with recyclers, material processors, and manufacturing SMEs to create new circular value chains where data can flow securely between production, reuse, and recycling stages. We are also open to collaborating with Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), research centers, and technology providers to validate our solution in real industrial environments and align it with EU standards for digital product passports.
In addition, we plan to share insights and best practices with other CIRCULOOS consortia to extend the platform’s applicability to different materials and strengthen the European ecosystem of interoperable circular manufacturing tools.
5. What are your plans for the future when it comes to the development of your ideas & projects?
Our goal is to extend and scale the platform beyond the initial demonstrator, evolving it into a fully interoperable solution that can be adapted to different manufacturing sectors. After validating the system with plastics, we plan to integrate additional materials such as metals, textiles, and composites, creating a broader ecosystem of digital product passports connected to CIRCULOOS tools.
In the medium term, we aim to automate more sustainability analytics, incorporating AI-based modules for anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and circularity optimization. These features will allow companies to anticipate inefficiencies and continuously improve their environmental performance.
We also plan to strengthen collaboration with Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) and industry partners to ensure interoperability with European data spaces and facilitate compliance with upcoming EU regulations on sustainable products.
In the long term, our ambition is to make this platform a reference solution for digital traceability and circular data management, supporting SMEs in their transition towards smarter, more sustainable manufacturing models.