Pilots

Thermolympic, (MSME) manufactures plastic parts for the automotive industry.

Contenedores Lolo (recycler) purchases and collects plastics from wholesalers and retailers.

Location: Spain

Challenges: CIRCULOOS works for Thermolympic (THER) and CANONICAL (CAN) to acquire certified and high-quality recycled plastic from additional sources other than only the customer themselves.

Status: Currently THER manufactures plastic parts and ships them to their automotive customer. The customer returns some amount of these parts for recycling and THER reuses them to produce new parts which meet the recycled and quality requirements. No other sources of recycling plastic are used, other than those provided by the customer.

Technologies needed: Two vision units and a robotic arm. Orchestrated production processes, LCA tools to measure the end –to-end sustainability and RAMP, as IOT will enable data gathering and visualisation and marketplace will enable partners to be identified, matched and start working together.

Results: THER will be able to provide relevant data related to both their customers’ requirements and related to the recycled plastic characteristics with recycling facilities with the Agile and flexible supply chain orchestration. The supply chain will be optimised with the potential to receive recycled material from other sources. Data will be securely shared between the supply chain actors as needed.

RAMP: The required recycled plastic characteristics will also be available on RAMP, making acquiring recycled plastic from other sources possible.

The sustainability of the supply chain and product lifetime will be assessed to certify the overall end-to-end environmental impact of the delivered product.

Khoani (leather waste), manufactures products and clothing accessories from leather for the fashion industry.

B&A (leather products), is a leather crafts manufacturer.

Location: Hungary

Challenges: CIRCULOOS will enable scalable collaboration and waste reuse.

Status: In this context the leather waste is not reused or recirculated but is instead handed over to another entity for treatment and safe disposal. This not only increases the environmental footprint of Khoani, but also introduces additional costs and the expense of energy for waste treatment. In contrast with Khoani, B&A needs only small pieces of leather for their products. Currently, they are acquiring leather pieces as raw material, which comes in large pieces and large quantities. As a result, B&A is forced to overstock leather as a raw material.

Technologies used: Digital Twin to visualize the waste generated and plan the products to be produced using this waste.

Results: The supply chain will be optimised, and waste generation will be forecasted. As a result, waste will not be forwarded for treatment but will be reused in production instead in the most efficient manner. Process and waste data will be securely shared between the entities, allowing them to prepare and adapt their production plans.

RAMP: Available and forecasted waste data (from Khoani), as well as needed reusable waste (from B&A), will also be available on RAMP, making it possible to also ‘trade’ waste with other companies that produce or consume leather waste (e.g. craft communities, civil organizations, schools, etc.).

The sustainability of the supply chain and product lifetime will be assessed, enabling both actors to continuously improve their business models and verify the circularity/sustainability of their manufacturing.

Fiction Factory (wood crafting) focuses on producing end-products for interior designers/builders

Plennid (Wood supply)

Herso already uses sustainable wood in half-fabricated products and wants to upscale this to create a bigger supplies for companies like Fiction Factory

Location: The Netherlands

Challenges: The companies need a sufficient stream of half-fabricated products with continuity.

Status: Sustainable/circular wood is classed as used wood (reclaimed) or fresh wood (from local trees), and is processed in a way that it can be refurbished, remanufactured, or repurposed. While different sources of sustainable wood are accessible, it is difficult for Fiction Factory to manage other sources to acquire wood with the desired characteristics. When required wood characteristics are defined, Fiction Factory contacts suppliers for sustainable wood sources. This ad-hoc communication does not always ensure that sustainable wood is supplied in time without an overview of the availability across their suppliers. At the same time, it also complicates the supply by introducing potential additional transport costs, as the deals are closed on a first-available-found order.

Technologies used:

Results: CIRCULOOS will allow Fiction Factory to have an overview of the available sustainable wood across suppliers, engaged in the pilot by Plennid, and plan for the most efficient supply. With an agile and flexible supply chain orchestration, the actors can share their needs and requirements for wood. At the same time, suppliers can share their current and upcoming sustainable wood resources. Data will be securely shared between Fiction Factory and the suppliers.

RAMP: RAMP will be used as the online platform that facilitates the wood supply. Fiction Factory can also return residual wood for recycling through the platform. The sustainability of the supply chain and product lifetime will be assessed to ensure that Fiction Factory’s constructions meet sustainability and circularity objectives.