Welcome to Loops 2.0!

We’re pleased to announce that our initiative, Loops, is back for yet another season!

After the success of the first season in terms of knowledge exchange and participation, we will open again the curtain of our live webinar series Loops, conceived as a virtual occasion to showcase the research and results that the Horizon2020-funded projects are producing in the field of circular economy and innovation. 

Please save the date: on the 20th of October 2021, Loops will be back with the first episode of season II which will bring forward new surprises and technological achievements for a more sustainable planet. 

Some of you may be new to this and are wondering what this Loops is about? 

Here’s your answer: Loops was launched with the aim of showcasing the innovative projects that have grown from Horizon 2020. Many of these aim at tackling the current challenges hampering a more sustainable and circular use of resources, in order to accelerate Europe’s transition to a greener and better society. Throughout the first season, we had some exciting guests present their research and results to our viewers.

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Season I in a nutshell!

In our first episode back on the 8th of July 2021, the projects CE-IoT and IDEAL CITIES showed us the benefits of digital economies and how they can help the transition to a circular society. In the second episode, we welcomed projects HOUSEFUL and WOOL2LOOP, two projects tackling circular solutions for waste management and resource efficiency in the construction sector. 

For the third episode, the discussion turned to the pollution and waste of plastic, we welcomed the projects CLAIM and PlastiCircle. Two exciting projects with different ideas to tackle the issue but both with the same goal. CLAIM introduced their technologies to remove the amount of marine plastic pollution in the Mediterranean and Baltic sea. PlastiCircle discussed the project’s goal to create technologies at every stage of the plastic packaging pathway.

The industry of textile was the topic of the fourth episode. REACT spoke about how the end goal of their project was to develop a new method of recycling acrylic fabric waste, discussing how their reason for the project and touched upon how the goal will be achieved. NEW COTTON showcased their innovative idea of creating a new cotton that will be used in many different fabrics.

In the fifth episode, we welcomed DACOMAT and FiberEUse, the episode highlighted the innovative approaches that are being done with composite materials. The episode showed two different solutions DACOMAT presented the sustainability approach and FiberEUse showed us the circular economy solution. 

Circular economy offers solutions to many areas on how to reach sustainability and many projects from Horizon 2020 look to find these solutions in a number of different areas. The sixth episode discussed circular economy within the agricultural sector. CYBELE and WATER2RETURN came on the webinar to discuss their projects work. CYBELE showed us the interplay between digital technologies and agriculture. WATER2RETURN showed us the economic constraints of agriculture and how they can be turned into market opportunities.

The seventh episode of Loops highlighted the rising change in driving. We welcomed on Si-Drive and CarE-Service. Both projects discussed how they are looking to enhance the performance of hybrid and electric vehicles. Si-Drive discussed how they’re developing circular economy services based on the reuse and remanufacturing of H&HEV components. CarE-Service discussed their project’s goal in the designing of the next generation of Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

The final episode of season I concluded with an interesting discussion on the management of water in remote areas of the Mediterranean territories. To finish off the season we welcomed HYDROUSA and PROJECT Ô. HYDROUSA discussing their goals of revolutionising the water value chain through circularity. PROJECT Ô discussed how there is a potential of designing local, small loops of water management that will effectively help tackle the climate challenge.

Did any of these projects spark your interest? 

Well, during this coming season of Loops we will be hosting new guests in the areas mentioned above and much more. 

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To kick off season II, RECOPPs and SEArcularMINE!

The protagonists of our first episode will be RECOPPs and SEArcularMINE. Both projects are doing inspiring work in the area of Critical Raw Materials. The classical model of take-make-dispose has been seen to not be the solution to the challenges we’re facing but the concept of circular economy appears to signal a way out. Raw materials play a big role in the contribution to waste and pollution but when raw materials are recycled and reused a change for the better can be seen. 

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Zooming in RECOPPs

Speaker: Dr. Patricia Córdoba Sola – Project coordinator  of RECOPPs.

The team at RECOPPs are devoted to achieving the goal of a sustainable future. The project’s aim is to work towards recovering critical raw materials from the waste generated during the primary production of Copper. Their goal is to secure raw materials supply, design materials solutions, and close materials loops. RECOPPs have an exciting 2021 coming up with the introduction of their first workshop to their fast-track proven technologies. Make sure you attend the webinar to hear more about what RECOPPs have done and continue to do.

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SEArcularMINE

Speaker: Dr. Andrea Cipollina – Project Coordinator of SEArcularMINE

The demand for raw materials across Europe and the rest of the world is still increasing and it has been seen as critical for economic development across the world. As the demand for materials increases, new solutions and strategies must be addressed for the world to achieve sustainability. SEArcularMINE builds on the ancient and still widely used process of saltworks, where seawater goes through natural evaporation and crystallization in shallow basins.

The project will take the brine to develop and integrate three innovative technologies within a circular procedure that will target magnesium, lithium, and other trace elements belonging to the alkaline/alkaline Earth metals, or transition/post-transition metals group. 

Come attend the webinar to find out more about the three innovative technologies and how SEArcularMINE is improving the knowledge of recovering minerals.

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Join the event here!