Looking for hands-on inspiration on how you and your organisation can embrace the transformation to sustainable digitalisation and circular value creation? Join our Digital Centre WertNetzWerke field trip to the Circular Digital Economy Lab and the FabLab in Bottrop, Germany where the recycling of materials is taken to the next level.
The Circular Digital Economy Lab (CDEL) is a development and demonstration laboratory that focuses on technical and economic solutions for circular value creation. It explores how the value of materials can be preserved for longer through recycling. The aim of CDEL is to show companies what is already technologically possible and how recycling can be approached in the future, with special attention to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their specific needs. This includes optimising processes and working with business experts to develop material flows that were previously overlooked or considered unsuitable.
How does the CDEL work?
At the heart of the CDEL is a digitalised dismantling and recycling line that can be flexibly adapted to different products. Using the product examples of smartphones and cordless screwdrivers, it is demonstrated how, with the help of various technical systems and devices, the devices are automatically recognised as end-of-life products, optimally dismantled, precisely separated into residual materials, and fed into new production cycles. Based on the knowledge gained, processes and product designs can be optimised and their applicability tested using marketability and scalability simulations.
What happens in the FabLab?
A visit to the FabLab of the Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences is also planned as part of the field trip. The FabLab is a 600 square metre site for experimenting, creating prototypes for companies and start-ups, and investigating topics such as sustainable neighbourhood and urban development. The FabLab is a collaborative creative space equipped with cutting-edge technology ranging from a quantum laboratory to a machine workshop.
Both the FabLab and the CDEL are located on the premises of the Prosper III start-up centre on the former colliery site in Bottrop. The labs are part of the #digital.zirkulär.ruhr project, a collaboration of the Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, Ruhr University Bochum, the economic development agencies of the cities of Bochum and Herne, and the IT association networker NRW e.V..
Sign up now for our free business field trip to experience the innovative use of digital technologies for the circular economy first hand!
Event: Business Field Trip to the Circular Digital Economy Lab and the FabLab Date: 13 May 2024 Time: 12:00-15:00 Place: Bottrop, Germany Language: German
If you are looking for ideas how your company can use digital technologies for circular value creation, register now and join the field trip!
The Digital Centre WertNetzWerke runs under the umbrella of Mittelstand Digital, which offers guidance to small and medium-sized enterprises as they embrace the digital transformation and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).
For further questions, please contact Janna Prager.
Biodiversity is the beating heart of the ecosystems that make our life on Earth possible. Despite its critical role, biodiversity is under threat. Species are rapidly disappearing, habitats are vanishing, and essential natural processes are being disrupted. As society and the economy are highly dependent on natural services, protecting biodiversity is not only a moral obligation for companies, but also a smart business move. At the “Woche der Umwelt” (The Week of the Environment), our UBi project will showcase how businesses can thrive by protecting and preserving biodiversity. Discover innovative solutions and inspiring insights by joining us on 4-5 June 2024 in Berlin, Germany!
A company that is committed to promoting biodiversity makes a direct investment in its future viability. Whether it’s more robust supply chains, or to start with, environmentally-friendly company premises – integrating biodiversity into the corporate strategy helps companies to align themselves sustainably and remain fit for the future.
In view of the interplay between challenges and opportunities, the “Woche der Umwelt” 2024 offers stakeholders a platform to exchange on promising solutions that can protect the environment and strengthen the economy at the same time.
As a “Woche der Umwelt” participant, our UBi project looks forward to starting dialogues with relevant stakeholders and demonstrate how companies can contribute to biodiversity through sustainable business practices that also lead to market gains.
Join our project team at the UBi stand to learn more about:
The “Woche der Umwelt” is a central marketplace for sustainable solutions, initiated by the Office of the German Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). The event offers a unique platform for representatives from science, business, politics, and civil society.
Event: “Woche der Umwelt“ Date: 4 and 5 June 2024 Time: All day Location: Schloss Bellevue Park, Berlin, Germany Language: German Costs: Free of charge
If you are interested in joining the “Woche der Umwelt” activities, register here as a visitor to learn more about innovative ideas, interesting approaches and forward-looking solutions for more biodiversity and sustainability.
The UBi: Business & Biodiversity is a joint project of five partners committed to biodiversity in the economy: Biodiversity in Good Company Initiative, Bodensee-Stiftung, DIHK Service GmbH, Global Nature Fund and the CSCP.
UBi is funded within the German Federal Programme for Biological Diversity by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).
For further questions, please contact Katrin Hüttepohl.
Value networks are dynamic systems within and between organisations that aim to invent, develop, and successfully market innovations that create value for all parties involved. They hold great potential for companies seeking to achieve economies of scale, reach new markets, or increase their impact. But what does it take to build value networks that sustain over time and go beyond short-term interests of particular partners? Our next Digital Centre WertNetzWerke webinar on 18 April 2024 will shed light on this topic – join us!
Value networks are based on mutual trust. By working together, partners create a system that allows each actor to specialise in what they do best, enabling efficient joint processing of tasks and strengthening individual skills and competences. These networks include both vertical relationships along the value chain, such as supplier relationships, and horizontal partnerships, such as strategic alliances. Innovation networks have been gaining in importance for several decades, particularly in high-tech sectors such as information technology (IT), biotechnology and microtechnology, which require rapid access to new knowledge and new technologies.
Our Digital Centre WertNetzWerke webinar “Fundamentals of inter-company business models – What can be learned from best practices” on 18 April 2024 focuses on how to build value networks in ways that benefit network partners and consumers, with insights from topic experts and business representatives.
At the webinar you can learn and exchange on the following topics:
Reciprocity in value networks: A long-term perspective and the intention to build lasting relationships increase the stability of collaboration and promote the willingness to make resources available between partners.
Trust in value networks: Mutual trust between partners is a fundamental mechanism as it reduces the complexity of collaborations: there is less need to conduct risk assessments, monitor, or control specific behaviours or actions of individual partners.
Best ways to create trust in value networks: Mutual trust is based on shared norms, values, and positive expectations of what can be achieved by working together in the future. Transparency, openness and a willingness to compromise are important prerequisites. Reliability, self-organisation, and delivering on promises also build trust.
The CSCP will focus on the topic of “Trust & Reciprocity”, the Fraunhofer Centre for International Management and Knowledge Economy (IMW) will focus on “Basics of Cooperative Business Models”, and GS1 will cover the topic of “Inter-company Business Process Management”.
Event: “Fundamentals of inter-company business models – What can be learned from best practices” Date: 18 April 2024 Time: 13:00-14:00 CEST Place: Online Language: German
For further insights into value network business models and best practices on trust and reciprocity in value networks, register now to join the webinar!
For further questions, please contact Marianne Magnus-Melgar.
Current dietary patterns of European citizens are not in sync with sustainability and climate neutrality principles. This adds to pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges, including elevated health risks. Endeavours to alter the trend and shift toward healthier and more sustainable diets are not broad enough and often too slow-paced. On a production level, the market share of sustainable food products remains small. On a consumer level, the prevailing intention-action gap means consumer awareness does not always translate into real action.
The EU-funded project LIKE-A-PRO aims to support the transformation of our food system by focusing on and exploiting the potential of alternative protein sources and products to support tipping the balance towards sustainability.
The project will develop 16 new products based on 7 sustainable and healthy alternative protein sources. It will also develop a set of governance and market mechanisms aimed at further promoting alternatives to animal-based proteins. Accordingly, the project will work with both food stakeholders and consumers to learn their needs and requirements and integrate these into the final project outputs.
The engagement with consumers will take place through living labs led by the CSCP. The living labs will be established across 11 European countries (Norway, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Greece, Germany, Spain, Turkey and Italy). The aim is to understand Europeans’ food choices and explore how they are made in different food environments, including inferring the most influential (behavioural) determinants, as well as co-create different governance and market mechanisms that could support the promotion of alternative proteins in the market and in our diets.
The living labs will be composed of four sessions with at least two meetings each. They will be guided by the Consumer Choice Framework, a holistic model that considers various angles to influence consumption patterns:
Do you live in any of the LIKE-A-PRO pilot countries and would like to be a part of this ambitious endeavour? Join us as we embark on a journey of discovery, innovation, and positive change.
Reach out to Arlind Xhelili and become a part of the LIKE A PRO Living Labs activities today!
Image: AI generated with JourneyArtAI
Multi-layer packaging offers many advantages when it comes to product protection, storage, and transportation. However, due to the variety of materials and adhesive compounds used, its recycling remains challenging. As a consequence, it often contaminates recycling material streams and is incinerated or landfilled. In our MERLIN project webinar on 27 March 2024, project partners, involved stakeholders, and topic experts will come together to discuss good practices in circular packaging design, material recovery, consumer awareness, and relevant policy aspects – join us!
A key objective of the MERLIN project is to facilitate knowledge sharing among key stakeholders toward increasing the rate and quality of multi-layer packaging recycling.
In line with this objective, the upcoming MERLIN webinar focuses on sharing good practices and knowledge on topics such as:
What can you expect from the webinar?
Event: Enhancing the Circular Economy of Plastic Packaging: Learning from Good Practices Date: 27 March 2024 Time: 10:00-12:30 CET Place: Online Language: English Cost: Free of charge
Register now to join the webinar!
MERLIN is a research project that works toward offering innovative solutions for all the processes required to increase the quality and rate of recycled multi-layer plastic materials from packaging waste. It is funded under the EU Horizon 2020 programme and runs until November 2024.
For further questions, please contact Ahmad ur Rehman Hafiz.