CONTEXT

The main aim of Eco-puplast project is to find sustainable ways to get resources from what is traditionally understood as “waste”, decreasing the generation of trash. This represents an extraordinary opportunity for our continent in terms of environmental sustainability, bringing new opportunities to the European manufacturing industry.

Europe is struggling for resources in a context of deep raw materials scarcity. The best answer to this challenge is to transform waste from industrial processes in clean materials. This means to copy what Nature does and avoids the generation of trash, saving resources and money and promoting jobs at the same time.

In this context, we promote practices of Circular Economy. This path might be narrow, but it can be seen as a sort of bridge, going to the right direction.    

The example of rare earths is only the most popular one. Also recovering cellulosic fibers and plastic polymers including mix plastics could be seen as the best solution in terms of sustainability. This possibly will lead to a new, modern manufacturing industry in Europe.

The overall objective of the LIFE ECO-PULPLAST project is to progressively reduce to zero the amount of paper mills' pulper waste sent to landfill and incinerators. In order to reach this goal, the technical and economic feasibility of an innovative technology to recycle pulper waste into new plastic compounds and products will be demonstrated during the project lifetime, with the realization and testing of a demonstration production line especially designed for the characteristics and peculiarities of pulper waste.

The LIFE ECO-PULPLAST Consortium
 Selene SpA (IT)    
 
   Lucense SCpA (IT)
 
  Serv.eco (IT)
  Zero Waste Europe Stichting (NL)

INITIATIVES
Life Eco-pulplast project as example and opportunity of Zero Waste education training in Capannori (LU) on March 26th.

Every year the Education Training on Zero Waste practices is held in Capannori. This event usually involves until one hundred participants. This year edition will emphasize European policy about circular economy, and the Eco-puplast Life project will give a speech about its experience and mission within this policy. This event will not only highlight the different partners involved in the project, but it will also connect local paper industries, plastic factories - like Selene -, mayors and more stakeholders.

The Education Training will give us the opportunity to show the development of Eco-pulplast project and the results obtained so far. In this occasion, it will be possible exhibit one of the most promising products: the pallet made from pulper waste. Another goal in participating to this event is to connect with the different experiences related to a “Zero Waste production” within the regional (Tuscany) local level. In this context, it will be possible to share the project with citizens, stakeholders, manufacturing industries and who else is aiming to support a new, sustainable economy, based on the saving of resources.

The Education Training on Zero Waste practices will be held in the Capannori Technological Pole.

Read program

POLICY NEWS

Circular economy: legislative process about to start, but most of it is yet to come.
The Circular Economy Package was released on 2nd December, but most of the proposals within will have to wait at least 1 year. So far only the legislation on waste is on the table.
A long legislative process starting now is expected.
Read legislative proposal