The Circular Economy Research Center (CERC) highlights a shift in how waste is perceived—not as a nuisance but as a valuable asset. According to StartUs insights, beyond traditional mechanical recycling, transforming waste into energy via methods like incineration, gasification, anaerobic digestion, and pyrolysis represents a significant trend in the circular economy. This approach allows businesses to efficiently dispose of waste while harnessing its energy potential. Industries such as food, fashion, and agriculture, known for generating substantial waste, are discovering innovative ways to repurpose their waste. For instance, the fashion sector is turning textile scraps into new garments, shoes, and accessories, thereby cutting down on raw material expenses and enhancing sustainability and corporate responsibility.
StartUs insights spotlight ventures like the Danish startup WAIR, which repurposes textile remnants from jeans and workwear into eco-friendly sneakers, and the UK-based SEaB Energy, which developed a system to convert waste into energy. This system, a compact anaerobic digester named Muckbuster, processes manure and farm waste into electricity, heat, and fertilizer. On Podnikateľl.sk, there have been features on entrepreneurs crafting products like bags, backpacks, and decorations from used jute coffee sacks.
Linking closely to waste utilization is the practice of refurbishing and remanufacturing, enabling several enterprises to base their business models on these practices, thereby reducing waste and conserving energy. Yazmin Padrilla elucidates in her article that refurbishment is an industrial process rejuvenating previously sold, worn, or defective products or parts to meet or surpass their original condition. This process stands apart from recycling or repairing by guaranteeing a certain performance and quality level. Remanufacturing boasts benefits like diminished energy use in production, waste reduction, lower disposal costs, and providing quality goods at reduced prices. Items commonly subjected to remanufacturing include aircraft and automotive parts, electronics, engines and components, medical devices, and office furniture. Remanufacturing is pivotal for resource-efficient manufacturing, extending the lifespan of parts and materials, significantly cutting energy usage and CO2 emissions, fostering efficient resource use, job creation, and economic expansion, as summarized by Yazmin Padrilla.
