A circular approach to technological innovation with waste from the agri-industrial supply chain

Abstract

Today’s construction sector is able to act as a catalyst for circular processes in synergy with various industrial supply chains, including those that include the reuse of plant by-products, which can potentially be used as secondary raw materials (SRM). These processes fall within a research cluster described through four projects, articulated on the basis of an experimental work method, performance monitoring and assessment of environmental impact. The activities of the cluster have led to collaboration between companies and universities, laying the foundations for process and product innovation, highlighting the need to implement tools and policies to streamline SRM recovery and storage chains.

Supply Chains in Transition for the Development of Building Components: Three Educational Experiences in a Circular Economy Perspective

“…Numerous firms in the construction industry have leveraged the intersectoral 'contamination' and the design (or re-design) of products and supply chains based on waste materials. For instance, they produce thermal insulation panels with expanding polyurethane recycled from furniture, footwear, and automobile seats; thermal-acoustic panels based on recycled natural fiber from the textile industry and from textile goods that have reached their end-of-life; and rubber flooring made of recycled tires [9].…”