Novamont, a world leader in the world bioplastics market headquartered in Novara (Italy), and Italian utility Iren signed a three-year collaboration agreement in the field of integrated waste collection systems, the aim of which is to reduce non-recyclable waste at source and fully implement the objectives of the circular bioeconomy.
The two companies have agreed to develop specific projects for the optimised management of compostable products and packaging, to be recycled and recovered together with the organic fraction of solid municipal waste in Iren’s treatment plants.
Under the agreement, a technical working unit will be set up to handle the two-way exchange of information, knowledge and experience. Dedicated flows (some of which experimental) will be organised for organic waste fractions containing disposable compostable products coming from markets, catering businesses and large events.
The agreement provides for a number of projects, the most notable of which will involve creation of a technical-economic model for efficient and environmentally sustainable management of waste generated during organic fraction pre-treatment stages in anaerobic digestion and composting plants, using optical selection technologies and maximising recycling.
Particular attention will be given to promoting joint activities in order to spread the use of compost, which results from the organic fraction recycling process, and to highlight the culture of composting, in collaboration with the RE SOIL Foundation.
As Novamont CEO Catia Bastioli pointed out, “In line with the Green Deal, the circular bio-economy — where soil is both the starting point and the end point — is an essential tool we can use to solve the problems of pollution and over-exploitation of resources, learning at the same time to do more with less. In this context, the partnership with Iren will be strategic not only to improve waste management, but above all to close the carbon cycle, regenerate soil and decarbonise the atmosphere, while experimenting new solutions in a logic of learning by doing”.
“The agreement signed Novamont – stated Iren Chairman, Renato Boero – is a concrete example of research and innovation applied to the assets that are the Group’s plants, and which are fundamental for reaching the challenging environmental sustainability and circular economy targets that Iren has built into its industrial plan for 2025. Innovation and attention to the circular economy are two distinctive aspects of our vision and this collaboration with Novamont, through research and experimentation on the ground, further enhances Iren’s role as a strategic player in the Green Economy”.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 