Welcome ... to recycled rubber mats

• Welcome mats using recycled rubber, as good as new but 10-15 % cheaper to make
• Circular economy player before the notion existed

The Belgian firm Verimpex has been an important player in the circular economy before the concept even existed. For the past 30 years, it has been making and selling rubber welcome mats, under its TireGuard® trademark, made entirely from recycled aircraft tyres.

Logistics in the driving seat of resource savings

Eyeing off the future in glasses

• Inspiration led to eye-wear frames made in metal and plastic using 3D printing 
• Unique and tailored designs are possible
• Unprecedented material efficiency; almost no waste, no stock...

A few years ago, the designer Patrick Hoet read about pioneering developments using 3D printing for false teeth. He immediately realised that the new technology offered huge potential for eye-wear frame design.

Looking for a smooth run toward energy saving

Ski resorts use a significant amount of energy, and purchasing this energy is a considerable expense for the companies in the sector. It is estimated that the energy-saving potential at the largest ski resorts could be hundreds of megawatt-hours, corresponding to tens of thousands of euros each year. The number of visitors to a ski resort is calculated on the basis of so-called 'skier days'. The energy consumption of a skier day is approximately 20 kilowatt-hours, which is in the same league with, for example, one day at a spa or two weeks’ energy consumption of a fridge-freezer.

Smarter commuting 

• Busy industrial area moves towards sustainable commuting options
• Smart mobility measures introduced result in an award in 2017

Valmet Rautpohja is an industry plant situated in Jyväskylä, central Finland. The plant has around 1 300 employees and most of them use cars for their daily commute. As a part of a local mobility management project in 2016, a consultant specialising in sustainable commuting was hired to explore new approaches.

Collaborative solution to ghost fishing ...

Proof is in the savings ...

This solution is just to 'dye' for ...

• New scaled-up dyeing solution is faster and uses less materials and energy, which saves costs
• Innovative clean technology successfully combines profitability with sustainability

DyeCoo, based in Weesp, The Netherlands, has developed the first large-scale 100 % water-free and process chemical-free dyeing solution for textiles.

A company with 100 employees can save about 300 m3 of fresh water per year by using water-saving WC pans (6 litre volume) and a two-volume flush cistern instead of WC pans with a flushing-water volume of 9 litres.

This leads to a reduction of fresh water consumption by about 40 %. The savings are based on the assumption that each employee uses the toilet 2.5 times a day. Depending on the costs for fresh water and sewage, the cost savings range from € 1 000 to € 2 000 per year.