RESOURCE-EFFICIENT CIRCULAR ECONOMY - INNOVATIVE PRODUCT CYCLES (REZIPROK) - ISTOCKPHOTO/ SHANSEKALA - "RESSOURCENEFFIZIENTE ...
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Resource-efficient Circular Economy
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
© IstockPhoto/ Shansekala
Table of Contents Project flyers (as of March 2021) AddRE-Mo page 4 / 5 Value retention scenarios for the urban electromobility of people and goods through additive manufacturing and remanufacturing All Polymer page 6 / 7 Fibre reinforcement to increase the resource efficiency of high-quality, fully recyclable plastic products Circular by Design (CbD) page 8 / 9 Sustainable product design of consumer goods using the case study refrigerator/freezer ConCirMy page 10 / 11 Development of a cross-stage and cross-circuit networked configurator for circular economy CoT - CIRCLE OF TOOLS page 12 / 13 Re-manufacturing of worn circular knives DIBICHAIN page 14 / 15 Digital image of circulation systems using blockchain DiLink page 16 / 17 Digital solutions for industrial plastic circuits DiTex page 18 / 19 Digital Technologies as Enabler of a Resource-efficient Circular Economy EffizientNutzen page 20 / 21 Data-based business models for cascade use and extended product use of electronic products EIBA page 22 / 23 Sensory acquisition, automated identification and evaluation of old parts on the basis of product data as well as information about previous deliveries KOSEL page 24 / 25 Reusable open source design kit for electrically powered pool vehicles LEVmodular page 26 / 27 Light Electric Vehicle modular - with new mobility for resource-efficient recycling LifeCycling² page 28 / 29 Reconfigurable design concepts and services for resource-efficient and (re-)use of e-cargobikes
LongLife page 30 / 31 New business models for an extended use of technical systems based on a simple, decentralized condition assessment and prognosis of the remaining service life MoDeSt page 32 / 33 Product circularity through modular design - strategies for long-lasting Smartphones OptiRoDig page 34 / 35 Optimisation of raw material productivity in the foundry and steel industry from products of the recycling industry by using modern mathematical methods, networking and digitalization PERMA page 36 / 37 Platform for efficient resource utilisation in the furniture and furnishings Industry praxPACK page 38 / 39 User-integrated development and testing of practical, resource-efficient reusable packaging solutions in the mail order business ReLIFE page 40 / 41 Adaptive Remanufacturing for Life Cycle Optimization of Capital Goods RePARE page 42 / 43 Regeneration of Product- and Production Systems through Additive Repair and Refurbishment REPOST page 44 / 45 Autoclaved aerated concrete recycling cluster: Development of new options for circular economy ResmaP page 46 / 47 Resource efficiency through smart pumps RessProKA page 48 / 49 Closing resource-efficient product cycles in the finishing trade through new business models UpZent page 50 / 51 "Upcycling Center" - A participatory business model to raise awareness and implement a resource-efficient circular economy Wear2Share page 52 / 53 Innovative circular business models in the textile industry Accompanying scientific project RessWInn page 54 / 55 Networking and transfer project for the BMBF funding measure "Resource-efficient circular economy - Innovative product cycles"
With almost one million electric bicycles sold in Ger-
many in 2018, sales figures rose by 36 percent com-
pared to the previous year. However, what happens
to electric bicycles at the end of their product life re-
mains obscure. The “AddRE-Mo” project addresses this
AddRE-Mo problem by researching the prototypical development
of a value retention network for urban electromobility.
Value retention scenarios for The aim is to investigate the decentralized recycling of
electric bicycles by combining additive manufacturing
the urban electromobility of people processes and remanufacturing.
and goods through additive
manufacturing and remanufacturing
Value retention networks for urban Conducted stakeholder analysis
electromobility
The opinions of 513 users, 45 workshops, and 14 ex-
The amount of resources used per vehicle, e.g., energy perts were collected for a comprehensive analysis of
or material, plays a central role in sustainable market potentials and obstacles. In the process, important
development. For this reason, the “AddRE-Mo” consor- insights were gained for the future design of value re-
tium, which consists of companies and research insti- tention networks. More than 80% of the users surveyed
tutions, aims to develop value retention networks for expressed interest in purchasing products with reman-
urban electromobility. ufactured components. The experts and workshops
surveyed also see great potential in remanufacturing.
In the future, used products (cores) will be remanu-
Around half of the workshops stated that the motor is a
factured using additive manufacturing processes and
suitable component for remanufacturing and that dam-
remanufacturing to enable closed product cycles in a
decentralized approach. Remanufacturing increases re-
3% 3%
source efficiency over the entire product service life and 4%
creates the opportunity to produce more cost-effective, 7% 19%
remanufactured electric bicycles.
Suitable business models and solutions for the return 9%
of components and their remanufacturing are being de-
16%
veloped to recycle components efficiently. Simulations
Resource-efficient Circular Economy – 9%
and scenario analyses will be used to analyze ecolog-
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
ical, economic, and social effects on the future value
network. 15% 15%
Motor Accumulator Electronics
Drive train Brakes Other
Display Tires Gears
Failed assistance-system
Percentage distribution of damage patterns according to
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en workshop survey (n=44)
age occurs mainly in the two most cost-intensive com- Competent Network Funding measure
ponents, the motor, and the accumulator. Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
The “AddRE-Mo” project consortium bundles the know- Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
The results of the stakeholder analysis were summa- how to form future value retention networks. The indus- As part of the FONA Field of action 6:
rized in the study “Future trend sustainable electric trial partner Electric Bike Solutions GmbH contributes The circular economy – efficient use of raw materials,
avoiding waste
bicycles? – Survey on the Circular Economy in the Elec- its expertise in converting and repairing electric bicy-
tric Bicycle Industry”. cles. The industrial partner O.R. Lasertechnologie GmbH Project title
develops recommendations for “Design for additive re- AddRE-Mo – Value retention scenarios for the urban
Design for additive Remanufacturing manufacturing”. The Wuppertal Institute and the Project
electromobility of people and goods through additive
manufacturing and remanufacturing
Group Process Innovation of the Fraunhofer IPA focus on
The integration of additive manufacturing technologies
the implementation of additive remanufacturing. Their Project duration
into the remanufacturing process is essential for estab- 01.07.2019 – 30.06.2022
findings are taken up by the Cluster of Environmental
lishing a local and resource-efficient value retention
Technologies Bavaria and disseminated to the public. Funding reference number
network for electric bicycles. Based on the stakeholder
033R234
analysis and the identified requirements for the design
of future value retention networks, the project consor- Funding volume of the project
tium evaluates selected components concerning their 1.708.292 Euro
potential for remanufacturing using additive manufac-
Internet
turing processes. reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en
addre-mo.de
The findings obtained cover the remanufacturing pro-
cess, from creating a CAD file through the additive man- Publisher and editorial office
Networking and transfer project “RessWInn”
ufacturing process to comprehensive tests. The results
will be incorporated into guidelines for the design of Design
additive remanufacturing. PM-GrafikDesign
Picture credits
P. 1 above: Electric Bike Solutions GmbH &
maxon advanced robotics and systems ag
P. 1+2: AddRE-Mo
Status
March 2021
The project “AddRE-Mo” is funded within the funding CONTACT
measure “Resource-efficient Circular Economy – Inno- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Döpper
Universitaetsstraße 9
vative Product Cycles (ReziProK)“.
95447 Bayreuth
Phone: +49 921 78516-100
“ReziProK” is part of the research concept “Resource- e-mail: frank.doepper@ipa.fraunhofer.de
efficient Circular Economy” of the Federal Ministry of
Education and Research (BMBF) and supports projects PROJECT PARTNERS
that develop business models, design concepts, or dig- Electric Bike Solutions GmbH
O.R. Lasertechnologie GmbH
ital technologies for closed product cycles.
Trägerverein Umwelttechnologie-Cluster Bayern e. V.
Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH
Exemplary process chain of additive remanufacturing
In “All-Polymer”, fibre-reinforced composites (KFVW)
are used to upgrade recycled plastics. The cooperation
of sustainability researchers, polymers, recycling and
fibre composite experts from different industries, aims
to establish closed loop recycling management sys-
tems that lead to a considerable reduction in CO2 emis-
All Polymer sions and plastic waste
Fibre reinforcement to increase
the resource efficiency of high-quality,
fully recyclable plastic products
More recycled plastics New potential for fibres
In view of major sustainability problems, the recycla- The project aims at increasing the performance of recy-
bility of plastics is currently at the forefront of many cled plastics in lightweight construction. As a result, the
companies’ innovation efforts. The need to increase the proportion of recycled material in existing products can
resource efficiency of plastics and, in particular, to help be increased and new product segments for recycled
recyclable plastics become more widely used is corre- plastics can be opened up. As the KFVWs are singlesorts
spondingly great. and are therefore 100 percent recyclable, a complete
recycling cycle can be established. The higher perfor-
The “All-Polymer” project, in which three companies mance also ensures energy savings during the product
and two research institutes are participating, is pur- life cycle.
suing this goal. Five other companies are involved as
associated partners. The participating companies will To maintain the mechanical properties defined in ad-
produce typical components from the three largest sec- vance, the components are fibre-reinforced. For this pur-
tors of the plastics industry – the automotive, packag- pose, existing as well as new processes such as additive
ing and construction industries – from recycled plastics tape laying – the automated laying of polyethylene-
and upgrade them by KFVW. By dispensing with energy-
and cost-intensive, not fully recyclable carbon and glass
Resource-efficient Circular Economy – fibres, CO2 emissions in production will be reduced. The
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK) same is achieved by energy-efficient production and fur-
ther processing by KFVW.
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en Section of a recycled panel with tape reinforcement.
fibre-reinforced tapes on flat structures – are used. The Project team from industry and science Funding measure
fibre-reinforced components made of recycled plastic are Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
In All-Polymer, the project participants from industry Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
analysed for their mechanical properties and fed into the
process at the respective recycling companies. In addi- and science are working in a division of labour in order As part of the FONA Field of action 6:
to achieve their recycling goals. The companies HAHN The circular economy – efficient use of raw materials,
tion, the influence of the fibres on the properties of the avoiding waste
recycled material is being investigated. Kunststoffe and BSB Recycling deal with the investiga-
tion of existing recycling materials from various sourc- Project title
The recycled fibre-reinforced components are to be used es as well as the recycling of the fibre-reinforced com- All Polymer – Fibre reinforcement to increase the resource
efficiency of high-quality, fully recyclable plastic products
again as starting material to create a cycle. Even the use ponents. Infinex Kunststofftechnik, HAHN Kunststoffe
of a small proportion of fibre-reinforced material leads to und Röchling define the prototypes and, if necessary, Project duration
a considerable improvement in the mechanical proper- develop new processes for the use of the polyethyl- 01.09.2019 – 28.02.2022
ties of the component, so that this approach is already ene-fibre-reinforcedtapes. A+ Composites and DSM in-
Funding reference number
worthwhile for products in the low-price segment due to vestigate the production of the fibre-reinforced tapes 033R23
process simplifications, material savings and increased and their modification for use with secondary plastics.
use of secondary plastics. The process integration and process development of the Funding volume of the project
1.066.292 Euro
other partners is accompanied by A+ Composites.
First results Internet
The tasks of the materials physics group at the Univer- reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en
The adhesion and performance of UD tapes on various sity of Koblenz Landau are the improvement of the fibre allpolymer.de/en
test specimens was investigated. Potential improve- adhesion with the matrix as well as the characterisation
Publisher and editorial office
ments in design, process design and material compo- of the components, materials and tapes and the devel- Networking and transfer project “RessWInn”
sition were identified and implemented in development opment of the recycling process. The Chair of Sustain-
loops. During process development, it became clear ability Management at the TU Kaiserslautern will deal Design
PM-GrafikDesign
that welding the tapes to the components is far superior with government incentive systems, the development
to bonding, since bonding does not provide sufficient of business models and the investigation of ecological Picture credits
adhesion for long-term use under typical conditions of implications. All-Polymer project partners
use, according to the current state of knowledge.
Status
March 2021
The status of circularity at the companies involved was
determined and priorities set in order to exploit identi-
fied opportunities for improvement.
The project “All Polymer” is funded within the funding CONTACT
measure “Resource-efficient Circular Economy – Inno- Dr.-Ing. Markus Brzeski
A+ Composites GmbH
vative Product Cycles (ReziProK)”.
Rudolf-Diesel-Straße 7
66919 Weselberg
“ReziProK” is part of the research concept “Resource- Phone: +49 6333 9999060
efficient Circular Economy” of the Federal Ministry of E-mail: m.brzeski@aplus-composites.de
Education and Research (BMBF) and supports projects
PROJECT PARTNERS
that develop business models, design concepts or digi-
Infinex Kunststofftechnik GmbH
tal technologies for closed product cycles.
HAHN Kunststoffe GmbH
Universität Koblenz-Landau
Prototypes reinforced with tapes. Technische Universität Kaiserslautern
A recyclable product design for refrigerators/freezers
that is both energy and resource efficient is the main
goal of Circular By Design. For this purpose, different
scenarios are developed with the focus on repair and
reuse as well as recycling paths that are as closed as
possible. The combination of the resource efficiency
Circular by Design (CbD) analysis with a multi-regional extended input-output
Sustainable product design model should in future allow estimating product recy-
clability already at the design stage, thereby support-
of consumer goods using ing a Design-for-Recycling optimization.
the case study refrigerator/freezer “Lagasys” – Ein Lagersystem für gekühlte
und ungekühlte Lebensmittel
Recyclability Laboratory for Design
In order to ensure a stable supply of raw materials to The first-time combination of the resource efficiency
the German economy in the future, rethinking the use of analysis (process simulation of recycling processes at
primary and secondary raw materials and life cycle-wide micro level) of the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Re-
material flow management is urgently needed. In 2010, source Technology and the multi-regional extended
for example, only 14 percent of the raw materials used in input-output model (WI-SEEGIOM, macro level) of the
Germany were obtained from scrap, with recycling costs Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and En-
of over 50 billion euros. For materials such as aluminium, ergy should allow in future the prediction of a product
steel or copper, which are found in many consumer design suitable for the recycling economy. This will be
goods, in 2016 the proportion of secondary raw materi- demonstrated using the example of one of the most fre-
als was just 40 percent in total production in Germany. quently used and already well characterized consumer
goods, the refrigerator/freezer, with participation of
One of the main reasons for this is the fact that in the the manufacturer Liebherr-Hausgeräte. Under lead of
creation of new products (product design), the ability the Folkwang University of the Arts (FUdK), the aim is
to recycle and recover materials at the end of their life
cycle (EoL) has hardly been considered. This is where
Circular by Design starts, using a refrigerator as an ex-
ample of a household appliance to show what material
Resource-efficient Circular Economy – efficiency potential exists with regard to the recovery of
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK) the raw materials contained in it, both in terms of prod-
uct design and the selection of materials.
Refrigeration appliances have high potential for the circular
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en economy.
to run through various scenarios within a living lab de- Social benefit Funding measure
sign process during the project period. Models are to Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
A transferable design concept for the recycling of the Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
be designed and simulated whose design allows almost
complete recycling and reuse of individual components, materials used in consumer goods is expected to be As part of the FONA Field of action 6:
developed using the example of a refrigerator/freezer The circular economy – efficient use of raw materials,
thereby opening up new market and business models avoiding waste
such as repair, cash-back, leasing, etc. prototype. If one takes a look at the proportion of steel,
copper and aluminium, these together represent almost Project title
With the cooperation of the project partners Becker El- 60 percent of the weight of the refrigerator/freezer to Circular by Design (CbD) – Sustainable product design of
consumer goods using the case study refrigerator/freezer
ektrorecycling (BEC) and Entsorgungsdienste Kreis Mit- be recycled, plus plastics with a weight share of around
telsachsen (EKM) and based on the current reference 35 percent. This corresponds to a material value of sec- Project duration
product, which is particularly focussing on energy effi- ondary raw materials of around 25 million euros per 01.07.2019 – 30.06.2022
ciency, it will be shown by quantifying the actual losses year, just for the produced tonnage of a refrigerator/
Funding reference number
where the raw materials are lost, how these losses can freezer producer. A savingpotential is assumed that can 033R244
be reduced by a suitable product design and how raw be achieved by reducing the amount of materials used,
materials can be kept in circulation in the long term. substituting non-sustainable materials such as PU foam Funding volume of the project
799.606 Euro
In addition, the legal and practical feasibility of design or coolants, improving the collection of metallic waste
concepts is discussed with industry experts. and increasing the proportion of secondary raw materi- Internet
als in consumer goods. reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en
First results Publisher and editorial office
Networking and transfer project “RessWInn”
The Living Lab is working and the publication on the cul-
tural history of cooling has been produced. Design
PM-GrafikDesign
The first version of a simple evaluation model of the vir-
tual recycling process is already available. This includes Picture credits
P. 1: Liebherr
both the physical first treatment for refrigeration units FUdK
(shredding and pre-sorting) and the further treatment
steps of the metallic material flows (metallurgical treat- Status
March 2021
ment) and is modelled by process simulation. For fur-
ther qualification, the model requires detailed product
and material information as input in order to provide
statements on the recyclability, quantified by indica-
The project “Circular by Design (CbD)” is funded within CONTACT
tors for material recovery, environmental impact and re-
the funding measure “Resource-efficient Circular Eco PD Dr. Simone Raatz
source consumption. For this purpose, test designs are
Helmholtz-Institut Freiberg
currently being drawn up for the manual disassembly of nomy – Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)”.
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
individual devices as well as for a large-scale test at a Chemnitzer Str. 40
“ReziProK” is part of the research concept “Resource- 09599 Freiberg
recycler.
efficient Circular Economy” of the Federal Ministry of Phone: +49 351 260-4747
Education and Research (BMBF) and supports projects e-mail: s.raatz@hzdr.de
that develop business models, design concepts or
PROJECT PARTNERS
digital technologies for closed product cycles.
Wuppertal-Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, Wuppertal
Folkwang Universität der Künste, Essen
BEC – Becker Elektrorecycling Chemnitz GmbH, Chemnitz
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en EKM – Entsorgungsdienste Kreis Mittelsachsen GmbH, Freiberg
In Germany, around half a million tonnes of end-of-life
(EOL) tyres accumulate annually and only a small pro-
portion is used as recycled material for the production of
new tyres. Within the framework of ConCirMy, it is being
investigated whether and how tyres can be optimised
with regard to the goals of a circular economy without
compromising on quality. A tool is being developed to
provide information on environmental compatibility to
various stakeholders in the supply chain which can be
taken into account in purchasing decisions.
ConCirMy
Configurator for the Circular Economy
Recycling of EOL tyres Merging core system
EOL tyres represent a valuable resource and can be re- The aim of the ConCirMy project is to develop a prod-
turned to the material cycle through recycling. Vehicle uct configurator which informs users about the environ-
manufacturers are also interested in increasing this mental impacts and other sustainability aspects of the
proportion – a motivation based, for example, on the product (raw materials used, possibilities of recycling
End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, according to which 85% or reuse) in the life cycle of the tyre and enables them to
of end-of-life vehicles by weight must be reused or re- consider this information in their purchasing decisions.
cycled and 95% must be recovered. These requirements These can be accessed by different user groups situated
are also important with regard to the development of at different levels in the supply chain – consumers, de-
new vehicles and their components, the pressure is signers, recyclers – and taken into account in decision-
increasing with the transformation to electromobility making alongside other important factors such as func-
because some components are difficult to recycle. tionality and cost.
Ultimately, the aim is to support the production and pur-
chase of more sustainable products, the development
of more environmentally friendly designs and the move
towards recycling and reuse. The configurator acts as
a unifying core system that makes specific information
Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK) available to different actors in the supply chain. Techni-
cally, both the integrated environmental assessment of
products and components in a product configurator for
the end customer and the comparative implementation
of different calculation approaches are new.
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en Recycling of end-of-life tyres.Socio-economic analyses are conducted in order to Interdisciplinary project consortium Funding measure
learn about consumer preferences and demand poten- Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
CAS Software AG, DECHEMA e.V., the Department of Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
tials for bio- and circular economy-based automotive
components, including related sustainability aspects. Innovation Economics at the TU Berlin and the German As part of the FONA Field of action 6:
Institute for Standardization (DIN) are working together The circular economy – efficient use of raw materials,
Recommendations are derived for the various supplier avoiding waste
groups of the targeted circular economy system. For on the “ConCirMy” project to develop an interconnected
the successful implementation of the circular system, and sustainable assistance system. Project title
ConCirMy – Configurator for the Circular Economy
business models are developed. Furthermore, the need
CAS brings expertise in software development and is
for standards to support the development of the supply Project duration
developing the configurator in cooperation with all part-
chain towards a circular economy is examined. 01.07.2019 – 30.06.2022
ners.
Funding reference number
First results DECHEMA e.V. conducts market research on the product 033R236
life cycle as well as on the current handling and recy-
First research has demonstrated that tires are a highly Funding volume of the project
cling of used tyres in Germany and creates life cycle as-
complex product and that there is no established prod- 1.165.446 Euro
sessment studies which form the basis for evaluation of
uct classification including information about raw mate-
environmental impacts in the configurator tool. Internet
rials. Therefore, a key result of the project is the devel- reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en
opment of a generic tire model, which serves as basis Using socio-economic analyses, the Department of In- concirmy.org
for the product configuration. Furthermore, the concept novation Economics at TU Berlin determines acceptance
Publisher and editorial office
for sustainability assessment was expanded with an in- factors and demand potentials for sustainable automo- Networking and transfer project “RessWInn”
terface to a life cycle assessment database (Ecoinvent) tive components, develops recommendations for the
and an interface for retrieving data from ERP systems. different players in the circular system, and develops Design
PM-GrafikDesign
business models for its successful implementation.
Further research has showed that the use phase of a tire
Picture credits
has the biggest impact on the environmental assess- DIN reviews the project results with regards to potential P. 1 f.l.: Imthaz Ahamed on Unsplash
ment of its whole life cycle. In order to be able to inte- standardization needs. For this purpose, an overview of ©Budimir Jevtic - stock.adobe.com
grate information from the use phase, several variants ©Drpixel - stock.adobe.com
existing norms and standards is prepared.
of sensor data collection were examined and imple-
mented as a prototype in the form of an app. In parallel Status
to the technological developments, surveys on accept- March 2021
ance factors were done into two phases and socio-eco-
nomic analyses were carried out.
The project “ConCirMy” is funded within the fund- CONTACT
ing measure “Resource-efficient Circular Economy – Preslava Krahtova
CAS Software AG
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)”.
CAS-Weg 1–5
76131 Karlsruhe
“ReziProK” is part of the research concept “Resource- Phone: +49 721 9638-762
efficient Circular Economy” of the Federal Ministry of e-mail: Preslava.Krahtova@cas.de
Education and Research (BMBF) and supports projects
PROJECT PARTNERS
that develop business models, design concepts or
Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V. (DIN), Berlin
digital technologies for closed product cycles.
Technische Universität Berlin, Fachgebiet Innovationsökonomie
DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en Biotechnologie e. V., Frankfurt am MainThe sustainable use of natural resources is currently
one of the greatest challenges facing society. Accord-
ing to a circular economy, raw materials should be kept
in the economic cycle as long as possible, waste should
be avoided. The central concern of the CoT project is to
close regional material cycles in the metalworking in-
dustry by means of re-manufacturing and re-purposing
CoT – CIRCLE OF TOOLS of worn metallic products.
Development Steel Tools and
testing of Demonstrators designed
for a Circular Economy
Material cycle of the metal industry The main progress here takes place in avoiding remelt-
ing as part of the dominant recycling process in the
In general, the Circular Economy (CE) is seen as an es- steel industry. Although this is desirable and part of a
sential strategy to effectively reduce the consumption circular economy, it goes hand in hand with high energy
of raw materials and resources. One well-known possi- and resource consumption. A key aspect here is the re-
bility is recycling. Upstream of this are concepts such as cycling of scrap that is not sorted by type.
re-manufacturing and re-purposing, through which ma-
terials can be used longer in the economic cycle. In the
CoT project, the cooperating research institutions and
companies from Wuppertal, Solingen and Remscheid
want to close a material cycle of the local metal process-
ing industry in this way.
The aim is to reduce resource and energy consump-
tion and to demonstrate economic advantages for the
companies. The challenges are manifold: A process has
to be developed that is based on the use of purely re-
Resource-efficient Circular Economy – turned and qualitatively high-alloyed tool steel either in
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK) the original manufacturing process or to integrate it into
other manufacturing processes across companies.
Diskussion der Einsatz- und Anwendungsmöglichkeiten
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en innerhalb des Projektteams.First results Interdisciplinary competence Funding measure
Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
At the beginning of the project, the project team deter- The CoT project unites a total of six project partners in Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
mined suitable target products on the basis of material its inter- and transdisciplinary team. Companies from As part of the FONA Field of action 6:
The circular economy – efficient use of raw materials,
characteristics and the suitability of the geometry. This the Wuppertal, Solingen and Remscheid, this region avoiding waste.
was followed by essential metallurgical investigations is known for its cutlery and tools, are working closely
to derive findings for the manufacturing process. Fi- with two research institutions. Using the products of the Project title
CoT – CIRCLE OF TOOLS
nally, it was possible for the first time to manufacture companies TKM GmbH, Kirschen Werkzeuge and Freund Re-manufacturing of worn circular knives
blades from machining knifes with the help of separat- & CIE, it will be demonstrated, with the support of Plan-
Consult GmbH, how a return and further use of the ma- Project duration
ing manufacturing processes (re-purposing).
01.07.2019 – 30.06.2022
terial can be designed via re-manufacturing and re-pur-
In the case of re-manufacturing, the existing challenge posing. Furthermore, demonstrators will be produced Funding reference number
is to analyse and adapt the manufacturing process ac- by the respective companies through re-manufacturing 033R230
cordingly. The concept for producing a smaller machin- and re-purposing. Funding volume of the project
ing knife from a worn one is currently being researched. 941.266 Euro
Scientific researcher from the University of Wuppertal
The first ecological investigations show possible saving Internet
and the Wuppertal Institute are responsible for the sci-
potentials, but also decisive hotspots of the process. In reziprok.produktkreislauf.de
entific investigations. The focus is on the metallurgical
addition, the essential structures of the existing and the analyses of the tools and cutting products as well as the Publisher and editorial office
envisaged business models could be captured. Networking and transfer project “RessWInn”
ecological and economic potential.
Design
PM-GrafikDesign
Picture credits
P. 1: TKM 2019
©Parilov - stock.adobe.com (above)
P. 2: TKM 2019
Status
March 2021
Cover-Picture: Circular knife with exemplary arrangement of blades.
The project “CoT – CIRCLE OF TOOLS” is funded with- CONTACT
in the funding measure “Resource-efficient Circular Dr. Kai Uwe Paffrath
TKM GmbH
Economy – Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)”.
In der Fleute 18
42897 Remscheid
“ReziProK” is part of the research concept “Resource- Phone: +49 2191 969 296
Erste Klingenrohlinge, entnommen aus einem Kreismesser. efficient Circular Economy” of the Federal Ministry of e-mail: KPaffrath@tkmgroup.com
Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the FONA
PROJECT PARTNERS
Field of action 6: “The circular economy – efficient use
Kirschen-Werkzeuge, Wilh. Schmitt & Comp. GmbH & Co.KG, Remscheid
of raw materials, avoiding waste” and supports pro-
P.F. FREUND & CIE. GmbH, Wuppertal
jects that develop business models, design concepts Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, Wuppertal
or digital technologies for closed product cycles. Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Standort Solingen
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en PlanConsult GmbH, WuppertalThe focus of “DIBICHAIN” is the collection of product
life cycle data in order to make the product develop-
ment process fair, secure and economical. The basis is
the block chain model, in which data is stored in a de-
centralized manner and without sovereign rights. How-
ever, current block chain models are usually too slow to
scale to large data volumes. This is where the research
in the “DIBICHAIN” project starts.
Software demonstrator • Blockchain for integrated life cycle analyses and for
use as a basis (data backbone) for sustainability driv-
DIBICHAIN ”DIBICHAIN” aims to investigate the application of
blockchain technology for the digital representation of
en design applications.
Digital image of circulation systems product cycles in contrast to other distributed ledger • Clear identification and traceability of products of the
entire product life cycle.
using blockchain technologies (DLT).
First of all, the main differences between the individ- Innovations in decentralized data storage
ual DLTs will be highlighted in order to subsequently
evaluate the suitability of the individual technologies Traditional data management currently works via cen-
for the selected case study. The aim is to deepen the tralized servers. If a user uploads an image to his so-
knowledge base for the application of a block chain for a cial media page, this image is stored by a centralized
circular economy in order to enable further and more in- server at a location usually unknown to the user. If the
depth research projects that will open up the full poten- user now wants to delete his image, he must trust the
tial for DLT in this context. A software demonstrator is to server provider not only to make the data unreachable,
be developed, which contains the following application but also to actually delete it from the server. Since the
scenarios using the case study of the “Bionic Partition”: modern world and also the so-called Internet of Things
• (Back-)tracing of select-
ed materials, from the EXTERNAL DATA SOURCES
Producer Manufacturer
extraction of raw mate- Material Compliance
rials to their return to Machine
Interface
LCA
Application
Application
(e.g. ERP / MES)
Application (CAS Nr.)
Machine
Interface
LCA
Application
Application
(e.g. ERP / MES)
Resource-efficient Circular Economy – material cycles. API API API
SCIP
API API API
Database
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK) • Ensuring compliance APP APP APP APP APP APP
ecoinvent database
with social and ecolog- Userclient Userclient
ical standards of the en- EC List Numbers
(EINECS & ELINCS)
API API
tire product life cycle.
Blockchain Blockchain
Standards / Regulations
The architecture ISO 14000
IPC 1754 Sorgfaltspflichtengesetz
(part. 14040)
of the DIBICHAIN
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/enwould no longer function without server data storage, The innovation team Funding measure
it is almost impossible to circumvent this completely. Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
The five participating companies each contribute their Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
Decentralized storage, i.e. distributed over many indi-
own expertise to the project, some of which has been ac- As part of the FONA Field of action 6:
vidual users instead of on a single server, would be one The circular economy – efficient use of raw materials,
approach to solve the problems mentioned above. quired over many years, in order to achieve the best pos- avoiding waste.
sible results. This knowledge includes classical software
The potential of DLT can currently only be guessed at. development, blockchains, recycling management, ecol- Project title
DIBICHAIN – Digital image of circulation systems
The application of DLT would be a refinement of the not ogy and product development. The project is divided into using blockchain
yet fully explored “Web 3.0”. The project as a whole is five work packages. The administrative part is followed
being worked on according to the waterfall model, while by focus groups, analyses and finally the development of Project duration
01.07.2019 – 30.06.2022
the software development is carried out using the so- the software and its evaluation.
called scrum method. Scrum is an agile project man- Funding reference number
agement method, which is primarily used in software The goal of the project partners Airbus, Altran, Block- 033R241
development. chain Research Lab, Chainstep, iPoint is not only to
Funding volume of the project
highlight the differences of current DLTs, but also to de- 643.284 Euro
First results sign a new technology that can be evaluated in a final
Internet
application scenario, the software demonstrator. Thus,
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de
First, the application scenarios (use cases) were devel- “DIBICHAIN” aims to develop a technology that can be dibichain.com
oped with the partners for a specific focus. These are used by companies worldwide for modern, decentral-
Publisher and editorial office
“material and process tracking” and “end-of-life & recy- ized data storage. Networking and transfer project “RessWInn”
cling”. The following aspects were elaborated:
Design
• Tracking of materials with simultaneous protection of PM-GrafikDesign
IP and privacy requirements
Picture credits
• Modular structure for connecting various operational P. 1: Airbus / Altran
©Sashkin - stock.adobe.com (above)
software (no vendor lock-in) for processing the data, P. 2: Airbus / Altran
e.g.
– Life Cycle Assessment data Status
Graphic of the entire chain over product life cycle participants
March 2021
– Material / Dismantling of the blockchain network in an example.
– Quality information
• Incentive and marketing opportunities for participants
The project “DIBICHAIN” is funded within the funding CONTACT
This approach is intended to reach the broadest possi- measure “Resource-efficient Circular Economy – Innova- Andreas Kötter
ble field of potential participants – i.e. recyclers. In the tive Product Cycles (ReziProK)”. Altran Deutschland SAS
long term, product development will also benefit. Ex- Karnapp 25
21079 Hamburg
isting information sources and standards such as SCIP “ReziProK” is part of the research concept “Resource- Phone: +49 172 2439460
Database, Ecoinvent Database, EC List (ELINCS) as well efficient Circular Economy” of the Federal Ministry of Ed- E-mail: andreas.koetter@altran.com
as the standards IPC 1754 and ISO14040 and others are ucation and Research (BMBF) as part of the FONA Field of
PROJECT PARTNERS
taken into account. action 6: “The circular economy – efficient use of raw ma-
Blockchain Research Lab gemeinnützige GmbH
terials, avoiding waste” and supports projects that devel-
CHAINSTEP GmbH
op business models, design concepts or digital technolo- iPoint-systems GmbH
gies for closed product cycles.DiLink research enables plastics producers to create
high-quality products from recycled plastics, avoid
plastic waste and close material cycles. To this end, the
latest sensor technologies and digital software solu-
tions are being developed and linked in order to be able
to collect, analyse and further develop valuable data on
the quality of plastic waste and the recyclates produced
DiLink from it, and to use this data in the right places.
Digital solutions for industrial plastic
circuits
Closed loops to be developed, these fluctuations in product quality
can be detected and avoided or digitally documented,
DiLink contributes to the closing of material cycles in so that recyclate purchasers can obtain the relevant in-
the plastics industry. The sensor technologies further formation on the materials and thus procure the right
developed in DiLink and the digital solutions tailored material or adapt their processes accordingly.
to them will collect the data required to close material
cycles and enable the dissemination and processing of Digital recycling solutions
the data obtained. In this way, a more resource saving
model of plastics use can be established. In a first step, the exact needs of the industry are deter-
mined through interviews and on-site appointments. The
Currently, large quantities of secondary plastics – recy- corresponding solutions are then developed, mapped
clates – cannot be processed at all or only to inferior on the software side and connected in suitable systems,
products. Information deficits in the markets regarding for example by using and testing them in company co-
the quality and availability of the recycled materials are operations. At the same time, an assessment of the
a main reason for this. With the right data on the attrib- sustainability of the developed solutions is carried out
utes and quantity of plastic residues and the recyclates to ensure that the effort does not exceed the potential
produced from them, and with the possibility of pass- benefit.
Resource-efficient Circular Economy – ing on this data digitally along the value chain, plastics
manufacturers, commercial enterprises and recyclers By means of DiLink’s innovative solution approaches,
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
can be put in a position to keep such plastics in circula- plastic recyclate can be used more safely and reliably in
tion as high-grade materials. the future. The additional information, together with the
rapid availability of digital data along the value-added
The large number of different sources of residual materi- chain, will enable companies to play a pioneering role
als for recycling can be reflected in the product quality of in the rapidly growing recycling market and thus secure
the recyclates. Sometimes product properties vary from the international competitiveness of Germany as a busi-
batch to batch. This can make processing difficult within ness location.
the framework of the tailor-made processes of the pro-
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en ducing companies. With the help of the DiLink-sensors reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/enFirst results Interdisciplinary team of experts Funding measure
Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
In the survey of the companies, insufficient purity, inter- An interdisciplinary team has been formed for this task. Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
fering factors in the recycled plastics and information On the research side, the three-year project is carried As part of the FONA Field of action 6:
The circular economy – efficient use of raw materials,
deficits were named as the biggest hurdles for recycling. out by SKZ – Das Kunststoff-Zentrum, the Research In- avoiding waste.
stitute for Rationalisation at RWTH Aachen University
Inline impact strength measurement has been success- (FiR) and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environ- Project title
fully tested. Currently, the lower resolution limits of the DiLink – Digital solutions for industrial plastic circuits
ment and Energy (consortium leader). From the indus-
technique are being evaluated. Further tests with mate- try, the company partners INFOSIM, experts in the field Project duration
rials as used in application are taking place. Successful of industrial software development, as well as the com- 01.06.2019 – 31.05.2022
trial runs have also been carried out for inline spectros- panies Hoffmann + Voss and MKV Kunststoffgranulat, Funding reference number
copy. A test with recyclates of different “qualities” is which have extensive experience in plastics recycling, 033R235
currently underway. are involved. Funding volume of the project
For both technologies, tests in real production environ- 899.261 Euro
The solutions developed from DiLink research can be
ments are planned for early summer. As a software solu- used by the entire plastics processing industry as well Internet
tion, the infrastructure for data acquisition, storage and as by other companies where plastic waste is generated
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de
management has been implemented. The associated to provide or use more recycled plastics. Publisher and editorial office
user interface is being developed in consultation with Networking and transfer project “RessWInn”
the users.
Design
PM-GrafikDesign
Picture credits
P. 1: Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt,
Energie gGmbH;
HOFFMANN + VOSS GmbH
P. 2: Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt,
Energie gGmbH
Status
March 2021
The project “DiLink” is funded within the funding measure CONTACT
“Resource-efficient Circular Economy – Innovative Prod- Dr. Holger Berg
Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH
uct Cycles (ReziProK)”.
Döppersberg 19
42103 Wuppertal
“ReziProK” is part of the research concept “Resource- Phone: +49 202 2492-179
efficient Circular Economy” of the Federal Ministry of Ed- E-mail: holger.berg@wupperinst.org
ucation and Research (BMBF) as part of the FONA Field
PROJECT PARTNERS
of action 6: “The circular economy – efficient use of raw
SKZ – KFE gGmbH
materials, avoiding waste” and supports projects that
Forschungsinstitut für Rationalisierung e. V.
develop business models, design concepts or digital Infosim GmbH & Co. KG
technologies for closed product cycles. HOFFMANN + VOSS GmbH
MKV GmbH KunststoffgranulateWorkwear leads to enormous quantities of identical
textiles. The logistics around workwear can be an opti-
mal starting point for nearly closed-loop material flows.
Instead of buying business clothing, resource-efficient
use of materials may be supported by the business
model of textile rent/leasing. DiTex therefore tests and
evaluates three circular textiles made of recycled fibres
as well as circular business models during an eight
month test phase. The aim is to generate transferable
knowledge for application concerning quality, resource
efficiencies and sustainability effects.
DiTex
Digital Technologies as Enabler of a
Resource-efficient Circular Economy First findings: sustainability benefits
of multiple recyclable textiles made
Circular product designs & tracking from recycled fibres
Business shirt, polo shirt and bed linen are produced In September 2020, the first prototypes of the recyclable
sustainably in this feasibility study. The product design and leasable DiTex textiles were presented.
already considers upcoming requirements for fibre re-
generation. The overview life cycle assessments yield clear evi-
dence for resource protection and sustainability ad-
In summer 2021, trial wearing starts at a selected police vantages of the selected design concepts compared to
service (business shirt), rescue service (polo shirt) and in conventional reference textiles. Particularly significant
federal police accommodation (bed lin- improvements in the water footprint and surface foot-
en). Fixed points of distribution and re- print will be gained by substituting cotton with recycled
turn enable well-organised logistics. For polyester (share in the business shirt: 38%, in the polo
precise tracking, the DiTex textiles receive shirt: 100%) and recycled lyocell (share in the bed linen:
an “intelligent label”. Material properties 50%).
and durability will then be examined
and extensively tested, including but The sustainability assessment also shows that rebound
Resource-efficient Circular Economy – mechanisms at product level, in the usage phase and
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK) not limited to laundry servicing and
wearing tests. over the entire life cycle may counteract possible re-
source efficiency gains. Various important factors such
The project aims for high-quality as resource and energy efficiency as well as minimal
“closed-loop” recycling solutions material waste are to be considered during fibre extrac-
by means of chemical fibre-to-fibre tion, manufacturing and the recycling process.
recycling.
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en A smart label enables accurate tracking. reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/enPrerequisite for the avoidance of rebound effects is a Focus on industry and application Funding measure
complete substitution of virgin fibre textiles by qualita- Resource-efficient Circular Economy –
The Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) co- Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK)
tively and functionally equivalent textiles made from re-
ordinates the network; manages the process- and cost As part of the FONA Field of action 6:
cycled fibre materials. In addition, the following goods The circular economy – efficient use of raw materials,
and services may not be offered at lower prices than analyses and conducts the market dialogues as well avoiding waste.
their conventional counterparts: the circular textiles as the evaluation of the eight-month pilot phase. All
partners are involved in the product design and market Project title
themselves, associated services, as well as textile raw DiTex – Digital Technologies as Enabler of a
materials and intermediates. dialogues. WILHELM WEISHÄUPL e. K. and Dibella GmbH Resource-efficient Circular Economy
take over upscaling and test production of the textiles.
As a service provider, circular.fashion UG contributes Project duration
01.08.2019 – 31.07.2022
IT solutions and know-how. The Hohenstein Institut für
Textilinnovation gGmbH and the Faculty of Textiles and Funding reference number
033R228
Design at Reutlingen University are responsible for tex-
tile testing and the product specifications for the rent- Funding volume of the project
al textiles. The ifeu – Institute for Energy and Environ- 2.104.543 Euro
mental Research prepares overview Eco balances. As an Internet
associated partner, MEWA Textil-Service AG & Co. Man- reziprok.produktkreislauf.de
agement OHG supports the acquisition of large-scale www.ditex-kreislaufwirtschaft.de/english
consumers as test users of the textiles and the testing of Publisher and editorial office
the rental or leasing business model. Networking and transfer project “RessWInn”
Central outcomes of the project: Preparation of a broad Design
PM-GrafikDesign
collection of materials offering the know-how required
Textile yarn is also recyclable for a change to recyclable sustainable workwear. Picture credits
P. 1: IÖW; Markus Hein/pixelio.de
P. 2: Bruno Glätsch/pixabay
Status
March 2021
Cover-Picture: Front Pilot Test: the project DiTex evaluates recyclable service clothing.
The project “DiTex” is funded within the funding meas- CONTACT
ure “Resource-efficient Circular Economy – Innovative Ria Müller
Institute for Ecological Economy Research
Product Cycles (ReziProK)”.
Potsdamer Straße 105
10785 Berlin
“ReziProK” is part of the research concept “Resource- Phone: +49 30 884 594-56
efficient Circular Economy” of the Federal Ministry of Ed- E-mail: ria.mueller@ioew.de
ucation and Research (BMBF) as part of the FONA Field
PROJECT PARTNERS
of action 6: “The circular economy – efficient use of raw
WILHELM WEISHÄUPL Hans Peter Weishäupl e. K.
materials, avoiding waste” and supports projects that
Dibella GmbH
develop business models, design concepts or digital Hochschule Reutlingen, Fakultät Textil und Design
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/en technologies for closed product cycles. Hohenstein Institut für Textilinnovation gGmbH
ifeu – Institut für Energie- und UmweltforschungThe increasing production of new electronic devices,
combined with the lack of repairs, refurbishing and re-
manufacturing processes, leads to considerable nega-
tive environmental impacts and loss of resources. The
project “EffizientNutzen” takes up this challenge and
develops, based on real case studies, innovative, data-
based business models for the extended product use
EffizientNutzen and cascade use of electronic products.
Data-based business models
for cascade use and extended
product use of electronic products
The global challenge tion. The first case study focuses on the development of
a viable business model for the manufacturer-neutral re-
The production of new electronic products in so-called pair of high-quality electronic products as a service in the
low-wage regions is currently often cheaper than repair, field of multimedia products, e.g. loudspeakers, radios,
refurbishing and remanufacturing processes in high- televisions, electronic toys; the second focuses on the
wage countries such as Germany. In addition, ever development of business models for the take-back and,
shorter innovation cycles are generating new customer if necessary, refurbishment of electronic products for
needs. Despite the desire of many people for used re-marketing in the context of product service systems,
equipment or repair solutions, repair or refurbishing is using the example of high-end laptops.
not usually considered, even for high-quality electronic
products. As a result, old products are replaced by new The repair and reconditioning processes carried out in
ones after a limited period of use and, at best, recycled the project, as well as the data and knowledge gained
as material or energetically recovered. The extent of this in the process, are incorporated into the development of
Resource-efficient Circular Economy – global problem reached a new peak in 2016 with 44.7 an information portal and support the derivation of new
Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProK) million tons of electronic scrap. types of business models for the circular economy. The
portal realizes the offer of repaired or refurbished elec-
Data-based business models tronic products as a product service system as well as the
marketing of the gained data and knowledge. The infor-
Against this background, the project “EffizientNutzen” mation portal enables an efficient exchange of informa-
will develop innovative data-based business models tion and serves as a link between the real case studies as
for cascade use and extended product use of electronic well as between experts and external stakeholders.
products. This is done by means of two central lines of ac-
reziprok.produktkreislauf.de/enYou can also read
