Case studies

Currently, actions are taken in the European Union to support individual countries as much as possible. These activities include creating incentives to invest in innovation in the circular economy by providing financial assistance under structural and investment funds, creating appropriate market mechanisms and eliminating market failures that may discourage entrepreneurs.

Case study no.1: PROTE Technologie dla Środowiska Sp. z o.o.

The PROTE-MOS Sludge Minimization Technology is a method used on a large scale by Polish company PROTE Technologie dla Środowiska Sp. z o.o. It is a solution for wastewater treatment plants that want to reduce their operating costs, e.g. by reducing the amount of sewage sludge they generate and improving the quality of treated wastewater.

The challenge

• Reducing the operating costs of wastewater treatment plants by, among other things, reducing the amount of sludge produced and improving the quality of treated wastewater.
• Creating optimal conditions for microflora development
• Intensification of biological self-purification processes

The solution

The solution is based on the optimization of the technological process with a purely biological method, i.e. without the use of chemical reagents or installation of additional process devices.  The proprietary solutions used in the PROTE-MOS Technology allow for the creation of optimal conditions for the development of microflora and the intensification of biological self-cleaning processes. Thanks to the optimal control of the technological process, there is an increase in the microbiological diversity in the ecosystem of the sewage treatment plant, causing the dominance of organisms that are stronger and more easily adapting to the created conditions.

Contribution to environmental protection

Technology makes a significant contribution to environmental protection, incl. by: reducing the negative impact of the sewage treatment plant on the environment by reducing the amount of excess sludge (waste), nutrients, technological chemistry, heavy metals or CO2 emissions; reducing the demand for scarce liquid fuels (limiting sludge transport); improving the quality of treated wastewater, reducing the negative impact of the sewage treatment plant on the environment; biological phosphorus recovery for agriculture; technology has a positive impact on various areas of ecology:

• Water – significant reduction of pollutant loads (including nutrients) and technological chemistry discharged into water courses;
• Soil – reducing the problem of heavy metals and pathogens contained in sewage sludge entering the soil;
• Atmosphere – reduction of the emerging CO2 generated, among others during the transport of sludge.
• The technology does not emit greenhouse gases and reduces their emissions.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/bjcceKhRsqA

Case study no.2: BrandBility program

In 2013, the owners of the Polish company Vivenge dealing with the production of furniture and visual labeling of branch networks set themselves the goal of implementing the idea of ​​a circular economy, which required introducing changes on many levels, including in the product design phase, selection of raw materials and technologies, ways of recovering and transforming waste, and above all – changing the behavior of the company’s customers.

The challenge

• Implementation of the circular economy idea
• Introduction of changes at the stage of product design, selection of raw materials and technologies
• Introducing changes in the way of recovering and transforming waste
• Changing the behavior of the company’s customers

The Solution

In this way, the BrandBility program was created, which is a response to the problem of the high level of waste generation by the Polish industry. The circular economy allows you to maintain the added value of products for as long as possible and eliminate waste through repeated, effective use of a product whose life cycle is ending. The intention was to: reduce energy and material consumption in the production and use phases; extending the service life of products; designing fully recyclable products. These changes allowed the company not only to reduce the negative impact on the environment, but also bring the company partial financial savings.

This program was created to minimize the negative impact of business on the environment, with an emphasis on self-regulation and own impact assessment. It is based on the re-use of recovered waste materials for the production of other products. From recycled metal waste, the company produces handles for metal shelves and clothes hangers; processed wood and wood-like waste are the raw material for the production of ecological advertising displays for brands of ecological cosmetics, and processed plastics are used for production advertising gadgets, incl. notebooks with logos and advertising bags. To make this model effective, Vivenge conducts activities in the field of environmental education for employees, suppliers and contractors of the Company.

Contribution to environmental protection

The BrandBility program, as part of the efforts to achieve SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) 12, which is responsible consumption and production, encourages companies to analyze the impact and opportunities to improve their efficiency. The main aspect is environmental protection and the application of the circular economy in the enterprise.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/UJWFy-5uzS8

Case study no.3: Bin-e – Smart waste bins

Bin-e is an intelligent waste management system that was created using the most advanced technology in the world. It was created by a Polish company and appeared on the Polish market in 2017.

The challenge 

• Increase recycling rates
• Increase employee awareness of recycling
• Reduce landfill
• Monitoring of waste and the amount in the garbage can
• Improve waste management

The solution

Intelligent waste management system Bin-e, uses artificial intelligence to automatically separate waste. It has 4 containers, each for a different fraction. The device automatically recognizes waste and then sorts it with an accuracy of 90% into the appropriate garbage can. Thanks to this solution, it allows for correct and efficient sorting already at the beginning of the logistic chain. Additionally, the device compresses paper and plastic, which reduces the frequency of emptying the inner bins. A special application informs the staff about the state of filling of particular garbage cans and when the garbage can is full, the staff is notified about the necessity of emptying the garbage can.

Contribution to environmental protection

The above solution greatly facilitates the monitoring and management of waste collection, and the features of the device greatly help to optimize waste management. Thus, the solution contributes to environmental protection, recycling and waste separation. In addition, thanks to this device, your company can generate savings by reducing the cost of waste collection as well as more efficient teamwork.

Source: https://www.rekopol.pl/bin-e-inteligentny-system-do-zarzadzania-odpadami/