Perché portare l’Economia Circolare all’interno delle aziende?
Le potenzialità dell’Economia Circolare sono visibili in qualsiasi settore: dell’agroalimentare, al metalmeccanico, fino ad arrivare a quello chimico, manifatturiero ed edile.
Infatti, in questo articolo vedremo alcuni casi studio che testimoniano questa eterogeneità di applicazioni in diversi contesti.
Perché un’azienda dovrebbe portare l’Economia Circolare all’interno della propria realtà?
Possiamo individuare tre macro vantaggi che le aziende possono trarre da questi strumenti:
- Ottenimento di grandi vantaggi economici, sia in termini di risparmio sulla componente scarto sia in termini di guadagno.
- Raggiungimento di nuovi target di sostenibilità, grazie ai quali l’azienda può migliorare la propria reputazione sostenibile e comunicare ai propri stakeholder l’impatto che sta avendo nella transizione circolare.
Posizionamento rispetto alla concorrenza, perché oggi sviluppare progetti industriali di circolarità permette di differenzianci nel mercato, rendenddo il nostro brand unico rispetto alle altre aziende.
Why bring the Circular Economy inside companies?
The potential of the Circular Economy can be seen in any sector: from agribusiness to engineering, all the way to chemicals, manufacturing, and construction.
In fact, in this article, we will look at some case studies that testify to this heterogeneity of applications in different contexts.
Why should a company bring the Circular Economy in-house?
We can identify three macro benefits that companies can gain from these tools:
- Gaining great economic benefits, both in terms of savings on the waste component and in terms of profit.
- Reaching new sustainability targets, thanks to which the company can improve its sustainable reputation and communicate to its stakeholders the impact it is having in the circular transition.
- Positioning against competitors, because today developing industrial circularity projects allows us to differentiate ourselves in the market, making our brand unique compared to other companies.
Circular Economy Case Studies
Having seen what the main benefits of the Circular Economy are, let us now introduce some concrete examples of companies that, by relying on the Sfridoo team, have become real Success Stories.
The case studies we will look at cover the following sectors:
- Plastics Sector.
- Eco-leather sector.
- Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) sector.
- Gypsum processing sector.
- Agribusiness sector.
- Metal sector.
- Manufacturing sector.
- Chemical sector.
In case you are interested in learning more about virtuous cases from other manufacturing sectors, you can find dozens of real examples of circular waste valorization in the “Success Stories” section of our website.
Organic waste valorization
One company identified a unique opportunity in the eco-innovative arena: turning a specific organic waste from the production process into a resource.
Rather than consider it mere waste and face high management costs, the company wanted to explore the market and cost-saving opportunities it could offer.
Through the Circular Economy approach, the company refined and optimized its production process.
This not only eliminated disposal costs, but also administrative and waste management costs. The result was extraordinary, with total savings of 110%.
Waste valorization in extruded polystyrene
One company, specializing in the production of XPS (extruded polystyrene) goods, was faced with a challenge: to effectively manage 85 tons of XPS production heads and tails each year, with disposal costs that amounted to €20,400 per year.
They did not simply see this situation as a problem.
Through thorough analysis, they were able to turn what was a disposal cost into a source of profit, recording a gain of €100 per ton of waste.
Valorization of faux leather waste
One company, a leading manufacturer of eco-leather, was faced with a difficult context: effectively managing 1,000 tons of production waste each year, with charges that stood at €250,000 annually.
Instead of accepting these costs as inevitable, the company adopted circular and symbiotic principles.
This strategic change resulted in considerable savings of €100,000, lowering the cost by €100 per ton of waste.
In percentage terms, this represented an economic benefit of 40%.
Enhancement of electrical and electronic devices
A prominent player in the electrical and electronic devices scene, was struggling with significant disposal costs: €250 per ton, which, multiplied by a batch of 10,000 devices, became a significant expense.
Not content with the status quo, the company decided to adopt Circular Economy strategies.
This move proved successful: it allowed them to completely zero out disposal costs, generating savings of €250 per ton of devices, translating into a 100 percent economic saving.
Are you looking for innovative ways to valorize your production waste?
With Sfridoo® you give new value to your waste, reaping economic, fiscal and environmental benefits by partnering with companies in the Sfridoo network.
Start nowRice cakes valorization
In the wide world of the food industry, one company was looking at leftovers from rice cake production. But instead of seeing them as mere waste, the company saw an open door to new market opportunities.
With a strategy by design, it redirected these scraps into feed production, defining them as former food products.
This not only optimized the environmental impact, but also opened the door to new revenue streams.
The decision paid off: the company’s earnings doubled, further solidifying its place in the market as a profitable business.
Valorization of gypsum slurry waste
A company in the manufacturing sector, produced 80 tons of gypsum sludge annually, with an operating cost of up to €64,000 per year.
The use of an Industrial Symbiosis approach allowed the waste to be found a new use in the construction industry.
As a result of this valorization, the company started recycling 20 tons of gypsum sludge per year at zero cost, allowing a reduction in purchasing costs and achieving an economic benefit of 150%.
Metal shavings valorization
As part of its innovative efforts, one company decided to turn its attention to 1,200 tons of metal shavings produced each year, which until then had been seen as a double waste: economic and environmental.
By adopting circular patterns, they not only gave new value to these shavings, but also saw a significant economic benefit.
And the success has been even more pronounced than expected: the increase in earnings has reached 20 percent over the initial situation.
Valuing manufacturing scrap
A major manufacturing company was faced with the challenge of managing 100 tons of waste each year, an economic stake of €61,500 per year, which translated into €615 per ton.
However, by embracing circular principles, they revolutionized their waste management.
This allowed them to cut disposal costs, going as low as €100 per year.
This strategy not only alleviated a heavy burden, but also ushered in a new chapter in valuing what was previously considered only a cost.
Are you looking for innovative ways to valorize your production waste?
With Sfridoo® you give new value to your waste, reaping economic, fiscal and environmental benefits by partnering with companies in the Sfridoo network.
Start nowValorizzazione scarti settore chimico
In collaborazione con un’azienda di punta del settore chimico, è stata avviata una iniziativa per dare nuovo valore a 8 tonnellate di isopropanolo esausto prodotte ogni anno, le cui spese di smaltimento si attestavano a 1.000 € per tonnellata.
Grazie a questo intervento, l’azienda non solo ha annullato i costi di smaltimento, ma ha anche beneficiato di una decisa riduzione nei costi di acquisto.
Questa trasformazione ha generato per l’azienda un vantaggio economico considerevole, con un risparmio complessivo che ha superato di gran lunga il 150% rispetto alla prassi precedente.
Valorizzazione pasta fresca
Un’azienda leader nella produzione di pasta fresca ha intrapreso un percorso innovativo ispirato dall’Economia Circolare, trasformando i propri scarti in una risorsa di valore.
Avevano un obiettivo chiaro: esplorare il mercato per vedere se quegli scarti organici potessero diventare una fonte di guadagno, piuttosto che una spesa.
L’iniziativa ha portato brillanti risultati. Attraverso il progetto di Economia Circolare, l’azienda ha indirizzato questi scarti verso impianti biogas, generando un’entrata addizionale di 15.000 euro.
Come le aziende possono adottare i modelli di Economia Circolare
Abbiamo visto come in diversi settori l’Economia Circolare può portare vantaggi sia di natura economica, sia ambientale, ma anche indirettamente competitivi rispetto al mercato in cui si opera.
Sebbene l’Economia Circolare oggi sia largamente accessibile a tutti i business, è necessario che le aziende strutturino un progetto di valorizzazione chiaro, coerente e completo in tutte le sue fasi.
Per questo motivo, la differenza tra un progetto di Economia Circolare veramente virtuoso risiede nella scelta del partner ideale per la sua realizzazione.
Un partner che abbia le giuste conoscenze, know-how e una rete ben strutturata di contatti, grazie alla quale creare dei match tra aziende che vogliono realmente approcciare la transizione circolare dei processi di gestione e produzione.
Chemical sector waste valorization
In collaboration with a leading company in the chemical sector, an initiative was launched to give new value to 8 tons of spent isopropanol produced annually, whose disposal costs stood at €1,000 per ton.
Thanks to this intervention, the company not only canceled its disposal costs, but also benefited from a decisive reduction in purchasing costs.
This transformation generated a considerable economic benefit for the company, with overall savings far exceeding 150% compared to previous practice.
Enhancement of fresh pasta
A leading fresh pasta company embarked on an innovative path inspired by the Circular Economy, transforming their waste into a valuable resource.
They had a clear goal: to explore the market to see if that organic waste could become a source of revenue, rather than an expense.
The initiative has brought brilliant results. Through the Circular Economy project, the company directed this waste to biogas plants, generating an additional 15,000 euros in revenue.
How companies can adopt Circular Economy models
We have seen how in various sectors the Circular Economy can bring both economic and environmental benefits, but also indirectly competitive advantages with respect to the market in which it operates.
Although the Circular Economy today is widely accessible to all businesses, it is necessary for companies to structure a clear, coherent and comprehensive enhancement project in all its phases.
For this reason, the difference between a truly virtuous Circular Economy project lies in choosing the ideal partner to implement it.
A partner that has the right knowledge, know-how and a well-structured network of contacts, thanks to which matches can be created between companies that really want to approach the circular transition of management and production processes.
Simone Tabellini
Green Marketer
Una delle sfide del settore dell’Economia Circolare, è quella di riuscire a comunicare in maniera chiara ed efficace i vantaggi che questo modello economico può dare alle aziende. Investendo su tale aspetto possiamo incrementare consapevolezza e conoscenza nelle persone.
