The focus of the online event was on the three TREASoURcE key value chains: plastics, biobased side and waste streams and batteries. These Key Value Chain Demonstrations coupled with the Stakeholder Engagement Demonstrations form the core of the project, contributing to the Systemic Circular Economy Solutions demonstrated, replicated and further disseminated during and after the project.
Each of the Key Value Chains was presented by VTT’s Master’s thesis workers, Mikko Myrä, Tran Ngo and Nina McDougall, who have been working on the state-of-the-art analyses for the past six months. The conducted circular economy framework analysis supports the overall activities of the project, acting as a basis for future work.
Several common features were identified in the challenges faced by these three value chains. Lack of capacity or low volumes were identified as one of the key challenges, current low availability being one of the biggest challenges for repurposing electric vehicle batteries for energy storage applications. Unawareness or acceptance of recycled or second-life products by the consumers was also noted among the key challenges. There is a need to correct certain presumptions, such as that recycled plastic could not be a high quality raw material. The presentations also highlighted how each stage of the value chain has an impact on the next ones and how the design for circularity must be taken into account from the early stages of the value chain.
The cross-value chain learnings are an important part of TREASoURcE. The results will be used as a basis for a more in-depth analysis of the regulatory environment and will ultimately lead to policy recommendations.
You can watch the full recording of the webinar below. The Key Value Chain presentations can be downloaded from here.
00:00:00 Welcome and TREASoURcE introduction – Project coordinator Anna Tenhunen-Lunkka
00:13:45 Plastic waste recycling – Mikko Myrä
00:54:33 Bio-based side and waste streams for biogas and circular nutrients – Tran Ngo
01:39:55 Repurposing electric vehicle batteries for energy storage applications – Nina McDougall
14.2.2023 | Kaisa Simola (CLIC Innovation), kaisa.simola@clicinnovation.fi