An innovative experience on circular economy. Discover Surplus Mall
Surplus Mall is a six months project on industrial symbiosis, coordinated by ITE (Spain) and co-funded by the Pathfinder programme associated to the Sustainable Production System theme of the European initiative Climate-KIC wich ITE is one of the affiliate partners of this consortia.
The project, started in January 2017, will last six months and will analyze the feasibility of a new business model, aligned with European strategies of circular economy, based on a cloud platform addressed to support the trading of industrial surpluses. It will permit the trading between surplus generating and demanding companies and third parties supporting the logistics, management and control.
The proposed model promotes the reuse and valuation of "waste" materials, reintroducing them as secondary materials in the productive value chains, promoting the symbiosis between industries. This will contribute to reduce the consumption of raw materials and the generation of waste, thus resulting in the reduction of the environmental impact associated with the life-cycle of materials and in a direct reduction of GHG emissions focused on the concepts of "zero carbon value chains" and "zero waste systems".
Surplus Mall fits with the wide context of initiatives promoted by European Community in order to reduce consumption of raw materials and to increase the efficiency of production systems, in particular in chemical and metal sectors.
This ambitious objective will be reached by systematizing the different project partners experiences and competences on industrial symbiosis and circular economy. In Spain, Surplus Mall involves ITE (Instituto Tecnológico de la Energía of Valencia), an international Technological Center created by entrepreneurship and supported by the Generalitat Valenciana and the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia) and Fepeval, the Industrial Parks Federation of Region of Valencia. Italian partners of the project are Aster (Emilia-Romagna agency for innovation and coordinator of Emilia-Romagna High Technology Network) and University of Bologna (one of the main Italian and European universities). World Business Council for Sustainable Development, global organization of over 200 leading businesses and partners working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world, is also partner of Surplus Mall and is headquartered in Geneva.
About Climate-KIC
Climate-KIC is the EU’s largest public private partnership addressing climate change through innovation to build a zero carbon economy.
Education is at the heart of these themes to inspire and empower the next generation of climate leaders. Climate-KIC run programmes for students, start-ups and innovators across Europe via centres major cities, convening a community of the best people and organisations.
Climate-KIC's approach starts with improving the way people live in cities. Their focus on industry creates the products required for a better living environment, and they look to optimise land use to produce the food people need.
Climate-KIC is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.