Project EFFECTIVE at the TBCME 2022 conference

Under the honorary patronage of Mr. Matjaž Han, Minister of Economic Development and Technology, the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of the University of Maribor in cooperation with SRIP – Circular Economy, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Štajerska and the National Institute of Chemistry once again organized an international scientific research, professional and development conference Technologies and Business Models for Circular Economy – TBMCE 2022, which took place from September 12 to 14 at the Grand Hotel Portorož, Slovenia.

For the fifth consecutive year, TBMCE addressed the current challenges of technological development and the responsibility of society on its transition from fossils to renewables, from linear to circular. The event brought together representatives from business, research and educational institutions, trade associations, and governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Rich program featured plenary lectures and a roundtable, presentations of scientific research results, and expert panel discussions with established speakers, discussing the trends, exchanging ideas, sharing best practices and the latest knowledge on technologies and business models for the circular economy.

During the expert panel discussion “The benefits of the transition to a circular bioeconomy” Mr. Edi Kraus, formerly of AquafilSLO, introduced the results of the EU project EFFECTIVE and its applications.

The results of the project and the establishment of the pilot plant for circular bio nylon 6 in the facilities of AquafilSLO in Ljubljana were well received by the attendants and the organizers of the conference given it represents a flagship industrial result in Slovenia.

The representative from the CBE JU - Virginia Puzzolo - showcased what is important for the CBE JU applicants in the next years since it represents one of the main opportunities for funding for circular bioeconomy initiatives. The EFFECTIVE consortium had the opportunity to virtually meet with the CBE JU representative and discuss in the same panel what are the opportunities of the CBE.

Mr. Edi Kraus has been strongly involved in AquafilSLO as a member of the Supervisory Board and its manager for 25 years, developing the company from a tracker to a world-leading nylon manufacturer. Although he has withdrawn his position as a general manager of Aquafil to give the floor to younger people, he still keeps the active role in the Effective project where multidisciplinary international consortium led by Aquafil, aims towards sustainable and circular biobased solutions for the textile and packaging industry.