Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT"A CIRCONOMY® Hub offers a completely new way of collaborating"
Four questions to...
What is the circular economy? How can CIRCONOMY® Hubs contribute to it? What is next for the initiative? And what added value does the work being done in CIRCONOMY® Hubs bring? In “Four questions to...”, we regularly interview participants in the CIRCONOMY® initiative.
(1) What does the circular economy mean to you?
The circular economy ensures that by using secondary raw materials, we create more self-sufficient and sustainable material cycles, which are more efficient in social, ecological and economic terms than the previous linear value creation.
(2) CIRCONOMY® Hubs are a new infrastructure for the circular economy. How can you and your institute contribute to this?
Fraunhofer LBF is contributing its decades of experience in materials science to the circular economy through the CIRCONOMY® Hubs. Our research and development is making systems, components and materials more efficient, durable and reliable while also reducing the CO2 footprint and turning linear material flows into material cycles by making use of intelligent manufacturing, design and deployment scenarios, and using lightweight materials, recycled and bio-based raw materials.
(3) The CIRCONOMY® Hubs are set to be implemented in 2022: What are your hopes for the future?
Fraunhofer LBF is excited about this new way of cooperating with new and familiar industry and business partners, and especially about the involvement of social stakeholders. Broadening the range of partners will bring unprecedented diversity to the process of developing solutions for one of the greatest social challenges of our time: the creation of a social, ecological and economically sustainable circular economy.
(4) What added value can the Fraunhofer partners who participate in CIRCONOMY® Hubs expect?
A CIRCONOMY® Hub offers a completely new way of collaborating that goes beyond developing a network and instead targets specific developments and their immediate implementation. There will be no geographical, technological or social limitations for the partners involved. The CIRCONOMY® Hubs will be open to every innovation and partner in Germany in order to achieve their goals quickly and profitably and to maintain Germany’s competitiveness on the international stage. Each cooperating partner will have the chance to help shape the direction of a hub because, ultimately, the time has come for us to get off the beaten path.