Materials Perspectives. Materially’s Point of View.
In May, Materially contributed to the contemporary debate on innovation and materials, by actively taking part in three European events.
On May 19th and 20th, SoTecIn Factory, a responsible acceleration program funded by Horizon Europe, came to an end. From its conclusion, Materially received a contribution for the development of CIFORCE (Circular Footwear Resource Finder). At the Start-up day – held at the Inova Business Center in Porto – thirty companies involved in Food, Textile and Plastics-Packaging, presented their products and services in line with the mission of the program “Social and Technological Innovation for Low-Carbon and Circular Industrial Value Chains”.
The digital platform created by Materially, is a footwear sector-specific declination of a broader project that aims to offer a tool for the organization of materials to optimize design processes. Specifically, CIFORCE offers the ability to acquire, order and share technical and environmental impact data of materials to footwear designers. By being able to prefigure and modify the impact of the product already in the design phase, the tool aims to speed up the cultural transition towards a circular production model.
On the occasion of Re-Think Milan (the Circular Economy Forum organized by Tondo at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore on May 21st and 22nd), Materially took part in a round table dedicated to circular materials, bringing the point of view of those who produce and deal – or not – with the topic in their daily choices.
“Advanced Materials for Europe’s Resilience and Sustainability”, the area we were asked to focus on, gave us the opportunity to share reflections on the approach to circular materials. There are materials produced according to circularity criteria: materials to farm, advanced construction woods, alternative padding, materials that act as carbon-sink, secondary raw materials from industrial or agricultural recycling among others – but also materials that support circular economy strategies – solutions for disassembly, materials for thermal efficiency, reusable packaging, solutions for traceability and many others.
Materially organized two meetings involving companies, trainers and end consumers. The aim was to jointly identify the missing skills, highlighting the current training gaps that hinder the transition of the textile industry towards less impactful and more conscious production. A report that collects all the ideas emerged from the meetings conducted in five countries, will soon be available.
