Topic 2 Best Practices
In 1993, Swiss graphic designers Markus and Daniel Freitag were looking for a functional, water-repellent and robust bag to hold their creative work. Inspired by the multi-coloured heavy traffic that rumbled along the road in front of their flat, they developed a messenger bag from used truck tarpaulins, discarded bicycle inner tubes, and car seat belts. This is how the first FREITAG bags took shape in the living room of their shared apartment – each one recycled, each one unique, all made from materials that would have more than likely been thrown away and ended up in landfill.
Agroamb Prodalt SL is a rural SME working in the primary sector. Based in Lugo, Spain, it serves over 150 public and private companies and more than 250 farmers, who mainly produce forage. It provides agricultural services for farmers and manufactures organic fertilizers from biodegradable waste generated in the primary and agri-food sectors.
The BIOCOSI project has come up with a revolutionary solution to the problem of wastewater in the dairy sector. It uses the wastewater, which is rich in proteins, peptides and lactose, as a resource for producing firstly bioplastic and subsequently packaging (such as milk bottles) which is 100% biodegradable and compostable.
In Denmark, the interior design company Mater has developed chairs made out of brewery waste. The production method uses plastic waste and the grain left over from beer production at the Danish brewery Carlsberg.
TailoredTile is a brand set up by architect Ana Rita Rodrigues and industrial chemist Bruno Campos. It creates decorative tile pieces made of recovered plastic from Marinha Grande (Portugal).