UPCOMING EVENTS

THE 29TH ETRA CONFERENCE
«CIRCULAR TRANSITION IN TYRE RECYCLING»

Influential and informative as always it is the unrivalled ‘one-stop’ shop for all those seeking the latest insights into the worldwide business of tyre recycling.

Exhibition: Discover cutting-edge materials, products, and applications.
Conference Sessions: Engage with industry leaders, researchers, and government representatives.
The Spotlight: Dive into innovative materials and applications.
Networking: Connect with potential partners in EU Projects sessions during the networking moments and cocktail reception.
Re-Plan City LIFE: Take part to the Workshop and connect with the Stakeholders and the opportunities of the Public Works
Social Events: Cocktails receptions, the Gala dinner and lunches in an informal atmosphere.

What’s in the program?

●  The Plenary Sessions on The Circular Transition, the Impact and Market options in Transport Infrastructures, Building and Construction
●   The exciting Spotlight on Innovation
●   Upcycled rubber materials: devulcanization and compounding
● Pyrolysis is always very topical: new projects and improved technologies
●    EU Programs and funding opportunities


RE-PLAN WORKSHOP

RECYCLED MATERIALS and PUBLIC WORKS:
HOW TO REDUCE THE GAP
The workshop is free and open to anyone interested and offers a unique opportunity of discussion and interaction with relevant Stakeholders.
17th of April 2024, h. 14:00 - 16:00


PREVIOUS EVENTS


the Region of Crete:
RTMs -  Breath of Sustainability in our Cities

On March 27 with 50 attendees including public authorities, academia, and engineers, the event addressed key topics:

  • Reevaluating RTMs in Green Public Procurement in Greece through the Minister of Public Works and other Public Bodies

  • Post-2031 EU limitations and involvement of Public Organizations

  • Technical advantages of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) through networking and dissemination

    Attendees discussed the importance of incorporating RTMs into Green Public Procurement practices and shared successful RTM initiatives at both the European and local levels. Moving forward, initiatives will be taken to promote the use of Recycled Tyres by agencies.

We express our gratitude to our partners for coordinating and hosting the event!


EUROPEAN SUMMIT OF REGIONS AND CITIES

The RE-PLAN project participated in the European Summit of Regions and Cities in Mons, Belgium on  18-19 March 2024 with approximately 2000 attendees. 

Thousands of mayors, councillors, regional ministers and top European and global decisionmakers gathered in Mons, in the Walloon Region of Belgium to debate the challenges an​d solutions for the future of Europe and beyond: 
- Global challenges, local solutions;
- Cohesion, well-being and sustainability;
- Local means innovation;
- Cities and regions at the heart of democracy.

RE-PLAN engaged in over 20 detailed conversations, presenting Replan and exploring potential synergies. Many projects aligned with Circular Economy, Urban Transition, and Green Deal objectives were invited to the REPLAN workshop in Brussels on April 17, 2024 h.14:00. Additionally, some organizers invited us to present Replan at their events linked to EU projects or regional/national bodies.

Road Transport Research

The RTR Conference in Brussels from 5 – 7 February 2024, focusing on Results from Road Transport Research, welcomed over 600 participants, featuring 76 projects and 83 speakers. As the 7th edition, it stood as a unique gateway into the accomplishments of EU-funded projects in road transport. Participants gained insights into the results, expected impacts, and upcoming research steps in critical areas: Green Vehicles, Urban Mobility, Logistics, Intelligent Transport Systems, Safety, and Automated Road Transport.

The conference offered a comprehensive overview of the dynamic European research landscape, delivering benefits to the environment, economy, and European society. This resonates with the networking objectives of Re-Plan, fostering discussions and connections with motivated stakeholders regarding the diverse applications of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) in rubberized asphalt, road furniture, and rail construction.

Themes explored during the sessions highlighted that there will be a deep evolution in future mobility, which involves both vehicles and infrastructures, which should be more sustainable. These discussions are pivotal to the Re-Plan project, underscoring its relevance in the context of sustainable road transport research.

Organized by ERTRAC (European Road Transport Research Advisory Council) and the European Commission, the event not only served as a knowledge-sharing platform but also facilitated valuable interactions, contributing to the collaborative momentum in advancing road transport research.

Back from Valencia

From January 31 to February 2, 2024, in Valencia, The Grass & Yarn Conference was held. An important  event which gathered together a wide group of operators involved at different levels in the Artificial Turf value chain.

We had the opportunity to illustrate the activities that Replan Project is carrying on to support recycled rubber infill materials, either in a lively debate or in a dedicated session.

There is still confusion on the reasons and the prescription of the ban, which created concern on the future market of SBR rubber infill.

It was important to explain to the Delegates how it works the decision adopted by the EU Commission on 26 September 2023: “For the next 8 years artificial pitches can be made with recycled rubber infill material and they can remain in regular operation until they reach the end of their life.”

To address concerns, Replan is intensifying efforts with upcoming initiatives:

-         Systematic Revision of Scientific Researches to highlight existing gaps between perception and proven facts.

-         Prepare Replan Guidelines on infill material to provide clarity for end-users, especially Public Administrations facing cost challenges.The majority of Public Administrations face financial challenges in adopting costly alternative infill materials, raising concerns about ensuring access to sports for their citizens.

-         A follow-up session at the 29th ETRA Conference on April 17-19 in Brussels, analyzing joint implications for artificial turf and the tyre sector.

For further information and insights, read our clear articles: 

NEAR Brown Bag Lunch Talk on "Recycling of Tyres”

On 15th December 2023 in Brussels, organised by DG NEAR of EU Commission, the first NEAR Brown Bag Lunch Talk. It is a series of meetings to present and discuss various types of opportunities that may contribute to facilitating the Green Transition in the NEAR Countries. The event was organised both online or in presence with a casual setting where people could bring their lunch, relax, and engage in stress-free conversations with other colleagues.

This was the first event and was focused on Tyre Recycling and ETRA was invited to make a presentation of the situation and opportunities of Tyre Recycling in the light of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan.
Dr. Musacchi from ETRA made a synthesis of 30 years of tyre recycling throughout Europe and the many results achieved thanks to many EU funded projects.
Among the projects described high attention was given to those from the LIFE Program, which seems suitable for a replicability in the NEAR countries: RE-PLAN CITY LIFE to raise awareness among Public Administration on the use of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) in public works and LIFE InReGEO to develop a solution for the giant EOL OTRs tyres. More info at https://lifeinregeo.eu/

End-of-Life Tyres present a pressing concern in NEAR countries, often addressed through environmentally inefficient practices like burning in cement kilns. In the spirit of the transition to a circular economy promoted by the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, reprocessing tyres into higher value outputs offers a cost-effective and ecologically sound solution, extending the life of raw materials.
The critical situation in some countries were illustrated, with a special focus on Ukraine and Morocco were presented and discussed. These are two countries that could be a good target for future action.

The NEAR Brown Bag Lunch Talks serve as a platform to showcase successful initiatives that integrate environmental and climate change considerations across various sectors. Our goal is to inspire headquarters and EU Delegation staff in the NEAR region to champion similar green initiatives, thereby contributing to the achievement of climate and biodiversity spending targets. Furthermore, these sessions offered an opportunity to spotlight available 'greening' tools, such as the Quick Tips, and showcase the support services at your disposal.
The hybrid formula allowed many people from the NEAR Countries to attend online. Over 60 people registered for the event, while over 300 were reached with the information provided at the end of the meeting. Some participants from the audience raised questions and contributed to the debate. A follow-up event in their country was recommended, along with proposing a dedicated workshop on Tyre Recycling opportunities of the NEAR Countries at the next ETRA Conference in Brussels on April 17-19, 2024.

Agorada Kraków

On December 11, 2023, for the first time in Krakow, the AGORADA+ meeting combined with the Clusters Meet Regions workshops was held, titled "Cosmic Małopolska - Cosmoi in Małopolska". Project partners, IETU Katowice and Waste Management and Recycling Cluster , National Key Cluster, actively participated in the Workshop and discussed harnessing aerospace technologies, Smart City concepts, and life sciences for regional development.


The event, attended by more than 70 people in person, aimed to bring together cluster members and stakeholders, including administration and public authorities, recyclers, manufacturers, research and development units, waste management market representatives, recovery organizations, and NGOs.


It should recalled the key role of the organizer, EURADA, European Association of Development Agency, with whom ETRA has been cooperating, who created and grew up along the years and incredible network of organizations and a vast program of events focused on innovation and cooperation, spanning throughout the EU, Near Countries, Africa and South America, among the others.


The workshop provided a platform for valuable local and international networking, facilitating the exchange of experiences and highlighting opportunities for cooperation among clusters from different European regions. The sessions focused on regional priorities, emphasizing the roles of clusters and public authorities, Smart Cities, and the New European Bauhaus.


During the event, in person discussion of the Re-Plan Project scope and areas of application were conducted, contributing to the ongoing efforts in waste management, recycling, and regional development.

EUPAVE Debate “Deployment of innovative infrastructure for climate-neutral mobility”

On Tuesday 5 December 2023, EUPAVE hosted its EU Debate on the theme “Deployment of innovative infrastructure for climate-neutral mobility”. The event was focused on dynamic charging and Electric Road Systems (ERS). EUPAVE believes that combining dynamic charging with concrete pavements will lead to the development of highly sustainable and resilient solutions for road transport. It was remarked that concrete pavements are preferred for long-life, maintenance-free structures.

Recycled Tyre Materials have a great potential of use in Concrete and Cementitious Materials. One of the most promising application is the use of recycled steel fibers in concrete for reinforcement in paving and road construction with increased performance and strong reduction of the CO2 emission: 95% less compared to virgin steel reinforcement.

The event was focused on road applications, to underline the effort to make mobility more sustainable as regard of both materials used in infrastructure and type of vehicles. Concrete and Transport Infrastructure are among the target sectors for Replan and the event was a good opportunity to spread information about project activities and tyre recycling.

Rail Live

The Rail Live conference was held in Madrid on November 29, 2023. Rail Live is the benchmark railway exhibition and conference in Spain, bringing together operators, infrastructure managers, rolling stock manufacturers, researchers and suppliers seeking to promote the railway for both passengers and freight with more than 7.000 attendees.

COMSA actively participated in the event, preparing a poster and the presentation of Re-Plan City LIFE in the innovation and talent zone of the fair. The presentation summarised the Re-Plan project figures, motivation, objectives and actions, and was followed with an introduction of two railway innovations with Recycled Tyres Materials: Neoballast and Ecotrack.

The Neoballast presentation covered mechanical improvements and environmental benefits, featuring test examples on the ADIF line and in the Barcelona metro. The presentation also introduced ECOTRACK, a rail encapsulation utilizing end-of-life tire rubber, outlining its characteristics and showcasing a field test demonstration on the Barcelona Port FGC rail line.

Committee of the Region Workshop for Campania Region Local Administrators

From 22 to 24 November it was held in Brussels at the Committee of the Regions, a training event organised by EIPA, European Institute of Public Administration, addressed to Majors, Councillors, and Public Officials coming from Municipalities and local bodies of the Campania Region of Italy.
The event, titled “Communication action aimed at disseminating the opportunities of European funds and the activation of exchange paths of good practices”, has been designed to allow a strong interaction between speakers and participants.
The face to face module was indeed very lively and provided participants with an in-depth analysis of European policies and programs of relevance for the Campania Region in the context of European funds. Alongside European policies and strategies, the module also combines the first experiences from ESF+/EAFRD programming but also from complementarities with direct funds in the fields of training/education and agriculture. The course also includes a direct in-depth study of design methodologies. Speakers from European institutions and interest representatives in Brussels will participate to share good practices.
The training session included:
• Update on European policies in the fields of training, education and social innovation and rural development
• The innovations in the ESF+ compared to the ESF and the EAFRD and the critical points of the European and NGEU/PNRR planning
• In-depth study of design techniques, financial management
• Visit to the European institutions (European Parliament in Brussels, Committee of the Regions, Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU) Course recipients Group of political-administrative level officials of the Campania Region (Agriculture Training Department).
Ettore Musacchi, Coordinator of the project was invited as speaker to present the Replan project and explain to the audience the many possibilities of using the Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) and the other opportunities for local bodies.
This was a perfect context for the Re-Plan project and the presentation raised great attention and a lot of demands which were also addressed during the breaks and networking moments.

Salon des Maires

On 21st November 2023 Re-Plan Project stopped in Paris at the international fair “Salon des Maires et des Collectivités Locales” (The Exhibition of Mayors and Local Authorities).

The French Mayors’ exhibition is a unique European event addressing local issues and territorial stakeholders. It gathers French, European and International representatives of local authorities, either elected officials, decision makers and administration higher positions. It hence attracts the partners they cooperate with either institutions, associations and businesses. 
The event enables this locale strategic ecosystem to meet, debate and decide for the future of their territories and their inhabitants while facing pressing ecological, economic and social challenges. The exhibition gathered notable number of attendees: 1.203 exhibitors, 50.039 visitors, 352, conferences.

The event was a perfect venue to come in touch with Public Administrations and companies working with them in all the target sectors in which Re-Plan is engaged: Transport Infrastructure, Buildings Constructions, Sports facilities. During the event we met over 50 stakeholders with whom discussed Re-Plan, we illustrated the opportunities offered and the possible future cooperation.

The event is almost 20 years old and it is a reference event for the French Public Administration.

SMART CITY EXPO WORLD CONGRESS


Smart City Expo World Congress, the largest and most
impactful event for urban innovation, took place from November 7th to 9th, 2023, in Barcelona. The event aimed to bring together leaders from innovative companies, governments, and organizations to address the critical challenges facing cities worldwide.

The event attracted a substantial audience, with 25,300 people in attendance. ITeC actively participated in the congress, engaging with at least 300 individuals interested in urban innovation and sustainability through the REPLAN CITY stand. 

The project's objective is to establish a stakeholder platform, fostering communication among recycling stakeholders. This initiative presents a valuable opportunity for smart city development by facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange within the recycling community.

ECOMONDO

On the 9th of November 2023, Re-Plan was presented at
the ECOMONDO Fair in Rimini, Italy during the workshop 'Operational and Assessment Tools for the Management of Materials and Energy in a Circular Economy.'

ECOMONDO is the premier international circular economy exhibition in Italy and one of the most significant events in Europe. In 2023, the exhibition hosted over 1,500 exhibiting brands across four intense days of business and networking.

The workshop spanned a full day with 25 speakers from various countries and fields of activity, all dedicated to implementing projects and processes related to the Circular Economy.

The project was illustrated in detail as well as the main innovative uses of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs). Participants were impressed by the wide array of applications and their high value in terms of performance and sustainability.

Circular Cities & Regions Initiative

The 1st General Conference of the Circular Cities & Regions Initiative (CCRI) took place in Brussels on November 8-9. The title was "From vision to reality: Cities & Regions drive forward Europe’s circular transition". Organized by the European Commission, the event gathered heads of many cities and regions, as well as stakeholders committed to the Circular Economy.

Projects were focused on supporting new initiatives and expanding circularity, particularly:
  • Innovative Circular Systemic Solutions
  • Mobilizing key stakeholders and transforming governance models
  • Financing Circular Systemic Solutions
  • Coupling circularity with climate action for the green transition
Cities & Regions was a major event for expanding project communications and dissemination, providing opportunities for networking.

SAIE


SAIE
is the major Italian exhibition representing the construction sector, which was held on 19th - 21st October 2023. The event garnered significant attention with 407 exhibitors and 123 workshops, drawing over 18,000 attendees in Bari, Italy. 

RE-PLAN, in collaboration with ANTEL (National Association of Local Authorities Technicians), organized the workshop: “Circular Economy in Construction for environmental sustainability, research, strategies, innovations and experiences on the reuse of recycled materials.”

The presentations were focused on building applications of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs), spanning from rubber, steel, and textile ion concrete to thermal and noise-insulating products and applications done with the rubber and textile. Also, Urban and Sports applications were described as the Fair attracts a vast spectrum of interests.

MODERN ROAD PAVEMENTS

RE-PLAN City attended the "Modern Road Pavements - Recycling in Road Pavement Structures 2023" conference on 18th October in Warsaw, Poland.

The Conference is an excellent opportunity for all manufacturers and professionals in the field of road infrastructure, that's why it was attended by more than 100 participants from industry, Universities, Research Organisations, and Public Bodies.
Among the discussed topics were asphalt mixtures with recycled materials, road pavement structures, pavement rehabilitation, and how to make components more ecological.

RE-PLAN identified the main obstacles to using Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) in Roads and Transport Infrastructures and solutions. The presentation also included recent innovation developments by the company RECYKL about using recycled textile in road applications in Poland.

If you're interested in the innovative use of recycled materials in road pavements and RECYKL experience, we have a dedicated article on the event and its outcome. 

Replan met Cities and Regions in Brussels

From 9 to 12 October, the European Week of Regions and Cities took place in Brussels. It was attended by over 7000 participants, 500 speakers who animated 220 workshops and made possible an exciting lively fully physical event.


The European Week of Regions and Cities (#EURegionsWeek) is the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to cohesion policy.
It has grown to become a neutral platform to discuss common challenges for Europe's regions and cities by bringing together a diverse community of speakers and participants.


It was an opportunity for Re-Plan to attend and meet with Local and Regional Authorities and network with many other EU projects focused on Circular Economy, Sustainable Development, Green solution for Urban environment.


The purpose of European Week of Regions and Cities is:

  • To discuss common challenges for Europe's regions and cities and examine possible solutions by bringing together politicians, decision-makers, experts and practitioners of cohesion policy, as well as stakeholders from business, banking, civil society organisations, academia, the EU institutions and the media
  • To provide a platform for capacity-building, learning and exchange of experience and good practice for those implementing EU cohesion policy and managing its financial instruments
  • To facilitate cooperation and networking between regions and cities
  • To feed into the debate on EU cohesion policy in a wider context, including recent research and views from third countries and international organisations

More info at Website: https://regions-and-cities.europa.eu


RETASTE

It was a fruitful month for events, our partners from the Region of Crete also participated in RETASTE on 29th of September. RETASTE: RETHINK FOOD RESOURCES, LOSSES, AND WASTE 2023 is a conference in the field of Life Cycle Assessment of the farm-to-fork value chain. Food waste management is not so far from tyres and their management as it seems. Farms which are the starting points for the farm-to-fork value chain often use recycled rubber for flooring to increase comfort and health conditions of cows.

For instance, there are several applications for rubber mat flooring, including in dairy, beef, and equine facilities! At our last Workshop on Building Construction in Turin, rubber and concrete bricks and flooring for stables were presented. For more information about the event, please refer to the article below. This type of product is a more ecological and comfortable solution for housing horses.

Thanks to our partners from Crete, who expanded the range of events for promoting recycled tyre materials with Re-Plan and contributed to the circular economy through non-obvious, but important tyre applications.









RE-PLAN Project Meeting in Turin

34 persons from 8 countries attended the Turin Project meeting and the two workshops, which took place in Turin, Italy, on September 28th and 29th, 2023.

The first day started with the RE-PLAN official project meeting and the Workshop on Rubberised asphalt which concluded with a fruitful round-table discussion. Participants, including manufacturers and contractors, actively engaged in discussions about current industry challenges and potential solutions.

On the 29th, during the Recycled Tyre in Building Construction workshop, participants had the opportunity to visit the Concrete Structure Labs. There, they could observe materials and equipment up close, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the manufacturing processes.

Following this, a series of presentations and lively discussions took place on topics such as RTMs in Concrete and Cement based applications, optimizing tyre rubber-concrete formulations for scaling-up to lightweight paving applications. Manufacturer speakers also shared valuable experience about the use of rubber in concrete, steel fibers, and recycled aggregatein concrete mixtures and on-site applications and even provided product samples!

This meeting was of great interest to both participants and stakeholders. A more detailed analysis on data discussed during the workshop as well as other results will be shared at a later date.

Participants enjoyed working together during two intensive days nicely hosted by Città Metropolitana di Torino and Politecnico di Torino.

The Waste Management Plan for the Silesian Voivodeship.pdf

RE-PLAN project presented to the Silesian Voivodeship

On July 27-28 and August 2-3, Re-Plan City LIFE participated in the Public Consultations on the Waste Management Plan for the Silesian Voivodeship for 2023-2028 organized by The Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas (IETU) in Katowice, Poland.

Representatives from public administration (municipalities and the Marshall Office of Silesian Province), waste operators, engineers, and SMEs, representing the 167 Municipalities of the Silesian Voivodeship are involved in the plan. Altogether, about 200 people were trained during this workshop.

IETU is responsible for implementing the Waste Management Plan, and a series of workshops were conducted within 4 days. A “Materials from Tire Recycling - Products and Possible Applications in Local Government Investments” session was held as part of the workshop on the theme “Issues of Recycling and Reuse of Waste in Municipalities”.

Other key topics were discussed, including:

RTM products for the transport and construction sectors, particularly in the Silesian metropolis, to reduce noise and vibrations in public tram transport. This point was particularly on target due to the fact that many communes of the Silesian metropolis rely on rails for public transport.

The role of Green Public Procurement (GPP) in municipal investments, is especially significant in Poland where GPP implementation is still in the development stage.

It was an excellent event to promote the RE-PLAN CITY project and join the Working Group for municipalities and entrepreneurs in the sector of waste treatment.

innovation is told

On 23rd June, organized by the Innovation Poles of Piedmont Region, it was held an event in Turin named “Innovation is Told”. The format and set up was really exciting and included different moments.

The Innovation is TALKED and DESIGNED: conference + tenders + pitch! A dynamic workshop in which innovation is told in an agile and concrete way through the solutions and products created by the companies themselves.

Innovation is SHARED: light lunch + networking activities The day continued together with the Poles and was dedicated to tenders and networking, where there was the opportunity to get in touch with companies, investors and clusters to explore business and collaboration opportunities during the light lunch.

RE-PLAN CITY LIFE project has been introduced and during the networking receiving good attention interest to future cooperation.

Innovation is the house light for tyre recycling and in Turin there are three key partners of Replan project and lot of ongoing co-operations.

Avantex_Program.pdf

Advantex

On 19th June at Politenico of Turin has been held the closing event of ADVANTEX, a research of innovative tools to support the logistics of use of excavated materials (marino) produced by the Turin-Lyon railway line for the best sustainability and circular economy of the process.

The event was addressed to a selected and qualified audience working in the field of concrete and sustainable rails infrastructure.

The research was carried out by Politecnico of Turin testing also steel fibers from tyre recycling, thanks to the cooperation with companies and organisations who are also involved in Replan project.

The test showed that the use of recycled steel fibers contributes to a significant flexural strength and allow the use of up to 30% of coarse recycled aggregates with an increase of compressive strength.

RE-PLAN CITY LIFE project has been recalled in this presentation by Prof. Fantilli (Politecnico) and then deeply described by Geom. Marabotto (ETRA) to participants during the after event follow-up meetings, receiving good attention interest to future cooperation.

25th Jubilee Conference Trends in Eco-Development in the Chemical Industry”, Zakopane, Poland

On June 14th 2023, Re-Plan City LIFE appeared at the 25th Jubilee Conference “Trends in Eco-Development in the Chemical Industry”, which  was held in Zakopane, Poland.

“Trends” are cyclical conference which brings together representatives of Polish industries, engineers, technicians, R&D units, legal regulators and public authorities. The host is an Association or Technicians and Engeneers of Chemical Industry, main partner and patronage: Grupa Azoty, the biggest, State owned Polish industrial corporation. The conference was held under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

At the event, RE-PLAN CITY LIFE Project took the floor with a presentation: “Recycled tires materials (RTM's). Products and applications - Re-Plan City Life project”. During the presentation, the idea, purpose and consortium of the Re-Plan Project were characterized, as well as the main areas of interest of RTM's which we focuses on. The industrial sector appears as a potential and development market for RTM materials and products. This applies to both new materials and construction technologies, road construction, noise reduction, etc. Moreover, the promotion of material recycling is one of main rules of Circular Economy. In case of used tyres, there is a right alternative to chemical treatment of rubber and energy recovery. Backstage chats were a good opportunity to exchange experiences and carry on an interesting networking aiming to expand cooperation opportunities.

Insuleco_Brochure.pdf
ITMA-2023-Nonwoven-leaflet.pdf
ITMA-2023-Recycling-leaflet.pdf

ITMA EXhibition

From 8th to 14th June it was held in Milan ITMA, the world's most influential textile and garment technology exhibition.

What has to do a Textile Exhibition with Tyre Recycling?

ITMA is the place where the textile industry converges every four years to showcase the latest textile and garment processing technologies, machinery and materials, promote collaborations and forge partnerships.

105.298 visitors from 136 countries 1.717 exhibitors, from 45 countires, 194 Supporting organisations, 95 Supporting Media, 239 Non-woven Exhibitors.

The non-woven technologies is the reason why ETRA attended this event. Tyre recycling sector produce every year, in Europe, not less than 300.000 tonnes of textile materials, which are mostly used for energy recovery, but could be used to produce valuable insulating materials, like those we developed under Insuleco Project.

At the event it was possible to meet textile recyclers and technology providers interested to cooperate in developing solutions for tyre textile materials.

Textile sectors is one of the biggest sector in the world and most impacting on the environment:

·       5 trillion litres of water used per year for dyeing processes

·       1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 emitted from textiles production

·       50% increase in water usage by 2030

·       26% contribution to global carbon emission by 2050

They are generating every year huge amount of scraps and waste garments as only 1 item out 3 which are produced is actually sold, 2 out of 3 become waste.

These is the reason why they are interested to recycling and they are open to cooperate with tyre recycling sector and willing to work in ETRA’s projects, such as Replan and Insuleco, as well as new owns.

ICLEI SPINS THE WHEEL

On 8th June 2023 at ICLEI premise in Brussels it was held the workshop: “Spin the wheel - Financing the reskilling and upskilling for circular cities”, an official side event of the EU Green Week, and part of the ICLEI Brussels-based series of events Breakfast at Sustainability’s. The event explored linkages and concrete actions that should be considered by investors and project owners when developing circular and a long-lasting, place-based skills and workforce.

The event also highlighted the central role of local governments in linking both with the private sector as well as public and private investors. Participants had the opportunity to learn about ICLEI’s current efforts in delivering Project Development Assistance (PDA) to local authorities and other project developers in the frame of the DEFINITE-CCRI and CircularInvest projects under the umbrella the CCRI.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.

The workshop and the context were a perfect opportunity to network and introduce RE-PLAN CITY LIFE Project  to both private and public stakeholders who attended the event.

Green Week 2023 Agenda.pdf

GREENWEEK

From 3rd to 11th  June is the Green Week, celebrated throughout Europe with different type of events. In Brussels on 6th and 7th June it was oragnised by the EU Commission a Conference whose title is  “Delivering a Net-Zero World”, attended some hundreds from all over Europe.

EU Green Week is an annual opportunity to debate, become familiar with, or even celebrate EU environment policy, to celebrate the progress we’ve made, and to encourage individuals, communities and organisations to take stronger action in future – to protect, preserve and restore our environment, for now and for future generations, while constantly promoting sustainable development.

It was a unique moment of networking to spread information of RE-PLAN CITY LIFE Project and to pick opportunities of cooperation and synergies with other EU projects, programs and initiatives.

UITP SUMMIT - BARCELONA

The UITP summit is the largest worldwide meeting of the public transport and sustainable mobility sector, which took place in Barcelona from 4-7 June 2023.

COMSA, who is partner of RE-PLANCITY LIFE Project participated with  a stand equipped with a big screen, where different construction and R&D project videos (including Re-Plan City life) were displayed. Indeed, COMSA’s R&D personnel, including Miquel Morata, Joan Peset and Valentí Fontserè were present at the stand, handing over brochures and explaining information of the projects, including Re-Plan City Life.

Different representatives of the administration visited the stand. We were proud to welcome the president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Pere Aragonès; the minister of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez; the president of ADIF, María Luisa Domínguez; the CEO of Metro de Madrid, S.A., Silvia Roldan; the general director of Mobility Planning and Infrastructures of the Madrid City Council, Lola Ortiz Sánchez; the general director of the Metro Network in Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), Òscar Playà; the coordinator of the Rodalies de Catalunya Plan, Pere Macias; and the director of the Xarxa Ferroviària i Projectes de Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Pere Mateu Soler; among other authorities, as well as institutions, companies and partners.

2023-06-07_EURADA_Flyer.pdf
AGORADA_2023_Agenda.pdf

Agorada 2023

On June 6th 2023 at the European Committee of the Regions, organized by EURADA it was held AGORADA 2023.

The event was designed to function as meeting point for regional development practitioners. AGORADA creates and maintains a network of Regional Development Agencies by helping them connect and work together in activities related to their common interests.

This year’s edition was focused on Sustainable Cities and Regions tackling harnessing talent, up skilling & retraining; urban regeneration; and territorial innovation, interregional value chains & strategic foresight. It was so a perfect occasion of networking to introduce RE-PLAN CITY LIFE Project to attendees.

Founded in 1992, the European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA) gathers professionals working on economic development across Europe. EURADA represents development agencies before the European Union institutions.

The association facilitates the cooperation among regional economic development practitioners. They can network, plan common EU projects, cooperate, advocate, and participate at European level. EURADA serves as international well-established facility to connect development agencies with each other, with Europe, and with the opportunities Europe has to offer.

construmat barcelona

On 23-25-May 2023 it has been held in Barcelona CONSTRUMAT 2023. With over 40 editions of the fair as the standard-bearer in Spain for the construction industry, Construmat is a globally-recognised brand for our commitment to innovation, sustainability and business.

208 companies, 388 brands exposed in 14,000 m2 of exhibition area were visited by about 15.000 visitors.

ITeC attended with a both in which held a workshop to present Replan project. Building sector is strategic for the project as it represent an important market for the Recycled Tyre Materials, which provide, among the others, rubber flooring insulating sheets, textile insulating panels, steel fiber for concrete reinforcement, rubber powder for plasters and 3D printing cement compound.

Metabuilding event

On 25th May by NOBATEK/INEF4 premised in Anglet (France) it was held an event to present the the GROW&HARVEST + SEED winner of the METABUILDING project, (coordinated at European level by NOBATEK/INEF4 and by Cercle Promodul / INEF4 at French level). ETRA attended to the Pitch session to present the results of the GreenDeal project. During the lateral meetings and networking moments Replan project was also presented.

The event was well attended by over 60 Nobatek Members and professionals, all working in the building sector and involved in the development of more sustainable technologies and products.

Nobatek is an important cluster who support the development and go to market of recycled building materials.

PLASTPOL - XXVII International Fair of Plastics and Rubber Processing

On May 23, 2023, Re-Plan City LIFE appeared at the 27th International Fair of Plastics and Rubber Processing PLASTPOL (Kielce, Poland, May 23-26, 2023).

For over a quarter of a century, Kielce Fairs has been offering the plastics and rubber processing industry a space to conduct successful business meetings and strengthen personal contacts. This year's edition of PLASTPOL 2023 was attended by almost 600 companies from 26 countries around the world.

The topic of recycling and activities carried out between the producer, institutions and consumers was, raised during the conference "Recycling of plastics - one goal, many possibilities", which took place during the PLASTPOL fair. The meeting was organized by the Waste Management and Recycling Cluster - National Key Cluster (WMRC). As part of the conference, the workshops "Circular raw materials and products: recycling of used tires. Re-PLAN CITY LIFE” carried out in cooperation with the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas (IETU). Target Audience were cluster members and stakeholders – public administration, recyclers, manufacturers using RTM, suppliers of products containing RTM, research and development units, engineers, waste market analysts and brokers, recovery organizations, NGOs, SMEs. The workshops were preceded by presentations:

• The tire recycling market in the context of the circular economy. Katarzyna Błachowicz, Vice-President of the Management Board of WMRC

2023-05-23-D_01_Brochure-Forum-Compraverde-2023_Web.pdf
2023-05-23-D_Programma-Forum-Compraverde-Buygreen-2023.pdf

FORUM BUYGREEN

Forum Buygreen is the most important Italian event on Green Public Procurement organized by Fondazione Ecosistemi. The first edition dated back to 2007 and grew up continuously. This year they have been put together 26 workshops and working tables, 30 training workshops, 190 speakers, 270 Public Bodies, Companies and Organisations.

Four speakers from RE-PLAN CITY LIFE Project took part to the Workshop “Circular procurements in buildings and public works” describing the uses of Recycled Tyre Materials in Buildings and Roads constructions.

Speakers from Ministry of Environment and from other recycled materials value chains, also used in public works applications, took part to the Workshop and contributed to animate the debate.

2023-05-05-R_HOOP_DECISO Programme.pdf
2023-05-10_Financing_Local_Circular_Initiatives.pdf

On 10th May in Brussels, organized by the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, it was held an interesting event to discuss of how to face the high upfront investment costs of many circular economy initiatives.

The two Horizon Europe projects Deciso and Hoop address this issue by providing project development assistance, including the development of financing solutions and business plans for local circular economy initiatives with the ultimate aim of leveraging further public and private investment.

It was a good occasion to introduce ETRA and to share information about Replan project which matched well with the type of event and profile of attendee.

Some good new contacts were established with the aim to start cooperation or explore possibilities of new projects.

2023-05-10_Asphaltica_2023.pdf

ASPHALTICA 2023

On 4th and 5th May Replan landed in Verona (Italy) to attend Asphaltica 2023, an international event gathering a fair and some workshops on the roads paving and constructions.

We attended to the three workshops on sustainable roads where we met some hold contacts of ETRA very active in promoting rubberized asphalt and still very friendly and motivated to co-operate with us in the frame of RE-PLAN CITY LIFE project.

Other occasion of contacts came from visiting the fair where we met some companies specialized in developing new products and open to use rubberized asphalt, as well with ANTEL, attending with their local members.

MoRe_Flyer.pdf
Greendealles_Flyer.pdf
8486_METABUILDING PLATFORM_Brochure (EN).pdf

METABUILDING - BRUSSELS

On 26 April 2023 in Brussels was held the METABUILDING event Enhancing the circularity in the construction sector”, with the objective to bring together stakeholders from the construction and the recycling sector, foster cross-collaboration and showcase some of the innovative projects supported by METABUILDING.

ETRA coordinated two Metabuilding Projects: GreenDealles, on use do steel fibres in concrete, and  MoRe R&C on the use of rubber powder in plaster with recycled carbon fibers.

This event was a perfect occasion to meet the other Metabuilding Winners and introduce to them ETRA and Replan project and carry on an interesting networking aiming to expand cooperation opportunities.

The construction sector needs to challenge its usual practices and innovate at a higher pace than ever before. For that, METABUILDING, an EU-funded H2020 project, has developed an innovation ecosystem that brings together stakeholders from construction and four emerging industrial sectors; recycling & circularity, additive manufacturing, nature-based solutions, and digital industry.

As part of the METABUILDING outreach activities and with the goal of fostering the cross-sectoral cooperation, Replan is pleased to give visibility to Metabuilding projects as well as other projects developing the use of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs).


FIRM23 - Brussels

On 25-26 April 2023 in Brussels it was held FIRM23, the FEHRL INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH MEETING 2023.

FIRM Meetings are a series of international Conferences and Seminars presenting FEHRL and its Cooperative Research Activities, dedicated to offering opportunities to Institutes and Associations linked to road engineering research topics including safety, materials, environmental issues, telematics and economic evaluation.

The event gather stakeholders involved in mobility infrastructure from all over Europe and outside. ETRA attended for networking purposes of Replan project. Some very interesting contacts were established as well as possibility of cooperation.

The Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories (FEHRL) was formed in 1989, with as objective the support towards coordination and application of research and innovation. FEHRL's mission is to promote and facilitate collaboration on road research and provide high-quality information and advice on technologies and policies related to roads. FEHRL encourages collaborative research into topics such as mobility, transport and infrastructure, energy, environment and resources, safety and security.

2023-04-22_Replan_Article.pdf
2022-09-04_Infill_Ban.pdf

End Of Life Artificial Turf

On 14th April in Monza at the new u-Power stadium there was an interesting and well organized event (by Tsport Magazine) on the theme "Disposal and recovery of synthetic grass surfaces",

It was a good occasion for the networking of RE-PLAN CITY LIFE, aiming to expand project visibility and catch opportunities of cooperation.

Despite it was an event addressed to the Italian artificial turf sector, it should be noted that many of the companies attending have an international market approach as they are working throughout the EU.

The recycling of the turf makes available high quality rubber infill material ready to be re-used onsite in new artificial turf. However, despite the convenience and the very low footprint, owing to the threaten of the infill ban, this valuable materials risk to be sent to disposal.

The maintenance of the Public Space, Belluno (Italy)

On 13th April in Belluno (Italy), ANTEL, the Italian Association of Technicians of the Public Administration, organized a Workshop to present and discuss various experience of Public Space in the City and the Regeneration of the Urban Context.

The event see the active involvement of the Professional Order of Architects and the University of Ferrara, as well as the Municipality of Belluno. Many technicians from the Public Administration of northern Italy attended.

However the event had a wide scope it was a perfect occasion to meet with Stakeholders and Professionals to introduce Replan and the opportunities to join the Working Groups.

ANTEL and ETRA has been working together for many years to promote the use of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) in public works through training workshops to their members and affiliates.

28th ETRA Conference on Tyre Recycling

142 persons from 36 countries worldwide registered to the 28th ETRA Conference, which was held in Brussels Wednesday through Friday 29 -31 March.

The day of 29th was devoted to RE-PLAN project meeting and to a Workshop of the three Working Groups open to all the Stakeholders.

On 30th in the plenary session RE-PLAN CITY LIFE program showed significant examples of use of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) in high quality products and applications for rails and roads.

Then the Sport WG of RE-PLAN which worked on the issue of the infill ban, reported the work carried out over the past year, highlighting an analysis that put the figures into a new perspective, also illustrating an innovative tool for systematically analyze the many publications made so far in order to obtain an objective synthesis of the existing evidences.

On 31st networking and meetings completed the event.

La Sapienza, Rome

On 24 March we have been requested to hold a speech at the La Sapienza University in Rome, Dept. Chemical Engineering, Materials, Environment, in the context of course on sustainable materials used in building constructions.

The presentation whose title was Possible value chain in Tyre rubber waste management, aimed to describe in detail the potential of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) and explain the contradiction and the interests that still obstacles a more robust adoption of these valuable solutions.

ETRA has been cooperating with Professor Valente since may years ago, who is actively engaged in various R&D projects about the use of (RTMs) as alternative to traditional components of cement and concrete.

He organized and run an innovative course addressed to an international group of students who are really motivated to learn new techniques to reduce the foot print in the construction sector.

I light up less

On the occasion of the "I light up less" day to raise people's awareness of energy saving and the circular economy, on 23rd March 2023 we held a 2-hour meeting with third and fifth grade students making a presentation on the topic of recycling end-of-life tires which compared to other recycled materials such as paper, glass, plastic, they have the particularity of not being able to return directly to the production cycle of new tires and therefore it is important to recycle them in other sectors such as sports, roads and construction.

Cycling Europe

In March we have been actively involved in the Cycling Europe Event organised in hybrid modality in Duesseldorf.

From 1st to 31st we took part in various steeps to the matchmaking to present in one to one meeting the potential of Replan Project both as an important tool to raise awareness about the used to Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) as well as incubator of possible new projects.

On 21st March we participated to a webinar on New & innovative Materials where we described in details some uses of RTMs useful to improve cycles mobility.

Altogether 141 persons were registered on the platform and to the various activities connected to the event.

Cities Forum 2023: 16-17 March, TUrin, Italy

The 5th edition of Cities Forum will be held in Torino, Italy from 16 to 17 March 2023. The event brings together key urban stakeholders at European, national, regional and local levels who are committed to a green and just future of cities.

Thanks to the support of the Municipal City of Turin, who is one of the project partner, it was possible to make a quick visit and share some communication material of the Replan Project. Other Partners from Turin are Politecnico of Turin and University of Turin.

The Cities Forum is a biennial event of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy. For this edition, the host is Torino, a city with a vast history in urban transformation due to its transition from factory town to a city of knowledge, culture and innovation.

Crete SAC meeting

On 13th March 2023 Region of Crete organized a Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting to introduce Replan project and collect input from participants, who was both form the industry and the Public Sector.

The event was supported by Ekoelastika the management body in charge of EPR in Greece and interested to develop sustainable uses to Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs).

Grass & Yarn Forum

The Grass Yarn and Tufters Forum was held in Madrid  from 28th February to 2nd March 2023.

Ettore Musacchi from ETRA attended and made a presentation to explain why is important to support the use recycled rubber infill material. The benefit are not only for the environment, but also for the sport, for social relations, and to grow a really green economy.

The presentation tried to clarify what is behind the decision adopted by the Commission and the impacts on the industry, the sport facilities, the environment.

RE-PLAN at ACI Brussels

On 17 January 2023 in Brussels, at the presence of DG Move, Replan project was presented during a workshop at ACI, Automobile Club of Italy,  orgnanised by EIPA, the European Institute of Public Administration.

The Automobile Club of Italy is a non-profit public body which institutionally represents and protects the general interests of Italian motoring, whose development it promotes and fosters.

They are responsible of various activities in many different contexts:

-       Management of EOL tyres deriving from vehicles dismantling

-       Road safety

-       Touristic promotion

-       R&D

It was a training workshop on EU projects to which attended over than 40 persons from different departments.

The project was described in detail and it was underlined the potential for a more sustainable management of EOL tyres, as well as other opportunities of cooperation.

Artificial Turf Lesson

In the context of the Football Teaching Techniques course held at the University of Asti, a lesson dedicated to synthetic turf fields was included in which it was possible to illustrate the various construction, management and maintenance techniques. Particular attention was paid to the fields made with rubber granulate infill obtained from the recycling of end-of-life tyres. The lesson was held on January 13, 2023 by Geom. Marabotto, VP of ETRA, who was the designer of the sports facilities at the Municipality of Turin, and was able to illustrate the advantages deriving from the use of the infill material, both in terms of performance, environmental and economic.

Spain SAC Meeting

A Spain SAC and Working group meeting was held be place on November 29 at the ITeC offices in Barcelona.

In addition ITeC who organised and hosted the event, then meeting was attended by the other partners: COMSA Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, and ETRA (Project Coordinator) as well as Stakeholders from the Industry and Public Administration.

After having introduced the project and the objective and main activities, the meeting was focused to illustrate and discuss the main issue that affect the sector and limit the expansion of the use of Recycled Tyres Materials in the main fields of applications: Transport Infrastructures (roads and rails), Concrete and Construction, Sport and Leisure (artificial grass pitches, sports facilities, rubber surfaces for multisport and leisure activities, etc.).

Particular attention has been laid on the Microplastics issue and the risk of the ban of the polymer infill materials for artificial turf.

Workshop at RESTRUCTURA


The use of recycled tire materials in roads, buildings and sports infrastructures

A RE-PLAN CITY LIFE Workshop was held on November 17th in Turin at the RESTRUCTURA fair, the most important exhibition of constructions, renovations and restorations in the north-west of Italy. An international event that brings together every year the main players involved in the development of innovative materials and techniques and sustainable practices.

The event was organized by ETRA with an important support from ANTEL the National Association of Technicians of the Public Administration and the cooperation from the other Italian Partners: Metropolitan City of Turin, Politecnico of Turin, University of Turin.

The project was introduced describing the objective and main activities, then few presentations from the partners were done to illustrate the main different uses of Recycled Tyre Materials in Transport Infrastructures (roads and rails), Concrete and Construction (reinforced concrete with steel fibers for industrial floors and roads, rubber slabs and layers for noise reduction, recycled fibers, textile panels for insulation), Street and Urban Furniture, Products and applications for Sport and Leisure (artificial grass pitches, sports facilities, rubber surfaces for multisport and leisure activities, etc.)

In addition to the workshop a booth was made available to meet technicians and operators.

SmartCityExpo_Barcelona_Article.pdf

Smart City Expo World Congress

On 15-17 November 2022 in Barcelona was held the Smart City Expo World Congress. The world’s leading event for cities gathering leaders from the most innovative companies, governments and organizations to move cities towards a better future.

ITeC shared in their stand information about the different European project which we are involved.

Also, they participate in two sessions. In one of these, Kathleen Blanco (R+D Project Manager) spoke about the contribution of ITeC in the European Projects, how the projects are a way to generate new knowledge and contribute to the future of the construction sector, which is aligned with the European Commission's dedication to global climate action, and the importance of work together a different kind of organization from all Europe to unite for a common good aligned.

https://www.smartcityexpo.com/






forum compraverde buygreen

RE-PLAN CITY LIFE project made a step in Rome at the 16th edition of Buygreen Forum, the main Italian event on GPP for the Public Administration.

The event was held on 19 and 20 October, organized by Fondazione Ecosistemi, who is partner in the project.

The relevance of the event is well expressed by the figures of the forum:

+ Over 2400 participants

+ 270 organisations

+ 26 events

+ 200 speakers

+ 10 training sessions

2022-10-21_Replan_Buygreen.pdf

27Th etra conference

The 27th ETRA Conference on Tyre Recycling was held Monday through Wednesday, 30 May – 1 June 2022 at Le Louise Hotel in Brussels. Despite many events related to recycling, tyre and rubber took place in May, some of them overlapping, there were 122 registered participants from 28 countries worldwide.

2022-06-13_Article_ETRA_Conference.pdf