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Erion commitment to environmental sustainability

Our System participates in ten important research projects promoted by prestigious European programs to sensitize young students to respect the territory and to develop technological and system innovations among companies. The Projects & Researches team is the core of this activity.

Protection of the environment and development of the Circular Economy. These are the main goals that lead all Erion activities. We manage waste associated with electronic products, ensuring regulatory compliance for more than 2,400 Members, but the work we do requires a direct and daily commitment in the Research and Innovation field.

 

Erion inside the most important European projects 

The core of this action is our Projects and Researches (P&R) team, whose reports contributed, over the years, to the creation of important studies developed in international partnerships with scientific organizations, industrial companies and universities. Our experts are currently working on ten projects funded by European organizations such as EIT Raw Materials, EIT CLIMATE-KIC and Horizon 2020, the 80 billion euros maxi research program established in 2014 by the European Commission.

 

Educational projects

Sensitize young students to the protection of the environment and natural resources. The goals of the four educational programs in which Erion takes part, together with international partners from the business, research and university sectors, are based on these topics. RM@Schools is the project funded by EIT RawMaterials, which aims to transmit to students aged 10 to 19 the science and technology knowledge applied to the raw materials sector. RAISE is an internship program aimed at high school students, who will have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience within companies and research laboratories on the subject of raw materials. Young Innovators 2 is the Climate-KIC project that introduces the topic of climate change to schools to invite teachers to stimulate students’ critical thinking on this subject. Finally, Circucity, a summer camp organized in several European cities with the aim of making young people reflect on the scarcity of raw materials and challenge them to develop alternative and innovative solutions to create circular and sustainable cities.

 

Technological innovation projects

Pollution caused by plastic waste is one of the most urgent issues debated globally. The need imposed on all countries all over the world is to reduce the quantity of plastic produced, by resorting to circular economy models that favor the recycling of plastic and its reintroduction into the production processes. This is the focus of the two technological innovation projects in which Erion participates together with numerous experts in the sector. PolyCE, funded by Horizon 2020, is the plan that aims to promote the use of recycled plastic in the production of new electrical and electronic equipment. The strategy is to involve the entire supply chain in the management of WEEE to improve the recycling and recovery system of plastics, avoiding the use of virgin materials. Horizon 2020, promotes also NONTOX, the project that aims to increase the volume of recycled plastic by removing the hazardous substances that currently limit their re-use. Erion collaborates in the mapping of the plastics supply chain, the European regulations that regulate it and in the definition of innovative solutions that allow to overcome any obstacles.

 

System innovation projects

Green optimization of all the life stages of a technological product: production, use and recycling. This is the goal of the four system innovation projects in which Erion takes part with the experts of its Projects and Researches team. The CEWASTE project aims to make the current models of recovery of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) from specific types of waste, including WEEE, more sustainable. The program strategy provides for the introduction of a voluntary certification scheme for the collection, transport and treatment of waste containing a significant amount of CRMs. InnoWEEE, funded by EIT Climate KIC, is a project that takes place between Italy and England with the dual purpose of increasing the collection of small WEEE through their tracking, and implementing new technologies to extend products life. The BELT project aims to support producers, distributors and consumers in the transitional period towards the new energy labelling system for household appliances, which will come into force throughout Europe in 2021. Finally, the C-SERVEES project designed to promote the adoption of circular business models in the world of EEE and, therefore, guaranteeing a more efficient use of natural resources. Erion’s specialists are part of the team dedicated to studying the feasibility of the solutions considered: eco-leasing, product customization, optimization of WEEE management and use of ICT technology.