Recyling and Upcycling. What do these terms really mean? Are they synonymous? Let’s clarify. Recycling is the transformation of waste into a product suitable for a new use. Re-cycling is the process of returning a material in its life cycle to its original properties. What about upcycling? Rather, it is creative reuse, where the discarded object not only finds new life, but does so by acquiring greater value than the original object or material. Given these premises, which are useful for clarifying the situation, let’s proceed with a small selection of projects presented at Maker Faire Rome 2021 that fall into this category.
BIOECONOMY VILLAGE
What is the circular bio-economy and what are the bio-based applications in everyday life? Susanna Albertini brought to Maker Faire Rome 2021 nothing less than an interactive BIOECONOMY Village house to discover how the sustainable future is already a reality. The BIOECONOMY Village, promoted by the BIOVOICES and Transition2Bio Projects, funded by the European Commission and EuBioNet, is an event format already tested in the context of Maker Faire Rome 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In particular, this year the project aimed to raise public awareness, improve knowledge about products of renewable origin and promote the applications and benefits of the bio-economy, circular economy and sustainability, encouraging dialogue, discussion and sharing between the general public and representatives of universities, research centres, projects, companies, associations and startups.
DIGITAL MADE
Machine intelligence, cloud, additive manufacturing, Big Data: Digital Made is a modular programme developed by Fondazione Mondo Digitale that aims to accelerate digital transformation in the fashion industry with the contribution of young men and women. Through the Digital Made project, Fondazione Mondo Digitale supports the digital transformation of the fashion industry with the dual objective of bringing out new professional profiles and educating people about beauty, also using new technologies. The protagonists of Maker Faire 2021 were the twenty-five projects selected for the third edition of the Digital Made, for Young Fashion Talents contest.
Design and development of an eco-sustainable cosmetic product from waste materials and formulated with excipients and production processes that are completely green and vegan. This is the mission of Francesco Margheriti and Marco Chianura, who brought their line of eco-sustainable cosmetics to Maker Faire Rome 2021. Production will follow the principles of a system based on a circular economy with minimal environmental impact. Active ingredients with powerful antioxidant, anti-ageing, soothing and moisturising actions will be extracted from raw materials, food waste and by-products (e.g. grapes and pomegranates).
Emanuela Gatto, Raffaella Lettieri and Valentina Armuzza brought to Maker Faire Rome 2021 the SPlastica project, an innovative material made from organic waste, completely biodegradable. The world produces 380 million tons of plastic every year. SPlastica proposes an innovative technology to transform expired milk into bioplastic, through an economically and environmentally sustainable synthesis. SPlastica’s products are made of natural biopolymers, in accordance with the new EU Directive 2019/904 on the banning of single-use plastics, are 100% biodegradable and compostable at room temperature, dissolve in seawater in about 60 days and have high stability and resistance to temperature and contact with soaps.
The objective of Virgilio Maretto’s project is to enhance the value chain of HQF Agricola’s products by offering producers a service for the traceability of all products and the narration of key contents to the consumer, based on innovative technologies, first and foremost the Blockchain.
sources: makerfairerome.eu
cover photo: digital made
Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition has been committed since nine editions to make innovation accessible and usable to all, with the aim of not leaving anyone behind. Its blog is always updated and full of opportunities and inspiration for makers, makers, startups, SMEs and all the curious ones who wish to enrich their knowledge and expand their business, in Italy and abroad.
