The goal was to help companies give new value to their waste materials and, together with artisans and creatives, transform them into new product ideas through a co-creation process. After an initial interactive activity to help participants get to know each other and form early connections, the supplier companies – in the wood and furniture sector, but also in other sectors – presented waste materials from their production processes (type, quantity, constraints, physical samples). This “Waste Showroom” allowed designers, artisans, and creatives to interact, ask questions, and—through co-creation—develop new product ideas.
The result? Seven concrete concepts for “second-life products”, offering tangible examples of how industrial symbiosis, collaboration, and innovation can generate circular value and new business opportunities. A special thanks to everyone who took part for their enthusiasm, creativity, and willingness to engage in a process that shows how the transition from waste to resource is not only possible, but already underway. The desire to get involved in a circular economy and industrial symbiosis will produce new business opportunities!