Each year, 1,7000,000 m² (~1,200 tons) of textile floor coverings are being replaced in Belgium. After an average life-span of about 10 years, the End-of-Life carpet is usually collected as combustible waste, resulting in a high environmental impact and loss of valuable resources.
Does the quality of collected carpets allow for reuse, after repair or refurbishment, and what is needed to make this happen?
The purpose of this Living Lab is to establish the preconditions for reuse, repair and refurbishing business models including eligible fraction, bottlenecks to be solved through eco-design, necessary actors, training and logistics chain. Opportunities will be illustrated by means of demonstrators. Moreover, the Living Lab Carpet will pay great attention to raising awareness.
With the Living Lab Carpet we aim for the following results and impacts:
- Initiation of EPR (extended manufacturer responsibility) within the carpet sector
- Complete value chain mapped and logistics scenarios listed: required actors
- Suitable business model(s) validated by involved partners and stakeholders
- 5 demonstrators for the following opportunities: reuse, repair, refurbishing
- Detailed training plan for all actors in the value chain
- Guidelines for eco-design concept(s) that facilitate reuse, repair and refurbishing at End-of-Life have been formulated
- Significant potential contribution to Flemish climate objective through reduction:
- Environmental impact by at least 40%
- Resource consumption by at least 60%
Project consortium and steering committee
The project consortium consists of the most important actors within the value chain and is assured of the commitment of IMOG for collection and sorting of EoL carpet.
The following expertise is also present:
- analysis of the EoL carpet flows (Centexbel)
- design from and for Reuse (Designregio Kortrijk & Material Mastery)
- reuse/repair/refurbish possibilities (Weerwerk)
- manufacturing on the basis of ecodesign4reuse (Balta and Belysse)
- training (Cobot)
- legislation (Fedustria)
- contact with the carpet sector (Centexbel and Fedustria)
- customization companies (Weerwerk via HERW!N)
Achieving systemic change in such an ecosystem is a lengthy and challenging process that requires the various players in the value chain(s) to work together.
In addition to actors from the carpet sector itself (companies, sector organisation, knowledge centre, training centre), tailoring companies, designers, innovators, social economy, and recycling companies are involved in this Living Lab.
Financing
Living Lab Carpet is part of the Living labs circulaire economie, funded by VLAIO (VNS.2022.0138)
VLAIO is hét aanspreekpunt van de Vlaamse overheid voor alle ondernemers in Vlaanderen. We stimuleren en ondersteunen innovatie en ondernemerschap en dragen bij aan een gunstig ondernemersklimaat. Dit doen we in samenwerking met tal van partners.
VLAIO zet volop in op circulair ondernemen. Daarom kreeg dit project VLAIO steun én middelen van het NextGenerationEU fonds van de Europese Commissie.
