Digital Twin for Resource Management
14.08.2024
The circular economy presents an increasingly complex challenge for companies. From new packaging requirements to stricter sustainability reporting regulations and volatile raw material prices – the demands are steadily increasing. Sustainability is no longer just a compliance issue but a crucial success factor. In this context, Interzero offers a solution: the Materialkonto (‘material account’). This provides companies with a digital twin of their resource and circular management.
In the interview with K-Mag, Britta von Selchow, Commercial Director at Interzero Circular Solutions Germany, discusses the Materialkonto and how it helps to use resources more efficiently and increase transparency in the circular economy.
Ms. von Selchow, how did the idea for the Materialkonto come about and what specific challenges in the circular economy do you aim to address with it?
Britta von Selchow: Circular economy is climate protection. Closing more and more loops significantly contributes to CO2 reduction and reduces the consumption of natural resources. Especially in a resource-poor country like Germany, it makes sense to engage with the topic of circularity of products at the business model level. Physically building loops is one thing. To scale effectively, companies need a strong digital foundation.
To be more specific: Circular management includes, for example, logistics management for many collection and processing sites, which can be digitally automated. Additionally, we are talking about a monetary value in the case of valuable materials, which should be transparently and reliably represented. Quick access to data, for instance for mandatory reporting, is also becoming increasingly important for companies. With the Materialkonto – the digital twin for resource management – these and other data are always transparent and immediately accessible for the company.
How does the Materialkonto work and what are its main functions for companies?
Von Selchow: Together with our customers, we design three concepts for the individual cycle: a logistics concept, a motivation concept, and a technical recycling concept. The logistics concept ensures that the collection and consolidation system fits the customer and their material flows – existing partnerships are of course taken into account. The motivation concept develops incentives for collection points to return valuable materials to the cycle. Finally, the recycling concept contains information on recycling pathways and, for example, the requirements for recyclates to be used again in production.
In the digital Materialkonto, our customers can then see, for instance, information on logistics or the current status of the recycling process. Additionally, valuable materials can be credited as assets or secondary raw materials can be debited, similar to a bank account. This also secures our customers' raw material supply.
How does the Materialkonto facilitate compliance with new sustainability reporting regulations and other legal requirements?
Von Selchow: The Materialkonto transparently represents all steps and quantities in the cycle, providing the data basis for sustainability reporting. Additionally, the Materialkonto can easily provide proof of the recyclability of packaging, for instance.
Exhibitors & products around recycling
What advantages does the Materialkonto offer compared to traditional resource management methods?
Von Selchow: Many processes are still managed in Excel spreadsheets in the cloud, with data being updated by different partners at different times. The Materialkonto is the only digital solution on the market that can automate and scale a cycle 100% transparently.
How does the Materialkonto help companies reduce their dependency on primary resources and avoid supply shortages?
Von Selchow: In the area of packaging, the cycle can be summarized as follows: we collect packaging waste from our customers' customers, organize the recycling, and deliver the recyclates back to our customers' production sites. Establishing a true material cycle gives companies strategic access to secondary resources – exclusively from their own waste. For the quantities managed in the cycle, our customers are independent of supply shortages and market price developments. With the Materialkonto, our customers also always know what quantities are available when and where. This also allows for better planning of the recyclate requirements for production.
What are Interzero's future plans to further develop the Materialkonto and support more companies on their path to the circular economy?
Von Selchow: We try to keep the entry barriers as low as possible and offer, for example, financially manageable pilot projects. In terms of further development, we aim to make data exports to CSRD dashboards even more flexible, making reporting even easier. The more companies actively shape the circular economy with us, the closer we come to our vision of a world without waste.
- Read more about the circular economy in the plastics industry in our comprehensive article!
- With the lifecycleValueCalculator from KraussMaffei, plastics processors can increase their production efficiency and achieve their ecological goals at the same time. More in the interview!
- CYCLOPS closes the gap between the need for information and the supply of recycled materials. Find out all about the SKZ's digital recycling tool in the interview!
Elena Blume (Editorial team K-Mag)