Experience the circular economy

Many cantons, including two in Basel, are currently debating whether to incorporate the principles of a circular economy in their constitution. At Industry Night, you can experience first-hand what the term ‘circular economy’ really means and learn about how important circularity is for a sustainable economy.

At Lottner on the northern edge of Basel city, you’ll have the opportunity to learn what happens to household waste and how it’s recycled. The waste disposal and recycling company recycles vast quantities every day, from wastepaper to bulky goods. OFFCUT is also part of the circular economy. This small company at Dreispitz collects offcuts and production surpluses that would otherwise end up in landfill and puts them back into circulation. At Industry Night, you’ll have the opportunity to browse through the materials market and breathe new life into old postcards in the recycling studio.

Biochar is also an all-rounder for a sustainable circular economy. Biochar enables heating that is both climate neutral and climate positive. Pyronet is a new company that recently developed a pyrolysis heater which stores CO2 while heating, making our soil more fertile in the process. At Industry Night, the experts will show you how this works at the Alti Papieri site in Arlesheim. Biochar has also become an integral part of IWB’s product range. At IWB’s Kleinhüningen depot, the innovation team will show you how biochar is made from tree and shrub cuttings – take away a handful for your own garden.

The Franck Areal, where the famous mustard tubes from Thomi + Franck were once produced, will also offer an attractive location for circular economy institutions in the future. One of the plans for the site is a ‘Kreislaufhaus’, a space for young companies and SMEs with circular business models. On the tour of the Franck Areal, you will learn more about this exciting place of transformation, its fascinating history and a project with a great future.