Recap: Open Innovation Workshop with a Focus on Circular Economy

Industry Representatives Develop New Approaches to Elastomer Recycling

How elastomers can be recycled more efficiently in future and how circularity in the rubber and hose industry can be achieved were the core themes of the Rubber Recycling – Open Innovation Workshop which took place on September 9^th, 2025, at Business Upper Austria in Linz. Representatives from industry, research, and the recycling sector collaborated on new solutions for sustainable value chains – from raw material sourcing and manufacturing through to the reintegration of used products.

Visualising the Entire Value Chain

To begin, participants used the LEGO® Serious Play® method to visualise the entire HANSA-FLEX value chain. The three groups developed a comprehensive picture: from steel and rubber production through extrusion, assembly, and customer use, all the way to product take-back, separation, and reprocessing in recycling workflows. Even at this early stage, it became clear how essential continuous circularity and close cooperation between manufacturers, processors, and recyclers truly are.

Business Models for a Circular Economy

Building on these insights, the teams further developed their ideas in a joint Business Model Canvas. From the perspectives of hose manufacturers, processors, recyclers, and HANSA-FLEX itself, they elaborated value propositions, key activities, and cooperation models. The discussion centred on resource conservation, CO₂ reduction, disposal costs, innovation pressures, and rising demands for sustainable supply chains.

Targeted Development of Customer Value

With the Value Proposition Canvas, the groups refined key customer segments and their specific needs. These ranged from the automotive and construction industries to producers of rubber compounds and end users reliant on cost-efficient, reliable disposal solutions. The proposed approaches make one thing clear: higher recycled content, technological advances, and transparent sustainability benefits will increasingly become decisive competitive factors.

Concrete Action Areas as a Shared Mandate

In the final session, participants identified specific white spots – among them the further development of recycling technologies, “design for recycling,” ensuring material purity for test series, and economically viable separation processes. These topics are set to be pursued collaboratively in subsequent activities.

The workshop underscored the sector’s readiness to take new paths. Only coordinated action across the entire value chain can establish a functioning circular system and strengthen competitiveness in a sustainable manner.

NEFI aims not only to provide technical infrastructure but also to foster creativity and exchange with other stakeholders to ensure participation and collaboration. Learn more: Our Laboratories & Services.