The hackathon is supported by the following industrial partners: Hitachi Energy and Podcomp AB and Valmiera Glass (one of the biggest glass fibre producers in the Baltic Sea Region).

Glass fibre residues are generated daily during the production of glass fibre itself and from manufacturing processes of different industrial goods (wind turbine blades, reservoirs, insulators used in electrical equipment, bathroom units, housing for equipment or transportation industry, etc.).

Although dry glass fibre residues are fine materials which could be used for secondary products, the current practice is to collect and deliver them to landfills as industrial waste. This adds tons of industrial waste and loss of valuable resources.

The idea of the hackathon is to bring together students from different subject areas across the Baltic region to form teams and generate ideas for new products/processes to promote circular economy and new business models together with the possibility to test the ideas, create prototypes and practically work at laboratory and makerspace.

Big congratulations to participants from Aarhus University in Herning for winning multiple prizes in this interdisciplinary hackathon for circular economy and sustainable business models in glass fibre residues.

More information can be found here.

Photos: Mads Scott-Fordsmand Christensen.