Some 2.4 million tonnes of material was placed in the first phase US materials marketplace between June and August 2015, and the pilot programme has been extended to March 2016.
The materials marketplace was established by the US Business Council for Sustainable Development, the Corporate Eco Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to test the feasibility of a national exchange where traditional and non-traditional industrial waste streams could be matched with new product and revenue opportunities.
Analysis of phase one reveals that 23 companies participated across 78 facilities, with 150 materials placed in the marketplace over three-months. Companies participating in the initiative included Alcoa, BASF, CH2M, Dow Chemical, GM, Nike, Novelis and P&G. Overall there were 59 materials sought,19 transactions developed and 68 recommended matches.
The three founding organisations said the long-term aim is an expanded, cloud-based marketplace, involving hundreds of companies reusing their material flows to help pave the way to a future circular economy in which landfills become obsolete.
“The project is a key step toward the shift to a circular economy – one where waste becomes the new engine for creating value. Unlocking business-to-business reuse opportunities ensures effective waste management and delivers integrated benefits,” said Peter Bakker, president and CEO of the WBCSD.
