RWTH Students Sweep Top Two Spots in Circular Economy Innovation Challenge
Students from RWTH captured the top two spots in the Innovation Challenge, part of the ‘Meet the Circular Economy – Sustainable Innovation in Practice’ lecture series.
Their winning concepts featured a groundbreaking recycling solution for aluminum window frames and a creative circular system for pre-owned clothing.
The jury was particularly impressed by the proposal from Thoralf Leisten, Agustin Gonzalez, Jule Knobel, and Marc Kocher for the Schüco Group.
Schüco faces a significant challenge in aluminum recycling, as tradespeople often dispose of removed material directly. To motivate tradespeople to return aluminum profiles, the students devised an innovative incentive system. By recycling aluminum, Schüco can reduce its carbon footprint and generate valuable carbon credits. The tradespeople would receive a share of the proceeds from carbon credit trading. The jury lauded the concept for its practical approach to a pressing industry problem, highlighting its potential for real-world impact.
The runner-up spot was clinched by Leon Prochno, Philipp Scheffs, and Sandro Wolff for Remondis: the team developed an innovative clothing recycling system aimed at incentivizing garment collection. Their concept rewards customers with sustainability points for returning used clothing to the recycling stream. These points can then be redeemed for exclusive, upcycled apparel.
The competition drew five teams in total, each crafting solutions inspired by real-world challenges presented by industry partners during the lecture series. Among the other student projects were ventures focused on promoting locally sourced food in the Aachen area.
Junior Professor Sandra Venghaus, in partnership with Professor Ulrich Schurr from Forschungszentrum Jülich, spearheaded the lecture series and Innovation Challenge. The event received support from the Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), the BioökonomieREVIER coordination office, and the RWTH Center for Circular Economy (CCE).