The Smart Recycling Factory (SRF), a resource centre of the future, is to be built at the Pohlsche Heide landfill site. This centre will be used for research into the pure recovery, high-quality recycling and reuse of recyclable materials as well as the resource-efficient design of materials and products.

The aim is to conduct future-oriented, transdisciplinary research into the circular economy, to save resources, reduce CO₂ emissions and strengthen the regional economy. The Smart Recycling Factory, as a „Science-to-Business-Center,” will put scientific findings into practice. A digital research infrastructure and accompanying research support a wide range of research and development projects.  The industrial Metaverse enables AI-based, automated decisions and simulations. The Digital Product Passport optimizes the recyclability of materials, and the construction project serves as a real-world laboratory for resource-efficient construction.

DIN supports the project by researching and preparing an overview of relevant norms and standards and supports the transfer of the project results into standardisation activities relevant to the topic.The standardization documents developed during the funding period, such as DIN SPECs, are intended to serve as a long-term basis for European and international Standardization activities and form a possible basis for Standards in the field of Circular Economy.

For further information please see project website: https://smart-recycling-factory.com/

Project duration

11/2024 bis 10/2027

Project coordination

KreisAbfallVerwertungsGesellschaft mbH Minden-Lübbecke

Project partners

• Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe
• Hochschule Bielefeld
• DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V.
• Weitere assoziierte Partner

Project funding

The project has received funding by the Ministry of economic affairs, industry, climate action and energy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Union within the framework of the call “Forschungsinfrastrukturen.NRW” (research infrastructures North Rhein-Westphalia) under the funding code: EFRE-20300100.