Developed by Area Science Park in close collaboration with the company Innovando srl, the Refiber project is studying the technical, economic and legal feasibility of a new collective national system for managing pleasure boats (12–24 m range) at the end of their life.
The programme involves the study and adaptation of existing schemes such as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach, starting with involvement of the pleasure-boat manufacturers and distributors themselves. The aim is to provide a concrete response to the environmental and socio-economic problem of illegal pleasure boat disposal, for which there is still no structured model, and therefore an organised system for their management.
REFIBER intends to exploit the flows of materials left after a boat has been decommissioned – including fibreglass, which accounts for the largest proportion at 60% by weight and is the most difficult to process – and therefore to invest in research and development of new disposal technology.
Expected results
- Study of the technical, economic and legal feasibility of a new national collective system for the recovery and processing of fibreglass vessels at the end of their life, founded on the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) principle
- Launch of a pilot centre in the upper Adriatic for the concentration of fiberglass and its processing with recovery of secondary raw materials using BAT (best available technology)
- Definition and support of guidelines for research and development into new processing technologies, in particular: innovative materials derived from recovered fiberglass and solutions to increase the sustainability of the boating sector
- Contribution to the definition of new national standards on recovery and processing of fiberglass (UNI EPR and EOW standards)
Activity
- Mapping of national operators in the handling and disposal of fiberglass boats
- Valuation of historic stock of vessels at the end of their life to be disposed of and analysis of new registrations
- Analysis of technologies for the recovery of fiberglass in line with circular-economy principles
- Consultation with all stakeholders and creation of a new operating model that is feasible and effective to reach the programme goals
- Study and promotion of a regulatory framework for the introduction of management schemes founded on Extended Producer Responsibility in the boating sector
REFIBER is a programme implemented through a temporary consortium open to the participation of stakeholders in the boating industry, including:
- Producers and distributors of pleasure craft
- Designers and suppliers of materials for the boating industry
- Companies providing logistical solutions for the management of vessels at the end of their life and boat support, maintenance and refitting services
- Research centres specialised in techniques for processing materials that are complex to recycle
- Marinas/shipyards
- Public bodies involved in regulation and control
REFIBER falls within the scope of Sistema Argo, the industrial system based on innovation of processes and products capable of increasing economic productivity and generating employment, through the interaction of research and industry. Argo is the product of a memorandum of understanding between the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Administration, the Ministry of University and Research, and the Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE), which appointed Area Science Park as the coordinator for all complex activities
Marcello Guaiana
marcello.guaiana@areasciencepark.it
Matilde Cecchi
matilde.cecchi@areasciencepark.it
Projects and Innovation Dept. – Area Science Park
Padriciano 99, Trieste, Italy