BUSINESS
The Circular Economy
of Our Region
The Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre Ostrava a.s. (MSIC) provides services and programmes that
support growth, innovation and aid small- and medium-sized companies and startups not only in their
beginnings but with long-term maintenance of their business. The centre is also involved in sustaining
a circular economy for which it is working on multiple projects.
One of these projects is called CECI
(Citizen Involvement in Circular Economy
Implementation), which is financed under
the auspices programme Interred Europe.
The goal of this project is to raise awareness
of circular economies and highlight the
importance of citizen involvement. It aims
to inspire the adoption of sustainable
consumer habits and behaviour in order
to promote a collective effort to decrease
waste production and save energy.
This is done through the provision of
new sustainable services, for example,
a shared economy, the extension of
product life cycles through reuse, repair,
refurbishment and renovation. In the past,
MSIC hosted educational events on
various topics aimed at citizens and their
database of good practices, provided
by international partners, also plays an
important role.
Another project which MSIC is involved
with is the integrated project ‘IP LIFE for
Coal Mining Landscape Adaptation’, Its
intention is to successfully implement
the region’s adaptation strategies for
the effects of climate change, adopted
in January of 2020, and, through this,
increase the climate resistance of
the Moravian-Silesian Region, increase
the environmental quality for local citizens
and support the sustainable development
of the region. In the following years,
MSIC will be leading a support centre for
companies that make use of adaptation
technologies. Currently, we are in
the process of setting up the centre’s
operation, compiling methodologies and
building up a database of specialists. All of
this will lead to so-called ‘climate scans’ of
companies.
As of right now, we are collaborating
with IdeaHUB z.s. on company scans,
constructing a database of free materials
— www.material-market.cz — where we
give materials and resources that would
otherwise be thrown out or neglected as
unused inventory a second life. The goal
of this project is to create a link between
the supply and demand of these materials
and eliminate waste produced during
production.
IdeaHUB is a shared development centre
based in MSIC that unites a community of
creative people on the basis of research,
development, application, education
or the popularisation of innovative
technologies. IdeaHUB offers a prototype
workshop where members can create
prototypes of their construction solutions
when working on projects and learn
how to work with modern production
technologies. Its main goals are to support
the application of graduates in technical
fields and to bolster the competitiveness
of practical products and processes.
IdeaHUB’s support gave rise to, for
example, benches made out of upcycled minecarts and stools made from
discarded fire hoses and pipes or bar
counter. It also helped save chair frames
that would otherwise have been burned.
Their refurbishment made use of leftover
fillings and fabric that other companies
would have otherwise discarded. CreoKit
was also something that came out of
IdeaHUB. Aimed at children aged five and
above, it is a creative wooden building kit
mainly made of wooden sticks obtained
from waste in arrow production.
All activities in the field of the circular
economy are welcome here, and we
would be happy to familiarise any
companies interested in taking part with
their options.
Text: Klára Golabová, Project Developer,
MSIC a.s. a Vladimír Dostál, IdeaHUB, z.s.
Foto: MSIC a.s.
POSITIV 2/2022 ǀ 29