Description

DENUO is the Belgian federation of the waste and recycling sector. In a world where raw materials are becoming scarcer and companies want to produce sustainably, our 300 members are the essential link between used materials and reuse, recycling and final processing.

By developing an exchange platform for material-conscious companies, disseminating reliable information and providing solution-oriented insights, DENUO promotes the optimal transformation of used materials and its members become the indispensable link in the Belgian materials policy. Since 2010, DENUO provides staff support to FERVER, the European Federation of Glass Recyclers, an International Non-Profit Organization, created in 2004 under Belgian law by more than twenty private companies active in the collection and recycling of glass.

Thanks to the logistic (offices) and staff support of DENUO, FERVER has no own staff but organises its working with the voluntary participation of its members during technical and general meetings. FERVER currently gathers 40 members from 14 EU-countries and 4 non-EU-countries, active in the recycling of waste glass into high quality cullet – a key and valuable raw material used by the glass manufacturing industry to produce new products. Those members are collectively responsible for the collection and recycling of approximately 70% of the total glass waste in the European Union.
The role of FERVER is to represent the profession, particularly towards the European institutions. Therefore, the federation undertakes various activities to achieve its objectives and projects:
– Dialogue with the EU institutions and European organizations linked to glass recycling;
– Intensify cooperation between European glass recyclers;
– Dissemination of information relating to glass recycling;
– Study, protection and promotion of the professional interests of the members.
Through those point of activities, FERVER and its members work on issues linked to the glass sector, with the aim of improving the sustainability and recyclability of glass:
– Life Cycle Thinking, Recyclability, Recycling and collection targets;
– End of Waste: transforming waste into a product;
– End of Life of Vehicles: automotive glass;
– PVB recycling;
– Heavy metals, Vitroceramics;
– Glass recycling targets;
– Carbon emissions;
– Use of aggregates;
– Sustainability;
– Safety;

Role in the project 

As explained above, DENUO will made staff persons available to FERVER in order to coordinate the collection of data from the members of FERVER, the assessment and the diffusion of the results of the study. The members of FERVER will provide information on the potential market of post-consumer PVB present in laminated glass from construction sector as well as the automotive sector.

FERVER members will deliver the necessary samples of post-consumer PVB for testing in pilot plants. Characterization of the post-consumer PVB will be provided by the members of FERVER in order to guarantee the traceability of the PVB (origin: construction or automotive). Properties of the post-consumer PVB will be linked to the history of that material at the recycling plants (exposure to atmosphere, rain, UV, etc). Members will be open to consider possible modifications in the storage and handling of laminated glass before processing, to improve the quality of the PVB-fraction. DENUO will regularly communicate with the members of FERVER on the evolution of the SUNRISE project. DENUO will diffuse within its own network and the network of FERVER the results of the project in order to promote a higher recycling rate of this valuable material.