On March 28, 2025, the event “Ideas Workshop: Business Opportunities with By-products” took place as part of the CEFoodCycle project under the Interreg Alpine Space program. In just one day, 25 participants from diverse backgrounds developed four concrete circular business models, exchanging ideas in an open, inspiring atmosphere.
Highlights included the use of by-products for new ventures: a mushroom grower producing substrate from residual materials, a caterer creating fermented foods, and a coffee producer exploring alternative beverages. A standout was CAROMA, an innovative cosmetics line made from recycled coffee grounds, which won the event’s Innovation Challenge for its creative and sustainable business concept.
The workshop emphasized the power of interdisciplinary collaboration. Participants, including researchers from the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano involved in the MICST project, found new ways to drive circular economy practices forward. The event showed how openness to new perspectives and spontaneous networking can lead to breakthrough innovations.
Supported by the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and the Design Faculty, the momentum generated at the event is set to continue, with projects like MICST advancing sustainable transformation in South Tyrol and beyond.
