On 25 April, Christian Osterreich, a leading plastics process engineer at Magura company, Germany, gave an online lecture on the topic: The concept of increasing the sustainability of a manufacturing company.
The speaker spoke about new approaches in production related to the circular economy: the transition to a circular business model where waste and by-products are considered as resources. This involves developing products for easy reuse, repair and recycling.
Important elements of this approach are compliance with environmental standards and social responsibility norms, and green technologies. Another goal is resource conservation and resource optimization. Resources include both intangible and tangible assets, such as operational resources, money, energy, raw materials and employees.
The lecturer emphasized that to increase sustainability, a production facility must meet certain criteria: switching to environmentally friendly energy sources, such as solar energy, and providing hot water in summer without the need for additional heating. In particular, the waste heat generated during production cycles must be dissipated without harming the environment. In a sustainable enterprise, it is advisable to use heat pumps, intelligent ventilation systems, and heat recovery systems.
The audience was impressed by the proposal to green the roof. Green roofs can store rainwater - up to 80 per cent - and slowly evaporate it back into the atmosphere. This reduces the load on sewerage systems and helps maintain a more balanced climate.
Overall, the UEPA teachers and students who attended Mr Osterreich's lecture were satisfied with the level of advanced concepts offered.
Professor Denys Kovalenko, Rector of UEPA, thanked Mr Osterreich for his informative lecture and invited him to give a live lecture when the security situation in Kharkiv allows.
