Partners in innovation

Indaver makes the sustainable 'circular economy' possible by converting as much waste as possible into new raw materials and renewable energy. It is therefore also active in a wide range of platforms that are researching how this can be better accomplished.

Indaver is a co-founder of the Flemish Transition Network for Sustainable Materials Management (the full name of which, for the purpose of communications, is now called Plan C). Plan C was created by the Flemish government, the civil society and the business and research world to promote the sustainable management of materials in Flanders. It seeks innovative, creative ways to consume and produce in closed recycling circuits. Indaver became a strategic partner of Plan C in 2013.

FISCH is a project operated by Essenscia Vlaanderen, the Flemish section of the chemical industry federation. It has come about under the influence of Plan C. FISCH stands for Flanders Strategic Initiative for Sustainable Chemistry. As a provider of treatment for waste from the chemical industry, Indaver can develop projects for creating closed material recycling and energy recovery circuits.

Indaver is part of the Flemish Algae Platform, a FISCH networking and innovation management platform. It researches the potential of algae as a raw material for the Flemish economy. One VAP-project was conducted at the Hooge Maey landfill site, and studied how algae can be produced on a diet of wastewater and flue gases. Landfill leachate was used as a food source for algae, the landfill gas engines generated CO₂, heat and electricity. This project has come to an end. Indaver en Proviron now continue the algae production on the landfill site. 

Rare earth metals are indispensable for many new and green technologies. As supply isn't keeping up with demand in this sector, industries are increasingly finding that more efficient recycling is a smart way to secure these raw materials. This can be achieved by introducing more effective methods for collecting, treating and recycling products, so that the rare earth elements they contain aren't lost. For example, mercury-containing fluorescent lamps, which Indaver Relight processes in Doel, contain fractions of these metals. Indaver is involved in a number of projects for recovering such products and enters into partnerships with other companies to this end. Indaver is a member of RECRIMET (Zero-waste REcuperation of CRItical MEtals from residues). This research platform, which is an initiative of the KU Leuven, researched how the maximum possible amount of rare earth metals could be recovered with minimum impact on the environment.