TARPREC began in Denmark, with export of soft PCV to Switzerland, but the idea has proven to be very successful and they quickly expanded to other Scandinavian, and later European countries. At the moment they have a 800m2 warehouse where the tarpaulins are be collected, cleaned and recycled for customers.
ReSOLVE principles:
Regenerate – The reuse soft PVC, which if not recycled would end up as landfill or get incinerated, which would contribute to pollution.
Share – They acquire used soft PCV from logistics and transport companies, and thereby extends the life of soft PCV.
Optimise – They eliminate, or prevent waste of soft PVC, by selling it to companies who reuse it for new products.
Loop – reuse of soft PVC, and adding new value to it by upcycling it.
The entrepreneur(s): (briefly introducing the person, main focus on their professional background, skills gained):
TARPREC APS was established by Harun Salihovic and Luan Kadishani, who are both responsible for the daily management of the business. Harun has a master’s in International Communication Management and Luan is studying Global Engineering.
The other employees, working in the warehouse or office, either have a medium or long higher education or are still students.
Harun and Luan did not have any previous experience with the industry or specialized knowledge about plastic or soft PVC or circular economy, so they have learnt and developed their knowledge and expertise along the way, working and developing the company.
Products/services:
For their customers, TARPEC operates as a recycling station and purchasing department at the same time. TARPREC offers high-quality soft PVC, which primarily derives from used truck covers. Together with their customers, they ensure that the tarpaulin get new life in the form of other products, primarily in the fashion industry.
Target customers:
Companies in the fashion industry and other companies that make materials out of used soft PVC materials. They have many close partnerships in the logistics and transport industry that they regard as customers because they provide these companies with CSR value and sometimes purchase the used PCV from them.
Social /environmental/economic impact:
Environmental impact: The reuse and recycling of soft PVC prevents that the material gets incinerated or end up as landfill waste, which expels toxic compounds. Moreover, TARPRECs activities increase awareness of plastic waste and the possibilities of recycling.
Economic impact: TARPREC are first movers and specialized in their market segment, as they are the only ones engaged in precisely recycling of soft PVC for the “fashion industry”. Even though they want to maintain their position on the market, they hope that their business model can inspire others and thereby stimulate the market to ensure more circular business models around the recycling of soft PVC.
Sector:
Production/preparation and recycling of old PVC.
Circular business model/strategy:
The upcycling of used soft PVC extends the life of the materials and creates a completely new product out of something that would otherwise be incinerated or end up in landfill.
Maturity level:
They consider themselves as a start-up. They were established in 2017.
Website/references:
https://www.tarprec.dk/en/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/tarprec/
Location:
Denmark, Tørring.
Year of establishment:
2017
