Mapei is partnering ‘Hacking the City | Design a Circular Future’

Milan, 11^th March 2021 – Mapei is one of the business partners of Hacking the city I Design a circular future, the first Italian Hackathon focused on developing circular economy projects for cities designed to promote a socio-economic system more attentive to the environment and people.

On 23^rd-24^th of April, university students, graduates and postgraduates from all over Italy will all take on the challenges set by industrial partners in 8 macro-categories Consumer Goods, Food, Design, Buildings, Digital, Energy, Mobility and Waste.

Mapei, which for years now has been committed to Research & Development projects to reduce the environmental impact of its own products, has set a challenge in the ‘Buildings’ cluster entitled “How to improve the management of end-of-life-cycle building products from a circularity perspective”.

Even though the target set for 2020 of recycling 70% of building and demolition waste was hit, recycling practices mainly take the form of downcycling (loss of value), as in the case of using inert materials for landfills and road substrates.

So, the challenge is now aimed at developing upcycling (creative re-usage) ideas and projects designed to add value to waste products in the building industry (including packaging), planning how to promote these projects and, lastly, creating a sustainable Logistics strategy.

Entrants presenting the most innovative projects (chosen by the panels of judges for each category) will be awarded prizes by the partner companies.

Mapei will offer winners of the Hackathon the chance to take part in one of the training courses organised by Green Building Council Italia, which include three programs for preparing examinations on sustainable building protocols like LEED.

The event is being promoted by Tondo, an international non-profit organisation operating in the circular economy, in partnership with the Circular Economy Lab sponsored by Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Cariplo Factory and under the patronage of Fondazione Cariplo.