{"id":6094,"date":"2026-11-03T09:16:40","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T14:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/promptinnov.com\/?p=6094"},"modified":"2026-11-03T09:41:38","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T14:41:38","slug":"balado-turning-waste-into-resources-through-collaborative-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/promptinnov.com\/en\/news\/balado-turning-waste-into-resources-through-collaborative-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast: Turning Waste into Resources Through Collaborative Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a>\ud83c\udfa4 Listen to the full podcast segment on Mon Carnet by Bruno Guglielminetti<\/a> (Only in French)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie Delvoye, director of communications at Prompt, sits down with Yves Bernard of Biopterre<\/a> and \u00c9milie Dupont of SADC Kamouraska <\/a>to discuss their collaborative project aimed at repurposing waste materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discover the podcast, in full text<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: Today, we\u2019re kicking off our new podcast season by discussing the recovery of organic and inorganic waste as part of a collaborative project. My guests today are Yves Bernard, a research professional at CCTT Biopterre\u2014a center for innovation and applied research specializing in the development of bioproducts and biotechnologies\u2014and \u00c9milie Dupont, a consultant in the circular economy and the economy of functionality and cooperation at SADC, a development organization in Kamouraska. Good morning, everyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard and \u00c9milie Dupont: Good morning<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: The project we\u2019re discussing today was launched over the past year and aims to develop a computer tool\u2014Biobase\u2014that will use computational algorithms to define mixture properties in order to facilitate the recovery of waste materials. How did this project get started? What was the catalyst?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: Actually, Biopterre has been considering this project for several years. At the same time, over the past few years, there was the added complexity of finding partners\u2014both from the municipal and industrial sectors, as well as complementary partners\u2014to establish Biobase as an IT tool, while also taking into account the specific challenges faced by each of these entities, whether municipal or industrial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie Dupont: It often takes a long time to set up this kind of project, where you have the tool\u2014but it\u2019s a tool that supports a company\u2019s organizational strategy. So you end up at a sort of crossroads between environmental issues, economic gains, and innovation projects. Unfortunately, these aren\u2019t always the easiest to fund or secure support for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: We\u2019re talking about a period of roughly how long? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: We\u2019ve been thinking about it since 2017. We did develop some algorithms and an in-house database during those years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: Can you tell us a little bit about the need that led to this project? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: The main need was related to the quality of information on the characteristics of the materials. We may know that a waste generator produces waste materials near our company, but until we have the characteristics of that specific material, it\u2019s difficult to create blends, perform calculations, or develop bioproducts from those materials. That was the first catalyst. The second catalyst is that, in the field of waste recovery, there is a need to share information between the generators of these materials and waste and the companies that can process and package them. For example, composting facilities or other users. Information must also be shared with end users because there are recovery criteria\u2014that is, various environmental criteria\u2014to be met. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to have brought together five partners for your projects. Could you briefly tell us a little about their backgrounds? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: There are municipal partners such as the Kamouraska SADC and the City of Trois-Rivi\u00e8res. There are also private partners\u2014processing companies\u2014such as the \u00c9pursol facilities in the Outaouais region and Groupe Savard in the Saguenay region, as well as Arseno Balayage, a company that recycles street sweepers in the Trois-Rivi\u00e8res area. There are also financial partners like Prompt and NSERC at the federal level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: \u00c9milie, from the SADC\u2019s perspective, what was the need for getting involved in this project? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie Dupont: We were exploring this idea in parallel\u2014that is, by working in the circular economy, and specifically in industrial symbiosis, we\u2019re trying to repurpose companies\u2019 outputs so they can become inputs for other companies. We saw that certain materials could be repurposed relatively easily as substitutes\u2014that is, on a one-for-one basis. And we also observed that certain materials\u2014whether because they were more complex or present in smaller quantities\u2014were much harder to repurpose on a one-for-one basis. That\u2019s when we thought that perhaps if we could create blends, we would truly generate value, and this would lead to either new products or new opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: So, what are the expected outcomes of this project? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: We want simplicity\u2014that is, the circularity of materials. We want Biobase to be a decision-support tool that facilitates the planning and development of new products, which will generate new economic activity and jobs, and at the same time reduce the environmental impact associated with poor waste management, thereby enabling the development of more partnerships that will drive innovation and the creation of new products. Ultimately, this will lead to a reduction in negative impacts\u2014such as less landfill disposal, which still incurs costs and emits GHGs\u2014as well as better management of raw materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie Dupont: Of course, this will also help create synergies between companies. In terms of regional development, it creates value and helps make the most of materials and resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: You worked on this project collaboratively, and you\u2019ve already mentioned many tangible benefits, haven\u2019t you? Are there any other points you\u2019d like to add regarding the benefits of working as a team? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: While we\u2019ve developed partnerships with industrial companies and municipal facilities, we\u2019re also collaborating with Productique Qu\u00e9bec. This is to incorporate concepts of artificial intelligence, as well as automation and user interface design, to make the system as user-friendly as possible for potential users\u2014which will include the companies participating in the project\u2014 but also other companies or municipal and government agencies, which will also be able to access the Biobase database. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: Excellent. So, what does innovating through projects like this really mean to you? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: What\u2019s absolutely important is having high-quality information in order to innovate. Furthermore, innovation must also take place on a daily basis, which means having access to information\u2014specifically, a database of waste material characteristics. This will greatly facilitate innovation in companies, whether in the environmental sector, the manufacturing sector, or other fields. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: So, it’s an innovation that will actually support innovation. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: Exactly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie Dupont: Of course, it\u2019s also about optimizing materials management for businesses\u2014and even opening up new avenues. It\u2019s about helping them ensure long-term sustainability. Materials management involves costs. Collectively, we\u2019re still sending too many materials to landfills\u2014materials that are still made up of molecules that are entirely recoverable. There\u2019s also the idea that by creating blends, we can develop new products\u2014some of which are currently imported. This also ties into issues of sovereignty and regional autonomy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: Thank you very much for taking the time to participate in this project. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yves Bernard: Thank you very much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie Dupont: It’s always a pleasure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9milie: If you, too, are interested in developing impactful, innovative, and collaborative projects, I invite you to visit Prompt’s website to learn more. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Listen to the full segment here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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