Digital technologies help to improve the economic efficiency and sustainability of environmental technologies worldwide. In doing so, they contribute to achieving the United Nations’ global sustainability goals. In 2015, the UN formulated 17 so-called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that define areas with an urgent need for action to ensure a sustainable, global future in prosperity. In order to promote activities in these areas in particular, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research honored 20 international researchers in the field of digitalisation and sustainability as Digital Green Talents. The prize includes a scholarship for a three-month research stay in Germany. The aim of the award is also to network young ambitious researchers internationally and thus to sow the seeds for future projects and collaborations in these important fields.

Among this year’s award winners is Sophia Botsch, a scientist at SKZ, who has been researching scientific development projects in the field of sustainability and circular economy at the Würzburg-based institute for almost three years.

Contribution to a sustainable economy
Plastic is not necessarily the material that one directly associates with sustainability and circular economy. But in fact, plastics can make a major contribution to sustainable economic activity: on the one hand, they are lightweight and, on the other, they can be recycled like hardly any other group of materials. Despite these ideal prerequisites, the negative association with the material plastic is not without reason: incorrect handling, disposable products and low recycling rates are challenges that need to be overcome.

Many application-oriented projects
One task that Sophia Botsch and her colleagues from the Plastics Industry Transformation Group at SKZ are working hard on. In many application-oriented projects, the scientists are developing digital tools and concepts to close the loop for plastics, particularly in the construction and packaging industries. The SKZ is therefore very pleased about the award for the institute’s employee: “We are delighted about the award for our colleague and that Sophia’s great project work is being honored in this way,” says Jonathan Lambers, group leader in the SKZ’s sustainability department.

Focus is on doctoral thesis
“I am very grateful to have been selected as a Digital Green Talent and would like to thank everyone else who is also working in the field of sustainability. The climate crisis can often be very discouraging, but the antidote to despair is action – and I am grateful for everyone who continues to be active, who continues to work on solutions, who advances research and thus gives us all hope,” said Sophia Botsch, who plans to focus on her doctoral thesis on ‘Digital platforms and their potential for the circular economy’ during her research stay. This primarily serves the SDG goal 12 “Responsible Production and Consumption” – in this context, it plays a crucial role to close loops, pursue cross-industry approaches and redesign the value creation patterns that shape production. This is where digital platforms unfold their potential.

The SKZ has been researching solutions for sustainability and the transformation to a circular economy for 20 years.

More information about the SKZ research area of circular economy
More information about Digital Green Talents