RE-SIC (Recycling SIcily Cork)

Company and project background

Can you give us a brief overview of your business and the specific project you implemented?

Sarco specializes in processing waste from separate collection and recovering secondary raw materials—such as glass, steel, and aluminum—in compliance with European “End-of-Waste” regulations. Each year, the facility discards approximately 15 tons of used cork stoppers, which end up in waste streams destined for landfills. Through the RE-SIC project, Sarco sought to address this issue by developing an AI-based prototype capable of distinguishing and separating cork from mixed waste, thereby transforming it into a valuable secondary raw material.

What motivated you to make your business more circular?

On average, 15 tons of used cork stoppers arrive annually at Sarco’s treatment facility, mixed with other types of waste from separate collection streams. Before the project, these stoppers were sent to landfills because they were difficult to separate from other materials; this caused an environmental impact equivalent to approximately 1 ton of CO2e emissions for every ton of stoppers disposed of.
Before the RE-SIC project, there was no commercial technology capable of efficiently separating the caps, forcing us to send them to landfill. Thanks to the support of the Turin Chamber of Commerce and the Enterprise Europe Network, we saw Up2Circ as the perfect opportunity to bridge this technological gap and transform an environmental and economic cost into a new opportunity.

Implementation process

What were the objectives of your project?

To solve the technical challenge of separating and sorting natural cork stoppers, Sarco partnered with two technical firms: CavArt S.p.A. (an Italian company) for plant design and PICVISA (a Spanish company) for sorting technology. PICVISA developed the ECOPICK optical sorting prototype, which uses artificial intelligence to distinguish and separate cork from mixed waste, thereby recovering this waste material and transforming it into cork granules for practical industrial applications.

What activities did you carry out as part of your project?

Phase 1 – Study and Analysis (Months 1-3): This includes market and regulatory framework analysis, collection and characterization of material samples, and the selection of recovery and valorization technologies.
Phase 2 – Prototype Development (Months 4-9): Dedicated to the engineering design, construction, assembly, and testing of the mechanical prototype, as well as the vision and ejection systems.
Phase 3 – Field Testing and Technology Dissemination (Months 10-12): Dedicated to testing the prototype at the Sarco plant, analyzing the recovered material, evaluating sorting and recovery performance, and carrying out project dissemination activities.
In order to complete the 3 phases of the project, Sarco involved two technical firms, CavArt S.p.A. (an Italian company) for plant design and PICVISA (a Spanish company) for sorting technology and its internal teams composed by a Sustainability Project Manager, Purchasing and Sales Manager Quality Control Operator

What feedback did you receive from stakeholders (customers, suppliers etc.)?

Potential clients have suggested how best to conduct the cork selection process.

Impact & Outcomes

What are the main results and outcomes of the project for your company?

● Excellent Recognition and Competitiveness: The project successfully passed the highly competitive second European call of the Up2Circ program, ranking among only 12 Large-Scale projects approved across Europe and just 4 winners in Italy, establishing Sarco as a European technological benchmark.
● Technological Process Innovation: The “ECOPICK” optical sorter prototype was successfully designed and tested (developed alongside technical partners CavArt S.p.A. and PICVISA). Leveraging Artificial Intelligence, the system addresses a market gap by identifying and separating natural cork from synthetic plastic stoppers, which are otherwise indistinguishable by shape and color.
● Operational Effectiveness and Efficiency: The process workflow features a conveyor belt operating at 0.6 m/s monitored by an encoder, a dual LED system where cork absorbs light and reflects only 20%, a computer vision module, and a pneumatic robotic arm (operating at 6 bar) equipped with an instantaneous vacuum gripper for sorting materials into specific collection bins.
● Environmental and Economic Sustainability: The system intercepts the approximately 15 tons/year of stoppers that arrive on average at Sarco, which were previously landfilled, generating about 1tonCO2eq per ton. The segregated cork is ground into granules for green building, automotive, and design applications, generating commercial sales value (starting from €1,200.00/ton) and yielding landfill diversion savings of approximately €250.00/ton.
● Employment Impact: The project directly generated 2 new jobs within Sarco for the management of the prototype in terms of mechanical and administrative.

Did you detect a positive impact of circular transition for your company and for the environment?

Environmental impacts: 237 kgCO2eq saved thanks to the recovery of 1,786 kg of used bottle caps
Energy efficiency impacts: 1% reduction in energy intensity projected for 2027Approximately 15 tonnes of corks recovered and diverted from landfill
Material reuse: Approximately 15 tonnes of corks recovered and diverted from landfill

Lessons learned

What key lessons did you learn regarding circular innovation?

● Integration of Value Chain Expertise: Despite Sarco’s solid experience in traditional waste streams, the initial lack of specific expertise regarding cork was effectively bridged through knowledge transfer from its technological partners.
● Technological Risk Management: The high visual similarity between the materials required continuous training cycles of the AI algorithm using real-world samples, as well as the development of a modular prototype to ensure its future industrial replicability.
● Regulatory and Commercial Oversight: To ensure a successful scale-up, it was crucial to interface with public authorities and industry consortia to verify the existence of an End-of-Waste regulation for cork, while simultaneously engaging potential industrial buyers to identify the technical specifications required for the cork granules.

Did you encounter any challenges?

The main technical challenge lies in the difficulty of accurately separating natural cork from synthetic stoppers. RE-SIC addresses this issue through a technical partnership with the Italian company CavArt S.p.A., which specializes in plant engineering design, and the Spanish company Picvisa, which specializes in manufacturing optical sorting machinery. An iterative approach was adopted, featuring continuous AI training cycles conducted by Picvisa in Spain using material samples provided by Sarco. This process optimized the air-ejection systems to handle critical operational issues, such as stoppers rolling on the conveyor belt.

If you could do your project again, what would you do differently?

We should have devoted more time to training the algorithm to refine the operation of the AI-equipped optical sorter, so as to reduce errors in material selection.

Future plans & recommendations

What are your next steps towards circular transition?

We are exploring new partnerships with companies which operate in design sectors.
● Activation of Local Pilot Projects: Sarco intends to launch dedicated cork recycling campaigns, actively engaging municipalities, wineries, and industry operators through its website’s contact form. https://up2circ.eu/
● Replicability and Technology Transfer: Backed by validation in a real-world operational environment, the goal is to roll out this advanced sorting technology to other waste treatment centers on a national and European scale.
● KPI Monitoring and Sustainability Reporting: Sarco will integrate these results and the continuous monitoring of environmental and energy metrics (aligned with SDGs 7, 12, and 13) into its annual Corporate Sustainability Report.

Is there any advice you would give to other SMEs looking to implement a circular project?

Identify waste materials from their operations and initiate chemical tests to evaluate their mixing with other materials

How can policymakers or financial institutions better support businesses in adopting circular practices?

Grants and tax incentives.