Celebrating Earth Day every day, the REMADE Institute, a public-private partnership established by the United States Department of Energy, today issued its fifth Request for Proposals, representing a $45 million investment in the research, development and demonstration of technologies to sustain American manufacturing and accelerate the U.S.’s transition to a Circular Economy.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman said this investment is focused on reducing the nation’s energy consumption, decreasing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, fostering clean tech innovation, and addressing manufacturing’s impact on climate change.
“President Biden last week proudly announced our new national climate target – a 50-52% reduction in U.S. emissions by 2030,” Speakes-Backman said. “Investments like this with the REMADE Institute will accelerate the U.S.’s transition to a Circular Economy, ensuring we meet this ambitious and exciting new commitment.”
REMADE Chief Executive Officer Nabil Nasr said the Institute is seeking proposals for large-scale transformational research, development and demonstration projects that are industry-led and address issues across the materials supply chain. Proposed transformational projects must address the recovery and recycling of plastics, metals, fibers, and electronic waste (e-waste); or address the recovery and remanufacturing of durable goods and components.
“By focusing REMADE’s investment on industry-led projects within these four key material classes, we can develop solutions that have the most significant impact nationwide,” Nasr said.
REMADE is also seeking R&D projects that complement the Institute’s existing portfolio. This includes proposals that focus on creating logistics models to improve materials recovery and recycling, increasing the circularity of metal alloys, identifying novel automation solutions to improve recycling economics, creating design tools that enable greater remanufacturing and recovery, utilizing recycled and cross-industry materials in manufacturing, introducing condition assessment and process technologies in remanufacturing, as well as projects that target materials with low recycling rates such as No. 3-7 plastics.
In addition, as part of this RFP, REMADE has allocated $1 million for education and workforce development. These projects must develop short courses to educate, train, and develop incumbent workers in reuse, remanufacturing, recovery, and recycling.
For more information, read the detailed RFP here. For details on the Institute’s 2020 Technology Roadmap, which is guiding the RFP, review the roadmap here.
Efforts are ongoing worldwide to move from today’s linear economy, where we take-make-dispose, to a Circular Economy, where we make-use-reuse-remanufacture-recycle. Conserving resources, reducing energy consumption, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions are major components of that transformation. Within a five-year period, REMADE is developing solutions that are capable of:
- Saving 1 Quad of energy, which equates to the electrical use by all U.S. households per year
- Reducing 50 million metric tons per year in greenhouse gas emissions
- Increasing the supply and use of recycled materials by more than 40 million metric tons per year
- Creating up to 700,000 direct and indirect jobs, enhancing the U.S. economy and increasing the nation’s competitiveness
Those interested in learning more about this RFP are invited to participate in REMADE’s upcoming live informational session webinar and Q&A, as well as upcoming teaming sessions. To register for the webinar and the teaming sessions, which will take place in early May, visit https://remadeinstitute.org/rfp.