The circular economy is taught at school through ILSA training projects

As part of schoolwork projects, the students of the Applied Sciences Scientific High School "Martino Martini" of Mezzolombardo experience the circular economy principles by creating beauty creams and soaps from the pomace of the wine supply chain.

(Arzignano, Vicenza. Italy) As part of a school-to-work alternation project promoted by ILSA and the Applied Sciences Scientific High School "Martino Martini" of Mezzolombardo, three third-year classes were involved in the reuse of waste generated by the wine sector.

The students applied the circular economy principles starting from the pomace from wineries of the Trentino area to understand how to make biostimulation products for crops in the laboratory, as well as cosmetics such as beauty creams and soaps, liquids and solids.

Following eighty hours of training, the students carried out tests on the materials to verify, for example, the biostimulating effect of pomace-based formulations on crops, as well as on oxidation, and their qualities as natural preservatives.

‘It was putting the circular economy into practice’, explains Ilaria Tabarelli, head of school projects at ILSA, ‘students were supervised in the design of new formulations for the agricultural and cosmetic sectors, enhancing the characteristics of a waste as a raw material’.

At the conclusion of the project, the results were presented to the ILSA representatives. ‘They submitted very interesting formulations to us, demonstrating their understanding on how to use laboratory instruments and scientific protocols, in order to define high added value products’, underlines Tabarelli. An opportunity to directly experience the value of the circular economy, trigger virtuous recycling processes, involve in the expression of new reuse ideas and increase the passion for scientific subjects given, among other things, 11 February, a day dedicated globally to women of science, will underline the importance of women's contribution in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) subjects.

In the photo, the ILSA representatives in a video conference with the students of the
Scientific High School during the presentation of the projects