How AI is scaling the bioCircular economy

VCG.ai's Founder and CEO Jon Goriup on waste valorization from the point of view of big data and how AI can be used to scale bioCircular business models that depend on waste feedstocks.

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In today’s world, waste represents both a critical environmental challenge and an enormous missed opportunity. Waste valorization—the process of converting waste byproducts into valuable materials—is gaining momentum, but scaling it globally remains a daunting task. In Episode 7 of the bioCircular Loop Podcast, guest Jon Goriup, CEO of VCG.ai, shares how his company is tackling these challenges using artificial intelligence and data-driven solutions to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

The Problem: Unlocking the Value of Waste

Industries worldwide grapple with the inefficiencies of a linear economy where resources are extracted, used, and discarded. For instance, whey water, a by-product of cheese production, incurs high disposal costs and harms the environment if not treated properly. These byproducts, while environmentally harmful in their raw state, hold untapped potential as raw materials for pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, and more. Industries such as food and beverage, paper, and chemicals generate vast amounts of waste, much of which remains underutilized.

Despite the potential, scaling waste valorization faces significant hurdles:

• Inconsistent waste streams make it hard to maintain quality at scale.

• High initial investments deter businesses from adopting circular solutions.

• Regulatory challenges and cross-sector collaboration requirements complicate implementation.

  
  

The Solution: Leveraging AI for Circular Innovation

VCG.ai, a German startup, is addressing these issues by developing AI-powered tools to optimize waste valorization pathways. Using cutting-edge AI and data-driven approaches, VCG.ai identifies optimal waste-to-product pathways, predicts waste generation patterns, and builds localized valorization ecosystems. The company focuses on "second-generation feedstocks", which are byproducts already processed, such as brewery waste or digestate from biogas plants, transforming them into high-value products.

The company also provides predictive analytics and heat maps to locate waste sources and forecast waste flows, helping businesses secure stable supplies of bio-based feedstocks. By combining this intelligence with local market data, VCG.ai enables companies to implement solutions tailored to their specific contexts.

For example, a dairy processor struggling with whey water disposal worked with VCG.ai to create a local valorization system, reducing CO2 emissions by thousands of tons while producing high-value proteins.

The Path Forward

The future of waste valorization depends on collaboration. From municipal planners to financial institutions, stakeholders must align to unlock the potential of waste. No single company or technology can drive the circular economy alone. Achieving a truly circular system requires collaboration across sectors, from local processors to municipal planners and financial institutions. VCG.ai’s work with cities like Munich demonstrates how data-driven tools can optimize waste valorization and create sustainable supply chains, even for complex industries like automotive manufacturing.

Companies like VCG.ai remind us that the circular economy is not a distant goal for 2050 but an urgent opportunity for the next decade. By combining innovation with collaboration, we can unlock the potential of waste, creating a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

As Jon puts it, “We might not achieve 100% circularity overnight, but by maximizing the value of every ton of byproduct, we can drastically reduce the need for virgin resources—and accelerate the transition to a sustainable future.”

Listen to Episode 7 of the bioCircular Loop podcast on your favourite music streaming platform!

(Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music)