Hera brings AI-based automation to the circular economy.

Case study: “How AI can help reduce landfill waste”

Hera SpA is on the front lines of today’s battle to reduce waste and minimize environmental damage. A leading multi-utility in Italy, Hera is also the country’s largest waste-management and recycling company. It has a reputation for innovation, and it is bringing a forward-looking spirit to environmental stewardship.

Hera is already a strong supporter of the circular economy, where reusable refuse is incorporated into production of new materials that are themselves recyclable. Today, however, the company relies on manual identification and sorting methods to recover material.

Hera recognized an opportunity for much greater efficiency.

It engaged IBM to help it develop an AI-based solution on a modernized application infrastructure that could drastically improve cost efficiency and generate greater momentum in the circular economy.  

“This could have a decisive impact on the costs of recovery and disposal activities, which is the focus of the circular economy.” — Andrea Bonetti, Manager of IT Architecture, Hera SpA

Read the full case study to learn how Hera worked with IBM to innovate the recycling process.