Stefaan De Wildeman of B4Plastics. — © Dick Demey
Dilsen-Stokkem –
B4Plastics from Dilsen-Stokkem, together with Carpentier Hardwood Solutions and XEOS, won the very first Vlaio Awards on Tuesday. These are prizes that the Flemish Agency for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Vlaio) awards for innovative companies. The three received the award during the city festival FTI and& in Leuven.
The jury chose winners in three categories: ecological impact, economic impact and social impact. B4Plastics challenges the plastics industry with a sustainable alternative to non-degradable plastic. Carpentier Hardwood Solutions is changing the rules of the game in timber construction through an innovative production line for timber construction that is fully digitalized and controlled by an app. And XEOS is making waves in the medical world with a PET-CT scanner that confirms in the operating theater whether tumors have been completely removed and thus avoids reoperations.
“With the Vlaio Awards, Vlaio wants to put innovation in Flanders in the spotlight. Too few people know that Flanders is among the world leaders in terms of innovation,” says Mark Andries, jury chairman and administrator general of Vlaio. “These companies offer an innovative solution that has a direct impact on various social challenges. Challenges that the classical industry continues to struggle with.”