The European Patent Office (EPO) has nominated two top managers of the Austrian recycling machinery group Erema for the European Inventor Award 2019.
The two - former co-CEO Klaus Feichtinger and current CEO Manfred Hackl - have been shortlisted as finalists in the “industry” category.
The nomination is in recognition of the company’s ‘efficient and high-quality plastic recycling technology’, according to the EPO.
The pair have run Erema together for over two decades. Feichtinger stepped down from his position – at his own request – in April, but is still involved with the company as manager in the area of IP and new technologies.
With more than 6,000 machines in operation worldwide, Erema’s recycling systems account for the production of 14.5million tonnes of pellets annually.
"Feichtinger and Hackl's technology closes the loop in plastics recycling. They have increased its efficiency and developed a better end product, which is great news for business," said EPO President António Campinos on the nomination for the European Inventor Award 2019.
The winners of the 2019 edition of the EPO's annual innovation prize will be announced at a ceremony in Vienna on 20 June.