- Gemisoft is, in short, the most important tool we have, and a core system in our operations, says Chief Digital Officer in Geminor, Andreas Runde Nygaard.
He is currently responsible for the software, which was developed back in 2012 and contains important information and data for logistics, contracts and projects. In Gemisoft, waste producers and customers, the relevant carrier and the recipient can follow and control a waste shipment from start to finish. It also contains all Transfrontier Shipment of waste (TFS) documentation required to ship waste across borders in Europe.
Gemisoft is designed for data collection and reporting, which also allows for comparisons of CO2e emissions for different projects and transportation methods. This is something Geminor will make available to partners in the future.
- The purpose is to give all partners as good an overview as possible, both in terms of contracts, tonnage, status of transports and environmental accounts. As one of Norway's largest players in TFS services, Gemisoft is particularly important for our operations, says Nygaard, who is currently working on a security and technical upgrade of the software.
- Among other things, our system has an integration that "talks" to the systems of some ferry companies. The integration means that they have immediate access to all information about our transportation and can make the necessary preparations. At the same time, we have a full overview of when the ships sail and when they arrive in port," says Nygaard.
Huge digital potential
Europe is currently at the forefront of the opportunities that a fully digitalized international transport industry can offer. "Comprehensive integration will significantly streamline logistics, while reducing potential sources of error," Nygaard says.
- "Within this decade, we will have systems in Europe where all parties - shippers, carriers, consignees and authorities - are integrated and receive the same documentation and data continuously. This will mean, for example, digital signatures at border crossings, and an end to manually entered data in Excel forms, long email exchanges and time-consuming bureaucracy," says Nygaard.
Digitalization will increase the quality of services and improve delivery reliability. At the same time, the environmental risk will be reduced by preventing waste from going astray and avoiding congestion," says Nygaard.
Becoming important in plastics recycling
The plastic recycling company Quantafuel has Geminor as a partner in the collection and treatment of plastic waste for chemical or mechanical recycling. SVP Strategy and Sustainability at Quantafuel, Thomas Steenbuch Tharaldsen, sees great benefit from digital tools like Gemisoft in everyday life.
- Gemisoft enables us to document where the waste is collected, how it is transported and how it is transformed into new plastic throughout the value chain. This has given us the necessary documentation to obtain certificates from both ISCC PLUS and REDcert2, which is crucial to establish us as a reliable player in the recycling of plastics," says Tharaldsen.
- Transparency and traceability in waste management will be key to achieving the EU's recycling targets. Digitalization means that everyone knows exactly where their waste comes from and that it is treated responsibly. Shippers of plastic waste must be absolutely sure that the waste is converted into raw material for the production of new products," says Thomas Steenbuch Tharaldsen.
Although the work has started, there is still a lot of work to be done before we reach the goal of digitalization in waste management, says Andreas Runde Nygaard.
- The sooner all parties involved can register data on a common platform, the easier it will be to manage waste as a resource across borders in Europe. In this respect, digitalization could make a significant contribution to the path towards a circular economy. But to get there, all parties involved must contribute - and much of the initiative must lie with the authorities," concludes Geminor's Chief Digital Officer.