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Certification, authorisation

How does an acceptance test work?

Cyrill Hugi
Founder, Chief Executive Officer

What all innovations have in common: they pose major challenges for the authorities. Where normally a clearly defined catalogue of questions can be ticked off, there is nothing for the officials to follow. That can be annoying, for both sides.

Prototype of a plant for chemical recycling.
Prototype of a chemical recycling system (here the enespa WastX-P5 model). Extensive authorisations are required from the authorities before installation and operation. This process takes time and costs money.
Prototype of a plant for chemical recycling.
Prototype of a chemical recycling system (here the enespa WastX-P5 model). Extensive authorisations are required from the authorities before installation and operation. This process takes time and costs money.

The approval of our pyrolysis system for operation in Europe took time. What slowed us down were also the official obstacles. It is a complex matter doing everything you have to do to commission a new system that has never existed before. Even with the oil refining plant that we bought, which therefore had a customs code, we encountered unexpected problems.

Example of a hose coupling

It was about the return flow of oil when refuelling. We prevent the environmentally harmful leakage of oil with a so-called hose coupling. The valve is designed according to the principle of volume displacement: overpressure prevents a drop of oil from escaping when coupling.
 
These valves, also known as low-leakage valves, are used in the transport of chemicals, for example, where fluids are often many times more harmful to the environment than our oil. We were therefore proud to meet the highest standard. However, the hose coupling was a challenge for the water protection authorities. It was to cost us several weeks and two expert opinions.
 

In Appenzell we say "s'menschälät", which means "it's human".

If there is no guideline for something, the authorities have two options. They can look for another directive to follow, or they can ask for an expert opinion that proves that there is no risk. In our case, the risk was of polluting a body of water. Somewhat naively, we thought that we would pass the test with flying colours. After all, hose couplings are used all over the world and do exactly what they are supposed to do: they prevent liquid from escaping. 
 

The human factor: "s'menschälät"

What we didn't reckon with was the human factor. In Switzerland, we have an expression for this. In Appenzell, we say "s'menschälät", which means "it's human". We humans react irrationally and make decisions emotionally. What is new and unfamiliar to us really attracts our attention. We are more critical, more rigorous and much more precise. That makes perfect sense. This is how we learn whether the unknown is good or bad for us.

Certain things are required of us that are otherwise handled much less strictly.

Our coupling system was subjected to this critical test. The office wanted proof that it really worked. And not from us, but from an external expert. And then also from the expert that we initially paid for an expert opinion. We had to have the same expert report done again by someone else until we took another step forward with the authorisation.
 

Return

Authorisations always take a lot of time. And because we provide completely new solutions, certain things are required of us that are otherwise handled much less strictly. For example, the lorries that deliver heating oil to households in Europe do not have a coupling with a hose coupling. After the filling process, the hose is drained. After decoupling the tanker driver simply holds the pipe upwards to prevent it from flowing back. Then he clamps the pipe to the lorry. And that's it. For enespa, handling oil in this way would be a no-go.
 
Portrait of Cyrill Hugi
Author

Cyrill Hugi

Portrait of Cyrill Hugi
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Cyrill Hugi's passion for technology has never wavered since his first apprenticeship. Various international training programmes have seen him travel as far as the USA. His professional career has taken him to Italy and Germany, where he previously held management positions in major global corporations in the commercial vehicle sector. Cyrill Hugi fulfilled a dream when he founded enespa ag. With the support of his team and visionary investors, he strives to "make the impossible possible". The outcome is circular economy solutions aimed at protecting nature, which is something very close to his heart.
info@enespa.com
+41 71 788 33 88

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enespa Group
Schäfligasse 1
CH-9050 Appenzell

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The road to a circular economy for plastics is a long one. However, we are not travelling this path alone, but together with you. Celebrate with us when we come one step closer to our goal.

 
 
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