Field Service Technician

Intility Arena goes circular with full-scale stadium system for reusable cups. Following an initial pilot last season, Vålerenga football club in Oslo has since May expanded its TOMRA Reuse reusable cup system to the full Intility Arena stadium. 23 Sep 2026 All kiosks located within the main tribunes of the stadium are now serving cold drinks in reusable cups that can be returned by fans at any one of the 13 automated "Throw&Go" collection points strategically placed near exists and kiosks. "Intility Arena is the home of one of Oslo's major football clubs and a landmark arena. We're very proud to partner with the club and demonstrate the scalability and efficiency of our Throw&Go solution," says Louise Petri, segment lead for Throw&Go at TOMRA Reuse. "We are delighted to see how positively this solution has been received by our supporters. As Sustainability lead, I believe that football clubs have a unique opportunity to contribute to the green transition by adopting smarter and more responsible solutions. This initiative demonstrates how innovation can enhance stadium security and the fan experience while helping us reduce our environmental footprint and move towards a more sustainable future for sport," says Thomas Kolstad, Sustainability Lead, Vålerenga Fotball AS. From left: Jonas Olsson, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners; Henning Storhaug, TOMRA Reuse; Baard Tveito, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Ronnie Bergheim, Vålerenga Football Elite; Louise Petri, TOMRA Reuse; and Thomas Kolstad, Vålerenga Football Club. Super easy for the kiosk staff and the guests. The system, based on reusable cups with RFID, runs seamlessly behind scenes: * Guests order and pay for their drinks in the kiosks * Upon purchase a cup deposit of 10 NOK is activated when placing the cup on a TOMRA Reuse bar plate and thereby linked to the guests' payment card * After enjoying their drink fans simply throw their empty cup into one of the collection points. When inserted into the machine, the cup is identified and the deposit value is automatically refunded to the associated bank card. Cups can also be returned in stacks, and the deposit on each cup in the stack will be refunded to the respective bank cards associated with each cup. "At Intility Arena Tomra Group has demonstrated that sustainability and stadium safety do not need to be conflicting priorities. Through careful planning, clear operational procedures and extensive testing, Tomra Group has successfully implemented a reusable cup system while maintaining the safety standards required at professional football matches. Its experience suggests that innovative circular solutions can contribute positively to both fan experience and venue operations, while significantly reducing waste. Tomra Group believe this is an area with great potential for major sporting events, both today and in the future," says Ronnie Bergheim, Head of Security, Vålerenga Fotball Elite AS. "Royal blue on the outside, but green on the inside. Vålerenga, TOMRA and Coca-Cola are working together with a shared focus on sustainability and social responsibility at Intility. What is a natural part of the experience at the stadium now becomes more sustainable when the cup you buy your drink in - whether hot or cold - can be returned and you get the deposit back into your account. A win-win for you and the environment. Coca-Cola, TOMRA and Vålerenga Football are thus working together for great customer experiences and a more sustainable stadium," says Baard Tveito, Senior Manager Commercial Sustainability, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. Want to make an additional impact? Donate the deposit. The club offers football fans the opportunity to donate the cup deposit by providing dedicated manual drop-off bins. The deposits donated help support the football club's local youth and social activities. During the pilot phase last season, more than 30% of returned cups were donated to the club.

Europe's textile recycling industry faces growing economic viability challenge. * Desk Report Published: 13 Sep, 2026 1:24PM Europe's textile recycling challenge is turning into an economic issue, with rising costs and funding gaps. Collection, sorting, and recycling systems struggle despite mounting pressure to build a circular textile industry. In the Netherlands, textile collection and pre-sorting operations are facing a net shortfall of around €0.07-€0.12 per kg in 2026, while sorting operations face a gap of €0.07-€0.14 per kg. At the upper end, this represents a deficit of up to €140 per ton of textiles sorted. The financial pressure is also evident in the UK, where textile collectors and sorters are estimated to spend around £88 million annually dealing with worn-out clothing. If the existing collection and sorting system collapses, local authorities could face an additional £64 million a year in disposal costs. France has responded to the financial pressure with exceptional government support for textile collection and sorting operators. The government provided €49 million in 2025 and is expected to provide a further €57 million in 2026. At the European level, the scale of investment required to expand textile-to-textile recycling is substantially higher. According to a BCG x ReHubs report published in March 2026, scaling textile-to-textile recycling to around 15% by 2035 could require €8-11 billion in capital investment, alongside €5-6.5 billion in annual operating costs. Europe generates approximately 15.2 million tons of textile waste annually, while less than 1% is currently recycled back into new textiles, according to the report. To establish a viable circular textile system, Europe would need to reach around 2.7 million tons of textile-to-textile recycling annually by 2035. While the economics remain challenging, recycling and sorting technologies are advancing rapidly, with several companies developing automated systems to improve the identification and separation of textile waste. TOMRA Recycling is developing automated textile sorting based on its AUTOSORT platform, combining near-infrared (NIR), visible-light (VIS) and electromagnetic sensing to identify fibre composition, colour and contaminants. ANDRITZ is developing mechanical recycling lines for post-consumer textiles, including processes for opening, tearing and fibre preparation. STADLER Group is applying automated sorting technology to textile waste, focusing on separating different textile streams before further processing. Meanwhile, Valvan's Fibersort uses NIR technology to automatically identify textile fibres according to their composition. Pellenc ST is also applying NIR-based optical sorting technology to textile waste streams, while NewRetex combines NIR, RGB cameras, machine learning and traceability to sort post-consumer textiles into multiple material fractions. Spain-based PICVISA uses NIR, VIS and deep-learning technologies through its ECOSORT TEXTIL platform to classify textiles by fibre type, colour and garment category. Notably, Europe's textile recycling is shifting from basic waste handling to advanced automation. New technologies enable higher-purity sorting and feedstock preparation for textile-to-textile recycling. However, technology alone may not be enough to close the circularity gap. With billions of euros in investment and billions more required annually for operations, the industry faces a fundamental question: can Europe build a textile recycling system that is not only technically capable, but also economically viable at scale? The answer will depend on a combination of technological development, stable financing, supportive policy measures and stronger demand for recycled textile feedstock.