On 9 May 2019, the National Institute for Circular Economy (INEC) and Orée, the two main circular economy organisations in France, presented their collaborative research on the political dynamics of circular economy in Europe and the civil society networks that drive this circular transition.

On that day the respective presidents of these organisations, Patricia Savin (Orée) and François-Michel Lambert MP (INEC), presented this work to 200 of their members in Paris.

The organisations conducted desk research to identify the driving structures of the circular economy in European countries. This research limited its scope using the following criteria:

• non-profit organisations
• non-government organisations (unless there is a historical exception)
• organisations working exclusively on the circular economy, or, failing that, hybrid organisations.

This meeting provided an opportunity to highlight the first analysis of the baseline report, and revealed in particular:

• the main objectives of these networks
• their varying activities
• their respective conceptual definitions of circular economy
• the main thematic and sectoral foci of their work
• their ambitions for 2019 and beyond

In addition, during the meeting, several representatives of European networks shared their vision of circular economy. Among others, these include:

• Ladeja Godina Košir, Founding Director of Circular Change and Chair of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform – Slovenia
• Julika Dittrich, Director of Circular Futures – Austria
• Callum Blackburn, Director of Public Relations and Research at Zero Waste Scotland – Scotland
• Simina Lakatos, Founding President of the Institute for Circular Economy and Environment (IRCEM) - Romania

To follow up on this event, INEC and Orée  will publish a report on European circular economy networks in November 2019. This report will contain individual descriptions of these networks, a global analysis of their dynamics, and place them within the context of national and European policies.