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Pryme: A game changer in plastic recycling
Pryme converts plastic waste into valuable products on an industrial scale. It has developed a new approach to an existing and proven chemical recycling technology. Pryme has optimised the pyrolysis process by adding proprietary characteristics.
ZenRobotics
ZenRobotics has harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to improve the quality of waste sorting. ZenRobotics' AI-powered robot technology is used at its material recovery facilities (MRFs) to capture valuable high-purity materials from waste streams in construction and demolition, commerce and industry, and municipal solid waste.
CIA: putting coffee husks to good use
The Italian company CIA has found that the most appropriate way to reuse coffee husks is as a fertiliser and soil conditioner by composting them in organic farms.
Dienpi: applying research to materials for fashion accessory production
Dienpi S.r.l. produces labels, tags and packaging for fashion brands. The production of tags and packaging for luxury brands whose production processes are not traditionally linear involves considerable amounts of innovation, sustainability and craftsmanship.
Rice for architecture by Ricehouse
Ricehouse natural mortars are obtained by expertly mixing aerial lime with rice husks, a agricultural by-product derived from husking raw rice.
CleanBags: A machine for disinfecting medical bags for recycling
CleanBags machines empty and internally disinfect bags used in healthcare facilities. The disinfectant used is chlorhexidine digluconate which has a broad spectrum of action, meaning that it acts on bacteria and viruses, even COVID-19.
Fiusis: energy and fuel from pruning olive trees
Italy's Puglia Region has large expanses of olive groves. Pruning these trees yields around 800 kilotonnes of residual biomass each year and Fiusis uses this biomass to produce energy.
Ristorazione Sostenibile 360°: how to make catering wholly sustainable
Ristorazione Sostenibile 360° is the first voluntary certification programme for regional catering, suitable for any type of restaurant in the Emilia-Romagna Region (IT).
Recovering critical fertilisers such as phosphorus from sludge treatment
How to recover phosphorus through the agricultural use of digestate produced by co-digestion of sewage sludge and other organic waste.
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Overview Circular Flanders: a 2017-2019 retrospective
This retrospective report is a review of the plans set out by Circular Flanders in the Kick-off Statement.
The most important finding? A good deal more was accomplished than initially anticipated. For example, the opportunity to launch three Open Calls, permitting the funding of over 130 innovative circular economy projects. The Green Deal on Circular Construction was also an unprecedented opportunity, as was the complementary reinforcement of the OVAM team of experts in ecodesign and area-specific operations, allowing the scope to expand.
This retrospective report is an interactive PDF. External links to downloads or online resources have been embedded on each project page for easy accessibility.
A French act of law against waste and for a circular economy
This French act of law contains about 50 measures providing for:
- new obligations with the creation of new producer responsibility sectors to include new product families in the circular economy (toys, sports and do-it-yourself equipment, building materials, cigarette butts, sanitary textiles);
- new prohibitions on single-use plastics and to fight waste of food and non-food unsold products;
- new tools to better control and sanction offences against the environment (greater power for mayors to combat littering and illegal dumping), to support companies in their eco-design initiatives (bonus/malus-type incentives) and to assist citizens in new consumption practices (repairability index, information on environment and health impacts of products, harmonisation of info on sorting, etc.).
Luxembourg launches “Circularity Dataset Initiative” supported by major international industry leaders
The Circularity Dataset Initiative by the Ministry of the Economy of Luxembourg develops an industry standard providing a regulated framework for circular data on products throughout value chains, from raw materials to finished products, from the use phase to re-usage and recycling.
The project addresses the difficulty for stakeholders to access reliable data on the circular properties of a product. Trade secrets are hindering transparency and reporting standards are lacking, forcing manufacturers to send out different data sets in diverse formats to customers and product platforms.
The objective is to save costs, increase value and enable circularity by developing a process and an internationally accepted dataset template, and data is verified through an auditing process.
Riihimäki's circular economy roadmap
In the framework of the CIRCWASTE project, coordinated by SYKE (Finnish Environment Institute), pioneering municipalities have developed local circular economy roadmaps in 2019.
The town of Riihimäki is already a member of FISU (Finnish Sustainable Communities), a network of Finnish municipalities committed to becoming waste-free, and has now adopted a circular economy roadmap focusing on the participation of local actors.
In 2017, the local authorities asked the 29,000 inhabitants of this town what sustainable choices they would be ready to make and how the municipal council could best enable these. Inhabitants also contributed ideas to develop the resource efficiency of Riihimäki.
The circular economy and resource efficiency roadmap of Riihimäki covers five themes:
- Carbon neutral energy production and consumption
- Sustainable circulation and ecologically efficient town structure
- Sustainable consumption of natural resources and circular economy
- Diversity of nature and comfortable living environment
- Inhabitant responsibility in Riihimäki.
Every one of these themes is dealt with by taking into account the following points of view:
- Vision for 2050
- Methods of working: who realises the vision
- Actions, ideas, commitments and promises
- Measures and indicators for monitoring and follow-up.
In addition to municipal actions, the Riihimäki roadmap also includes commitments to circular economy by local companies and communities. The roadmap also accentuates the education of students and recent graduates with the aim of incorporating the circular economy into all professional fields.
As cooperation is central to circular economym, the Riihimäki roadmap’s guiding principle is to increase cooperation between different communities and companies. The aim is to share good practice by developing a cluster that will monitor how companies are progressing and promote circular economy cooperation.
Vantaa creating business opportunities based on the circular economy
In the framework of the CIRCWASTE project, coordinated by SYKE (Finnish Environment Institute), pioneering municipalities have developed local circular economy roadmaps in 2019. This roadmap, adopted by Finland's fourth biggest city, is based first and foremost on what stakeholders identify as local strengths, special characteristics and challenges.
Vantaa’s roadmap lists the priorities, objectives and actions to take in 2019-2030 that could a promote circular economy locally. Its priorities are the following:
- circular business models
- circular economy in construction
- circular public procurement
- sharing economy.
The objectives are to be reached by 2030 in four timeframes, with responsibility for implementation shared among several local stakeholders that vary from municipal utilities to private companies. Specific indicators have been developed to measure and report on progress.
To stimulate circular business models locally, the municipality will set up a local cluster in cooperation with Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY.
Vantaa’s roadmap also puts a strong emphasis on construction and land use, committing to increase local (re)-use of soil and recycled materials in construction, which should reduce GHG emissions from transport. The use of demolished concrete has already increased and become fairly commonplace in infrastructure projects. It is used in street structures, repairs of building elevations and green landscaping.
In addition to this, Vantaa aims to develop a set of procurement criteria incorporating circular economy principles. As the circular economy benefits the natural environment, businesses and residents alike, cooperation among stakeholders is central to implementation of the roadmap.
Porvoo's circular economy roadmap
In the framework of the CIRCWASTE project, coordinated by SYKE (Finnish Environment Institute), pioneering municipalities have developed local circular economy roadmaps in 2019. The City of Porvoo is one of these and published its own circular economy roadmap in May 2019 to steer efforts that promote resource efficiency and circular economy in the coming years, so it can build on successes to date that range.
A steering group of 16 municipal civil servants and other local stakeholders drafted this roadmap, which focuses in particular on the following objectives:
- increasing the use of recycled materials in excavation and building sites
- cooperating to improve energy efficiency
- reducing the amount of total waste while increasing the level of recycling municpal waste.
The amount of high-quality soil and rock is not increasing in Finland, nor is the land area growing. This is why in Porvoo stakeholders are desiging a built environment that takes into account the sustainable use of soil materials and other resources.
Porvoo also aims to reduce food waste and improve the recycling of municipal waste through counselling and outreach for and to citizens. The impact of counselling on the volume of food waste is monitored at schools by weighing plate waste, for example. In addition to this, Porvoo will promote waste sorting by improving the quality of the recycling network using life-cycle analysis.
The roadmap also includes specific circular economy tasks and challenges for the local authorities and companies of the City of Porvoo to implement, with the most urgent having a completion date of 2020 while others have targets for 2030.
Central Finland's circular economy roadmap
In the framework of the CIRCWASTE project, Southwest Finland developed a circular economy roadmap in late 2018 to help implementation of the national waste plan and define regional objectives with concrete measures to achieve these.
The Finnish Environment Institute formed an expert network on circular economy, and began identifying regional strengths and special characteristics to start with.
In 2018, the Central Finland region produced approximately 1,8 million tonnes of different kinds of waste. Stakeholders thus sought to focus on waste management during the drafting process, and received training on, for example, plastic lifespan and creativity in the circular economy alongside many networking opportunities.
While the overarching theme is public procurement, the regional strategy focuses on the following sectors in particular:
- construction and demolition waste (62% of all waste in the region)
- biodegradable waste, biogas and the nutrient reuse (approximately 30% of non-recycled waste is biodegradable waste)
- plastics (in 2018 households generated approximately 6,000 tonnes of such waste)
- electric and electronic wreckage (in 2018 citizens generated approximately 6,000 tonnes of such waste)
This roadmap seeks to reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste and increase reuse of such waste to 70%. The partial activities helping to reach the targets are listed in the roadmap.
Different stakeholders, ranging from municipal or regional authorities, to national institutes, educational establishments, and private companies will take responsibility for implementation.
North Karelia's circular economy roadmap
In 2018, Finland's easternmost region of North Karelia adopted a circular economy roadmap as part of the CIRCWASTE project. Its objectives are to:
- enhance material and energy efficiency and improve natural resource use
- make circular economy inherent to industrial production in priority sectors and strengthen the regional cooperation network in the field of circular economy
- strengthen and stimluate new circular business models while developing new technological solutions and know-how in the region.
Regarding waste management overall, this strategy aims to increase knowledge and change overall consumer attitudes.
A system to recycle construction waste is set for development, and will focus on logistics, demolition methods and supervision. This strategy aims to improve training concerning waste management in particular, and motivate companies to consider waste already in the planning stage.
As for municipal waste management, the strategy hopes to improve the collection network and logistics by creating incentives and introducing monitoring systems.
The objectives are to be reached in different timeframes by 2030. For each partial target, responsibilities have been shared among various actors: municipalities, the Regional Council of North Karelia, private companies, educational establishments, organisations etc.
South Karelia's circular economy roadmap
The circular economy roadmap of the South Karelia region in Finland, along the Russian border, was drawn up at the end of 2018 in the framework of the CIRCWASTE project. The Finnish Environment Institute formed an expert network on circular economy, and began by identifying regional strengths and specific characteristics.
In South Karelia, stakeholders set the objectives of circular economy as
- Sustainable wellbeing, no emissions, no waste, or excessive consumption
- More jobs and business activity in the field of environment
- Strengthening of knowledge and training in environmental and circular economy issues.
Stakeholders at different levels are responsible for achieving specific targets, and range from the regional development council to municipalities, private companies, networks, universities and other educational establishments, etc.
For manufacturing, this strategy focuses on construction and mining, energy efficiency, renewable energies, reducing CO2 emissions, increasing recycling and improving waste management.
Regarding bio-based industries such as forestry in particular, this strategy focuses on by-products, nutrient recycling, and developing new products and materials.
To develop intelligent public services, the region is hoping to stimulate the sharing economy and improve digital services.
This strategy perceives the factors enabling circular economy as citizen engagement, research cooperation, developing educational curricula, and the role of government procurement.
South Karelia's performance will be monitored using the following indicators:
- the amount and level of recycled municipal waste
- the amount and level of recycled construction and demolition waste
- the amount of biodegradable municipal waste and the amounts of composted or decomposed biodegradable municipal waste
- the amount and level of electrical or electronics waste.
The region has also set itself goals to:
- create 500 new jobs in environmental businesses by 2030
- increase by 20% the number of businesses in waste management and recycling within the region.
Southwest Finland's circular economy roadmap
In the framework of the CIRCWASTE project, Southwest Finland developed a circular economy roadmap to implement the national waste plan and define regional objectives with concrete measures to achieve these.
The Finnish Environment Institute formed an expert network on circular economy, and began identifying regional strengths and special characteristics to start with. A regional cooperation group of more than 20 members was founded to work the strategy. It was composed of representatives from various towns, education establishments, the Regional Council of Soutwest Finland, private companies etc.
For Southwest Finland, stakeholders set a focus on sustainable food systems, high-tech industry, transport and logistics. Public services and knowledge exchange with industry, academia and civil society are the overarching themes.
The objectives and measures are classified along the priority sectors:
- construction
- biodegradable waste
- nutrient reuse
- municipal waste.
Targeted training and versatile learning materials will advance circular economy in construction, where the strategy aims to generate less waste and increase the use of construction and demolition waste to 70%.
As Southwest Finland is a national frontrunner in making use of agricultural by-products and nutrient reuse, the region wants to build on its strengths and halve food waste by 2030. Another goal in this area is to increase the amount of recycled organic waste to 60%.
Additionally the strategy hopes to decouple municipal waste growth from regional GDP growth, and increase recycling to 55%.
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Sustainable Production and Consumption of Food. Mise-en-Place Circular Economy Policies and Waste Management Practices in Tourism Cities
Sustainable Production and Consumption of Food. Mise-en-Place Circular Economy Policies and Waste Management Practices in Tourism Cities
Although previous researchers have explored the circular economy practices of different businesses in various contexts, only a few papers have focused on the sustainable preparation and consumption of food in the tourism and hospitality industry. This paper sheds light on case studies from hotels, restaurants and cafés that are located in urban tourism destinations.
This research suggests that catering businesses can implement a number of responsible initiatives by introducing preventive measures and recycling practices to curb food loss and the generation of waste. In conclusion, it finds that there is scope for regulatory authorities and policy makers to encourage hospitality practitioners to minimise food waste.
Implementation of circular economy approaches in the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) sector
Circularity and the electrical and electronic equipment sector: Barriers, enablers and policy insights
The article Implementation of circular economy approaches in the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) sector: Barriers, enablers and policy insights by Vasileios Rizos and Julie Bryhn aims to enrich the research in the field of circular economy business models by focusing on the EEE sector.
The study adopts a multi-case study approach and uses a sample of 31 cases developed through the EU-funded CIRC4Life project and the snowball sampling method.
The findings show that despite the various policy instruments in place to boost the CE transition in this sector, gaps exist which require policy attention.
The study suggests actions to facilitate CE practices including knowledge sharing platforms and business partnerships as well as R&D project grants.
ChangeMakers
ChangeMakers
ChangeMakers is a magazine published by Circularities together with Circl/ABN Amro Bank. Readers can learn about working methods and practical examples of circularity from directors, designers, buyers and marketing specialists from companies like Philips, Bugaboo, Fairphone and Mitsubishi.
The magazine aims to inspire future-proof professionals with a wealth of interviews from people who really know what they're talking about and feel passionate about the circular transition. Each section tackles the circular economy from a different perspective: for instance, directors speak about how they need to steer their companies and designers talk about the principles underpinning their work.
If you're interested in circular issues, this magazine is well worth the read!
Progress towards preventing waste in Europe - the case of textile waste prevention
Progress towards preventing waste in Europe: the textile case
Waste prevention is the best waste management policy option, according to the waste hierarchy - the EU's main rule for the environmental ranking of waste management policies. Its main objective is to reduce waste generation, the environmental impacts of waste management and the hazardousness of the waste generated.
To support this objective, the EU and all its Member States have put in place legislation that promotes activities in products' life cycles aimed at reducing the amount of waste generated.
This report aims to assess progress towards the main objective of waste prevention: decoupling (i. e. breaking the link between waste generation and economic growth).
Linking cross-border shipments of waste in the EU with the circular economy
Linking cross-border shipments of waste in the EU with the circular economy
This briefing provides a snapshot of the status of trading non-hazardous, recyclable waste within the EU. Its aim is to provide knowledge and information to support the review of the EU's Waste Shipment Regulation.
The idea is to improve the functioning of secondary material markets by offering insights and potential solutions to help ensure that waste is treated in the best possible way in line with the principles of the waste hierarchy.
Circular economy and the energy transition – potential of a Flemish circularity hub for EV Li-ion batteries
Circular economy and the energy transition – potential of a Flemish circularity hub for EV Li-ion batteries
How can a "strategic stock management" approach shed light on the potential of circular strategies for critical raw materials? This reports provides insights at regional macro-economic level for policy-makers.
The future economic and environmental potential of a Flemish Circularity Hub for li-ion batteries from electric vehicles is explored as a case study with high policy relevance.
Consumers’expectations of circular business models: perspectives of suppliers
Consumer expectations of circular business models - supplier perspective in Product-Service Systems
In ‘Vision 2050. A long-term strategy for Flanders’, the circular economy is one of seven transition priorities. New business models play a key role in this transition.
This paper explores incentives and barriers for consumers in adopting new circular business models - such as Product-Service Systems (PSS). Eight B2C suppliers were interviewed in the sectors of coffee, housing, electrical appliances and clothing.
The study confirms that PSS are context-dependent and emphasises the dynamic relation between producers and consumers in PSS.
Future research priorities include uncovering practical and cultural aspects of PSS, as well as exploring what it takes for PSS to be transformative in the context of a transition towards the circular economy.
Consumer Attitudes towards Circular Business Models and Activities
Consumer Attitudes towards Circular Business Models and Activities
This study focuses on the willingness of consumers to use circular business models (CBMs).
It assesses the ‘suitability’ of a product or sector for a particular circular business model from a consumer-based perspective: is it likely that a sufficient number of consumers would be willing to adopt the CBM to make it worthwhile for providers to enter this market? The study aims to provide an overview of different attitudes towards a diverse set of CBMs. Specifically, it takes six scenarios concentrating on coffee, printing, housing, clothing, household chores and secondhand markets. This approach makes it possible to compare results for a variety of CBMs as well as to identify general trends in consumers’ intentions and reported behaviour.
Impact of circular economy on achieving the climate targets: case housing
Impact of circular economy on achieving the climate targets: case housing
This report assesses how the circular economy contributes to reaching climate goals with regard to residential housing.
The draft Flemish climate policy plan covers the operational phase of housing and the material and carbon footprints of building and renovation. The report explores two ways to reduce these footprints: reducing the size of new housing and splitting existing buildings, and applying alternative construction methods or building materials and increasing the use of recycled and reused materials.
Car-sharing in Flanders
Car-sharing in Flanders
This report details the research conducted by the Steunpunt Circulaire Economie, covering the results of a consumer survey with over 2000 respondents, as well as four interviews with car-sharing companies and interest groups.
The main objective is to get a better understanding of the position of car-sharing in Flanders, what people think of car-sharing, including the barriers people face, and what impact car-sharing is having on behaviour and the environment.
The report concludes with a set of implications and recommendations for policy relating to car-sharing and its place in the circular economy.
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Hungary's Circular Economy Platform
The Circular Economy Platform was officially established in November 2018 in Hungary as an initiative of the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.
The aim of the platform is to facilitate the paradigm shift and joint thinking, along with building a community of forward-thinking change leaders and sharing business solutions that make a real impact. For the new model to develop and spread, collaboration and knowledge sharing are required, with the involvement of businesses, government and science.
Danish DigitalLead
DigitalLead is Denmark's national cluster for digital technologies. They organise yearly network sessions on circular economy called Green Tech - Cirkulær økonomi.
Employees and managers in related businesses can join the network and participate in meetings to discuss the development of the circular economy and how digital technologies can be applied.
Alliance for Women in a Circular Economy
The Alliance for Women in a Circular Economy was created in 2019 in the Czech Republic, and it aims to help project managers interested in the topic get together, discuss, and implement circular economy initiatives.
The alliance has been founded by women, but is also open to men.
A Circular Economy Network run by the Swabian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The Circular Economy Network of Swabia is organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of the Bavarian part of Swabia (Germany). It is open to companies that are members of the CCI. The network organises discussions and exchange of experiences on circular economy topics.
Current topics mostly handle activities in the field of waste disposal.
WFZruhr: a network with an added value
WFZruhr is a network of public organisations and private companies who share circular economy competences in the Ruhr area (Germany). The network members cover the whole range of circular economy services.
WFZruhr allows member companies to take part in industrial symbiosis processes, to cooperate in the field of waste management and to receive support on circular economy issues (including IT, management, etc.).
WFZruhr also organizes top-class events on key circular topics.
The Danube Goes Circular - a platform for collaboration and awareness raising
The Danube Goes Circular is a circular economy platform, under the Interreg MOVECO project, which involves sixteen partners from the ten Danube countries. The platform offers a space for collaboration, awareness raising and a market place for reusable materials. Hence, it provides opportunities for trading materials and expanding their circularity.
Moreover, the platform offers information on how to extend a product’s useful life cycle and on legal requirements and business good practices linked to the promotion of circular economy.
Another benefit of the platform is that various stakeholders interested in circular topics can team up, which would ideally encourage the formation of partnerships.
For more information on the strategy named The Danube goes Circular, please click here.
The Confederation of Danish Industry: Network for Circular Economy
The Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) is a private business and employers' organisation representing approximately 18 000 companies in Denmark. They aim to provide the best possible corporate conditions for their member companies.
The DI network for circular economy (text in Danish only) aims to create a platform for companies that are interested in, working with or want to be updated on the circular economy. It organises three meetings a year, and is open to members of the Confederation of Danish Industry. The network has around 150 members and growing.
nachaltig.digital: a platform for sustainable digitalisation
Nachhaltig.digital is a platform for stepping up dialogue on the sustainability and digitalisation of SMEs in Germany.
It provides a space for the exchange of ideas, products, solutions, inspiration and discussion - both online and offline. The platform helps companies to use digitalisation to make their business sustainable.
The platform has also focused on the circular economy. As well as providing a forum where companies can interact, Nachhaltig.digital informs them about digitalisation and the circular economy, answering questions and telling them about current trends.
Repair my stuff: an online platform for finding professional repairers
Repairmystuff is an online platform based in Ireland which supports, promotes and encourages the repair industry in Ireland.
It promotes a circular economy by providing a free online space for repair companies. It aims to give consumers more options for accessing repair services throughout the country. It also provides consumers with a search tool which suggests service providers according to what needs to be repaired and where in the country the person is located.
Product categories include:
- clothes and bags
- monitors, TVs and displays
- electronics
- fitness and sports
- furniture and upholstery
- large and small appliances
- lawnmowers and garden machinery
- leather and shoes
- musical instruments
- watches and jewellery
- others.
Nordic circular cooperation in CIRCit Norden
CIRCit was a 3½-year research project, spanning the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Sweden. The objective was to help their industry to discover and implement the opportunities of the circular economy.
This project was part of the Nordic Green Growth Research and Innovation Programme funded by NordForsk, Nordic Energy Research and Nordic Innovation.
The project focus areas for the circular economy were:
- Sustainability screening
- Business modelling
- Circular product design and development
- Smart circular economy
- Closing the loop for a circular economy
- Collaborating and networking for a circular economy.
The project webpage contains 101 circular economy case studies in the Nordic region and several scientific publications.
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Kari Herlevi
About this contact:
Kari Herlevi is a circular economy multitalent. He is currently leading the circular economy area at Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund. There, he is focusing on the transition to a fair and competitive economy that tackles the root causes of biodiversity loss, climate change and overconsumption of resources, by facilitating the development and scaling up of the best circular solutions from Finland and the world. Previously, he worked at Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, where he was responsible for the Green Growth and Vigo accelerator programmes. Kari also worked in the Tekes Silicon Valley office for a few years, and is particularly interested in new ideas and fast-growing firms in the circular economy, not least on the African continent.
Leon de Graaf
About this contact:
As an adviser for environmental and climate policy, Leon de Graaf particularly follows policies related to the circular economy, trade and climate, low-emission mobility, implementation of the Paris climate agreement (COP21) and the European emission trading system (EU ETS). He is also deputy manager of BusinessEurope's corporate Advisory and Support Group (ASGroup). Prior to joining BusinessEurope, Leon worked at the research consultancy Ecorys, focusing on renewable energy and international development issues, at DG COMP on energy and environmental subsidies in Europe, and at the Dutch Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) on indirect ETS costs for energy-intensive industries. Leon has a MSc in environmental economics and climate change from the London School of Economics, and a BSc in business economics from the University of Groningen.
Ladeja Godina Košir
About this contact:
Ladeja Godina Košir, Founder and Executive Director of Circular Change, is an internationally renowned expert on the circular economy, speaker, (co)author of several CE reports and articles, and co-creator of international circular economy events. Ladeja was the finalist for the Circular Leadership Award 2018 (Davos WEF) and named in "The #EUwomen4future campaign” featuring extraordinary women active in research, innovation, education, culture and sport by Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth in 2020. She is recognised as the regional "engine of circular economy transition". She is co-author of the first Roadmap towards the Circular Economy and creator and team leader of the annual international Circular Change Conference. Ladeja has consulted on the national circular economy roadmapping process based on stakeholder engagement for several countries and cities (Serbia, Montenegro, Norway, Israel, Chile, etc.).
Ladeja has several international roles: chair of the coordination group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) in Brussels (2018/20), visiting professor at Doshisha University in Kyoto and co-leader of the Research Group Circular Economy Systems at the Bertalanfy Center for the Study of Systems Science (BCSSS) in Vienna.
Ladeja takes a transdisciplinary systemic approach and holistic view as an entrepreneur, communications professional, speaker, moderator, lecturer, mentor and passionate connector. She is empowering a new narrative and circular culture. She bridges the bioeconomy and the circular economy; one of the EU projects to which she contributes is Effective (Horizon 2020 & BBI JU), a multi-company collaboration to produce more sustainable, bio-based fibres and plastics for large consumer products using renewable feedstocks and innovative technologies. She also chairs the expert group for the BIOeast Foresight Exercise 2050. Ladeja works with governments, city authorities, companies, NGOs, media and universities, empowering true collaboration to enable circular change.
Carsten Wachholz
About this contact:
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a UK charity which aims to speed up the transition to the circular economy. Since it was set up, the charity has emerged as a global thought leader, putting the circular economy on the agenda of decision makers across business, government and academia.
Carsten Wachholz joined the Foundation in 2020 after spending two years working for the European Investment Bank on Corporate Responsibility and another four years working for the European Environmental Bureau on the first EU Circular Economy Action Plan. Carsten leads the Foundation's newly established Brussels-based team supporting the development of circular economy policies at EU and international level (e.g. G20, OECD), in close collaboration with the Foundation's systemic initiatives on plastics, fashion and food.
Laurent Zibell
About this contact:
Dr Laurent Zibell led the development of industriAll European trade union's positions on the circular economy, innovation and digitalisation of industry.
He started his career as an R&D engineer and worked in the field of high-tech and industrial innovation. He is a member of the French trade union CFDT. He holds MScs in Engineering from École Polytechnique and from Mines Paristech (FR), and a PhD in innovation economics from Cranfield University (UK).
Vanya Veras
About this contact:
Municipal Waste Europe is the European umbrella association representing public responsibility for waste.
The members are national public waste associations and similar national or regional associations. They are committed to sustainable waste management that minimises the impact of waste on the environment and promotes resource efficiency, taking into account local conditions. Municipal Waste Europe promotes the interests of its members at European level, through joint positions on waste management issues and legislation and keeps its members informed on the latest EU policy developments. The association encourages the sharing of information among its members, including the exchange of good practice in the local management of waste.
Waste management services are a crucial aspect of the social responsibility for the environment and public health in Europe. This service, including collection and treatment systems, is best developed at national, regional and local level. For these reasons and also for the reason of continuity in the delivery of this indispensable service, regardless of market forces, Municipal Waste Europe promotes waste management as a service of general interest.
Francesco Lembo
About this contact:
The Association of Cities and Regions for sustainable Resource management is an international network of cities and regions sharing the aim of promoting a sustainable resource management, through prevention at source, reuse and recycling, and accelerating the transition towards a circular economy on their territories and beyond. The network currently counts about 100 members, mainly local and regional authorities as well as national networks of local authorities representing around 1100 municipalities. ACR+ is directly represented in 23 countries of the European Union, and the network can also rely on members in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine and Jordan
Francesco LEMBO is Managing Director at ACR+, overseeing programs and projects, and ensuring that strategic plans and realistic objectives are in place and monitored. His key duties include fundraising, marketing, community and stakeholders’ outreach. He has over ten years of experience in supporting public administrations, SMEs, employers' associations, NGOs and universities in the design and management of international programs on lifelong learning and sustainable development. He has been advocating for the active involvement of citizens in the development of local and EU policies and the dissemination of inclusive educational models, also designing training programs focused on sustainable development and social inclusion. He wrote about inclusive pedagogy and recognition of prior learnings, and circular economy education. He has a Bachelor in contemporary history, and then followed MA studies in Lifelong Learning Sciences.
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17 Mar 2022
The EU’s second Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP 2.0) is now moving ahead, with further elements expected in March and July 2022. Will this package deliver what is required in terms of industrial decarbonisation? A renewed focus on carbon budgets, combined with climate neutrality by mid-century, means the EU’s green industrial transition must increasingly harness the enormous greenhouse gas abatement potential offered by enhanced circularity and materials efficiency for the most CO2-intensive materials and products.
Join the discussion at an Agora Online Event on 17 March at 9:00-11:00 CET!
30 Jun 2022 to 01 Jul 2022
The International MonGOS conference - Water and Sewage in the Circular Economy Model, which will be held from 30 June to 1 July 2022 in Cracow (Poland), will provide a summary of the MonGOS project "Monitoring of water and sewage management in the context of the implementation of the circular economy assumptions" financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) under the International Academic Partnerships Programme (2020-2022).
08 Mar 2022
You are invited to participate in a webinar led by the European Commission, DG ENV, on 8 March 2022, to launch a "Support study for the development of the Roadmap for the reduction of whole life carbon of buildings", .
29 Mar 2022
DiCE Lab is an initiative of two universities - TU Delft and ETH Zurich - aimed at connecting academia, policy and practice to discuss digital innovations for achieving a circular economy. This webinar is focused on blockchain technology.
18 May 2022 to 20 May 2022
SUM 2022 - 6th Symposium on Circular Economy and Urban Mining - will take place from 18 to 20 May 2022 in the fascinating venue of Capri, Italy. The Symposium, organised biennially since 2012 by the International Waste Working Group (IWWG), is the reference forum for resource recovery from waste, where scientists and stakeholders can debate cutting edge results and focus on future needs. The conference programme will include parallel tracks of oral sessions, workshops, poster presentations and much more.
03 Mar 2022
Batteries are considered crucial for the transition to a circular and climate-neutral economy. On 10 February, the European Parliament's Environment Committee (ENVI) overwhelmingly (by 74 to 8!) adopted an ambitious report on the European Batteries Regulation covering proposed rules governing the entire battery product lifecycle, from design to end-of-life. This webinar, which will take place on 3 March at 15:00 CET and is organised by TÜV Rheinland, will address durability of consumer electronics with regard to needs/issues for removable and replaceable batteries.
17 Mar 2022
Participate in this free webinar on 17 March, the second of a series of informational webinars for Interreg North-West Europe funded project TRANSFORM-CE. In this webinar the TRANSFORM-CE project partners will share the advances and outputs from the research and innovation carried out under this Interreg NW Europe funded initiative on plastics as a source for future use.
01 Mar 2022
Just say no to textile waste! In order to identify the potential for circular business practices and fabric recycling, it is important to understand the availability and usage of post-industrial and post-consumer textile waste in production and consumption countries.
22 Feb 2022
The Green Growth Community (GGC) is organising a new online edition of a communication training on 22 February. This session will help participants communicate their projects or initiatives in the field of sustainability and circular economy more effectivelly.
17 Feb 2022
The 1st meeting of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste in its new mandate (2022-2026) will be held virtually on 17 February 2022.
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30 Nov 2021
The initiative called Microplastics pollution – measures to reduce its impact on the environment aims to tackle microplastics unintentionally released into the environment. It will focus on labelling, standardisation, certification and regulatory measures for the main sources of these plastics.
The European Commission would like to hear your views on microplastics pollution. Give your feedback!
10 Dec 2021
The ECESP Coordination Group members will present Europe's pioneering work in the field of the circular economy to a global audience on 17-18 January 2022 during the Europe Circular Days in Dubai. European Commissioners, MEPs, and other EU institutions' representatives will join the event to present Europe's vision for the circular economy.
26 Nov 2021
The EROS Project, with the participation of AIMPLAS and ITC, is working to develop new recycling processes to recover composite materials from the aeronautics and wind turbine sectors to manufacture new products for the transport and ceramics industries.
17 Nov 2021
A historic decision has been announced at the Catalonia Circular Hotspot Event 2021! The 2023 edition of the Circular Economy Hotspot will be hosted by Nigeria, Ireland, and Chile!
15 Nov 2021
You are invited to participate in a survey by the European Commission on the use and application of the environmental footprint methods (and PEFCRs and OEFSRs). The results of this survey will help the Commission understand how they can provide further support for accelerating and implementing these methods more effectively.
23 Nov 2021
Join this year's Nordic Circular Summit exploring the circular economy in the Nordic region on 23–26 November, and learn about the region’s tremendous circular opportunities.
08 Nov 2021
The sixth EU Raw Materials Week will take place from 15 to 19 November 2021, bringing together stakeholders to discuss policies and initiatives in the field of raw materials.
During the online event on Bio-based solutions for the green and digital transition on 16 November, you will learn how to upcycle woody biomass residues into valuable and innovative products.
04 Nov 2021
On the Green Track is an EU campaign on biodiversity and nature for young people, organised in collaboration with the Global Biodiversity Youth Network and implemented in spring 2022 during the European Year of Youth.
You or your organisation can contribute to the debate about the future of nature and biodiversity by organising a youth-focused event and hence become one of the Green Track Stops.
04 Nov 2021
This online course is accessible to all professionals and individuals, from entrepreneurs to business owners and project managers who want to learn how to design resilient and profitable business models with circular economy principles. In this 15 hour, self-paced course, you will learn the basics of business ecosystem design and how to put the circular design approach into practice.
04 Nov 2021
Biomimicry is sustainable innovation. With biomimicry, embrace sustainable innovation and solve your business problems by finding inspiration from nature. Learn and apply this philosophy, its methods and tools within your company. In this 16 hour, cohort-based course, you will learn life principles and how to use them in your business or with your customers.
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Circular Schools Programme (PEC by INEC)
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The National Institute for Circular Economy (INEC) in France is launching the Circular Schools Programme (PEC), an operational project aimed at making schools a model for the circular economy.
Webinar: The circular economy’s potential for fostering decent jobs
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This webinar, organised by Circle Economy, explored the interlinkages between the transition to a more circular economy and quality jobs, drawing on Circle Economy’s recent report on Jobs & Skills in the Circular Economy: State of Play and Future Pathways.
Learning Hub by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation invites everyone to discover the circular economy. You are free to explore their learning hub to learn more about the vision for a circular economy.
Green Deal on circular procurement in France
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The French National Institute for Circular Economy (INEC), the Great Paris Area (MGP) and the Responsible Procurement Observatory (OBSAR) launched the "Circular procurement" action-programme in December 2018. The programme aimed to bring together stakeholders to foster the circular economy in the purchase decision-making.
Circular economy brings value for real estate businesses
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Research led by Ellen McArthur Foundation in cooperation with Arup highlights the benefits of the circular economy. It outlines five models for real estate business.
ENEA is actively involved in the development of circular economy indicators
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ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, is directly involved in activities focused on the assessment, proposal and selection of circular economy indicators.
BusinessEurope scaling up circular economy solutions in Member States
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BusinessEurope organised two events for businesses and policymakers on challenges and opportunities for scaling up circular economy solutions in Brno and Madrid in October 2018.
IRCEM leads research on Circular Economy in Romania
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In its role developing scientific research and innovation in various fields, including the circular economy, IRCEM has organised several thematic workshops and conferences.
Ecopreneur.eu: Circular fashion and textile producing countries
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This research note produced by Ecopreneur.eu is a 1st inventory of the potential impacts of future EU circular fashion on non-European textile producing countries. It uses existing literature and input from four circular economy experts to analyse the economic, social and environmental impacts.
Circular case studies developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation regularly shares case studies that are relevant to the circular economy.
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Walki Circular Classroom: co-created learning material stimulates circular thinking at school
The Circular Classroom is a new educational platform for learning about the circular economy. This open platform provides secondary schools and upper secondary schools with new tools for discussing the circular economy within a curriculum that promotes phenomenon-based learning and integrated subjects.
Circul'R: Unlocking the circular economy's potential
Circul'R is an international network of circular economy startups. Its mission is to unlock the circular economy's potential by connecting innovative startups with companies so that they can co-create solutions to accelerate their transition towards the circular economy.
The DGNB Academy - Disseminating knowledge on circular economy throughout the construction sector
The DGNB Academy provides professionals from the construction and real estate sectors with up-to-date knowledge on sustainable construction, including circular economy principles which have been made assessable in the DGNB Certification System.
Working with Industrial Spaces to Exemplify Reuse - WISER LIFE
The WISER project impacts positively upon behavioural change in relation to resource efficiency and reuse principles. Through its activities WISER raises awareness relating to resource consumption and waste generation building upon pilot project activities of the Rediscovery Centre that hosts 4 social enterprises (upcycling paints, furniture, fashion and bicycles).
The Basque Ecodesign Hub: Training on Circular Economy
The Basque Ecodesign HUB is the centre of training activities on Ecodesign and Circular Economy in the Basque Country, resulting from the collaboration of the Basque Government, through Ihobe, with Novia Salcedo Foundation and a number of other Basque socio-economic actors.
Paper Challenge at school!
'Paper Challenge' is a sustainable development education programme that provides support for the implementation of responsible paper management in schools.
Greenlab accelerating green business in Brussels
GreenLab (previously BSE Academy) has been created to develop environmental markets in the Brussels-Capital Region and create jobs of all kinds.
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Create a financeable circular business in 10 steps
In order to better understand how to address the challenges in implementing circular strategies, Circle Economy and the Sustainable Finance Lab worked with circular business managers and financiers to identify ways to fund circular businesses, a key element they desperately need to achieve. Building on this research the authors outline 10 Steps to Financeability.
Building Value: A pathway to circular construction finance
The transition to a Circular Economy requires innovative business models that stimulate optimised use of repairable products, reusable components and recycling of materials. Experts from different fields have collaborated in a Community of Practice (CoP) to improve the financeability of circular construction. This report retraces the 'learning-by-doing' trajectory of this CoP.
Circular Economy Finance Guidelines
ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank, all members of the FinanCE working group alongside FGGM and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, have published the first publicly available finance guidelines for the circular economy in July 2018 as input to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. These guidelines aim to promote and develop the role finance can play in the transition.
EIB Guide to Circular Economy
The EIB has already supported the transition to a circular economy with over €2.1 bn in project financing, including the first of a kind Äänekoski bio-pulp mill in Finland, the largest circular investment to date in Europe. This guide contains an overview of such projects, the bank's perception of the drivers to a circular economy, corresponding opportunities and potential business models.
EU guidelines on food donation
As part of the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission has adopted EU food donation guidelines in order to facilitate the recovery and redistribution of safe, edible food to those in need. The guidelines have been developed in consultation with the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste.
Organising for the Circular Economy - A Workbook for Developing Circular Business Models.
The workbook 'Organising for the Circular Economy - A Workbook for Developing Circular Business Models' supports companies and other organisations that aim to become circular by providing a unique model that highlights the various building blocks of circular business models. A concrete step-by-step approach allows organisations to work on the development of their own circular business model.
Guide to Circular and Green Economy in the local world: How to get into action and tools for local entities
The Guide to Circular and Green Economy in the local world was published as part of the 2016-2019 Business and Green Economy Economy Plan for Local authorities promoted by the Network of Cities and Peoples towards Sustainability. This guide is based on the experience of its authors as well as municipalities participating in the Workshops organised by the Generalitat of Catalonia.
Delivering the circular economy: a toolkit for policymakers
The circular economy offers business leaders and government a clear opportunity for long-term growth that is less dependent on cheap materials and energy, and which can restore and regenerate natural capital. This report provides an actionable toolkit for policymakers who wish to embark on a circular economy transformation.
Circularise - an open, distributed and secure communications protocol for the circular economy
Information sharing, transparency and collaboration have been widely recognised as essential catalysts for a circular economy. To use one company’s ‘waste’ as ‘food’ for another, stakeholders need to access the right information at the right time. Information sharing often risks a stakeholder’s competitive advantage. Circularise develops an open communication protocol using blockchain technology.
From strategy to financing: comprehensive guidelines for green start-ups
The Guidelines for green start-ups provide an overview of the most relevant areas and issues for green entrepreneurs in order to facilitate the transition towards a climate-friendly economy, by avoiding the irreparable losses involved in unsustainable consumption and production. There is an overview of main barriers, key opportunities and financial instruments available.