Neocomp: recycling glass-fibre-reinforced plastics
Neocomp has developed a method for recycling glass fibre polymers used in the rotor blades of wind turbines. The polymers are shredded, then used as an additive in cement.
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Lassila&Tikanoja: collecting and processing waste oils
L&T organises the collection of waste oils, oil-contaminated water and a range of emulsions from industry. The collected materials are analysed and processed at L&T’s recycling plant.
Green Dot Cyprus - a collective compliance system for packaging and packaging waste
Green Dot Cyprus is the first collective compliance system for packaging and packaging waste in Cyprus.
Fruta Feia or Ugly Fruit finds beauty in misshaped fruit
The cooperative Fruta Feia (“ugly fruit”, in Portuguese) has been preventing the waste of so-called “ugly” fruit in Portugal, that are not usually sold in markets.
Better World Fashion is circular fashion: 98% reuse - 100% unique
Better World Fashion produces new quality products from waste materials. Their primary material, leather, is from discarded post-consumer products collected by NGOs.
Replacing single-use water containers with glass in the Basque Country
Mutualia, a social services and medical care provider in the Basque Country, Spain, has installed water fountains connected to the public water network to use tap water instead of buying bottled water.
Green public procurement: successful example of increasing brick recovery in demolition services
In 2018, Hjørring Municipality decided to embark on a pilot project to increase the recovery and recycling of bricks when procuring demolition services for two buildings at the end of their functional life. Once cleared, the sites were destinated to be a part of a new climate adaptation project including a new rainwater collection basin and a recreational area.
Reducing packaging through procurement criteria
See how circular procurement can help reduce waste in the Catalan La Mercè Race.
All public services in Ludwigsburg enjoy “Cradle to Cradle” office material thanks to green public procurement
The city of Ludwigsburg in Germany has a sustainable development strategy that includes the use of procurement to achieve its sustainability goals, instructing all public procurement departments to follow “Cradle to Cradle” principles in their procurement and awarding criteria.
Refurbishing a kindergarten building with minimal environmental impact in Koprivnica
In 2018, the Croatian city of Koprivnica needed to replace a prefabricated kindergarten. Instead of demolishing the building entirely, Koprivnica opted for Green Public Procurement (GPP) and aimed to maintain as much of the physical structure as possible, while refurbishing and improving it.
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Samenwerken een circulaire fietsinfrastructuur. Een integrale en systematische aanpak.
Building a circular bicycle infrastructure together: an integral and systematic approach by Circulair Bouwen
Samen werken aan circulaire fietsinfrastructuur. Een integrale en systematische aanpak by Stichting Circulair Bouwen is a report on a 2-year programme carried out with EU funds on building a circular bicycle road infrastructure. Over this period of time, valuable information has been gathered on how to promote and organize circular building efficiently.
To follow up on the programme, a multi-year project will be carried out in cooperation with governments, companies, educational institutions and NGOs, under the lead of the Radboud University Nijmegen, which will include two important policy fields:
- encouraging cycling (low carbon, public health, better access to congested cities, car traffic reduction) and
- the circular construction of bicycle lanes.
TU Delft Online Learning: Sustainable Packaging in a Circular Economy
Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is offering a 100 % online course on Sustainable Packaging in a Circular Economy. Students and professionals with basic knowledge of the circular economy and an interest in or experience of packaging can start studying anytime, at the time and place of their choosing. The course material is accessible 24/7. This is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that runs on edX.
The course programme includes:
- Business strategies that support sustainable packaging systems
- Opportunities for designing with renewable, bio-based materials
- Best practices through case studies with industry frontrunners
- How circular design principles can be applied to create 'closed loop' packaging systems.
You can enrol here.
Green Generation - Together for the Earth
Green Generation - Together for the Earth
The Polish Chamber of Digital Economy, an Ecommerce Europe member, has published a report on sustainability in e-commerce.
This report, titled Green Generation, shows that Polish consumers generally spot environmentally-unfriendly behaviours of retailers, but they do not quite want to take responsibility for making e-commerce less harmful to the environment; only one in five consumers is willing to wait longer for a shipment to be delivered through a grouped consignment.
As they already engage in some environmentally-friendly practices, such as collecting parcels from dedicated points, they do not seem willing to take up financial responsibility, such as paying extra charges for more ecological packaging or deliveries.
Circular Economy and Territorial Consequences
ESPON: CIRCTER - Circular Economy and Territorial Consequences
What does the circular economy (CE) mean from a territorial perspective?
This report by the ESPON CIRCTER project provides:
- a territorial definition of a CE based on resource consumption and waste generation intensities and trends across European NUTS2 regions
- a comparison with other socio-economic trends like employment dynamics and economic growth
- evaluation of the territorial factors most critical for CE transformations
- a description of the systemic mechanisms facilitating CE transitions at territorial levels
- an illustration of policy approaches and best practices supporting the transition towards a CE in various territorial contexts, and
- guidance supporting local and regional authorities in defining CE strategies.
Construction and demolition waste: challenges and opportunities in a circular economy
Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) makes up just over one third of total waste generation in the EU. Despite relatively high recovery rates of used materials, Europe’s construction sector will need to be even more ambitious in its waste management practices if it is to fully embrace Europe’s circular economy.
According to this European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, circular approaches are key to increasing the quality and quantity of recycling and reuse of construction and demolition materials. The document examines how circular economy-inspired actions can help achieve waste policy objectives, namely waste prevention and increase both the quantity and the quality of recycling for C&DW while reducing hazardous materials in the waste.
EEA Briefing: Reducing loss of resources from waste management is key to strengthening the circular economy in Europe
Europe relies heavily on material resources for almost all of society’s activities. Its extraction and production of material resources have significant impacts on the environment and human health, as well as the economy.
It is essential to reuse resources in European economies, keeping their value high, delivering value for longer periods and reducing the need to use virgin materials. While progress is being made in Europe, by implementing an ambitious waste policy and the Circular Economy Framework, significant amounts of valuable resources are still lost through inefficient waste management practices.
This briefing describes material losses in Europe for some key waste streams, namely waste electrical and electronic equipment, end-of-life batteries, plastic and textile waste.
The plastic waste trade in the circular economy
EEA briefing: The plastic waste trade in the circular economy
Europe is at crossroads regarding its management of plastic, plastic waste and the plastic waste trade. Rapidly growing amounts of plastic have negative environmental and climate impacts.
Plastic and plastic waste are traded worldwide. Exporting plastic waste from the EU to Asia is a means of dealing with insufficient recycling capacities in the EU. Waste import restrictions in China have shifted exports to other countries. Because some types of plastic waste have been added to the United Nations Basel Convention, the option of exporting plastic waste is becoming increasingly difficult.
This briefing provides an overview of exports of plastic waste from the 28 EU Member States (EU-28) to other countries and discusses its possible consequences and opportunities.
Country factsheets on resource efficiency and circular economy in Europe
A set of 32 country factsheets has been produced that summarise policies and initiatives on the area of resource efficiency and circular economy.
These country profiles are based on information reported by the Eionet network and, in particular, the National Reference Centres on Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy. The information is current as of March 2019, when members of Eionet verified the content of their respective profiles.
Each country profile was prepared as part of the 2019 European Environment Agency review of material resource efficiency, circular economy and raw material supply policies, which aimed to collect, analyse, and disseminate information about experience with the development and implementation of these policies in EEA member and cooperating countries.
Preventing plastic waste in Europe
EEA Report: Preventing plastic waste in Europe
This report from the European Environment Agency reviews waste prevention policies in Europe with a focus on how these policies approach the issue of plastics and plastic waste.
Waste prevention is at the centre of EU waste legislation as it delivers the most effective results in dealing with environmental issues around waste, placing it at the top of EU and national waste strategies and legislation.
Waste prevention can be implemented in any waste stream, but it needs to be customised to reflect each stream's particularities. This report focuses on plastic waste, as there is potential for substantial mitigation of the environmental issues raised by increased plastic consumption through the use of waste prevention instruments and mechanisms.
The Circular Economy in policy and scientific research
The Circular Economy in policy and scientific research
A broad selection of articles on Circular Economy and its practices in Poland collected by prof. Joanna Kulczycka. After definitions and interperatations, this work is about circular economy related issues
- indicators in selected EU countries
- financing of business activities
- matching circular business models with priority sectors in Poland
- establishing measurement for circular economy transformation and its socio-economic impacts in Poland
- indicators in Polish regional perspective
- assessment of material consumption
- supporting managerial accounting instruments
- system upgrade
- solutions for mining and processing waste
- sustainable consumption
- good practices at national and international level.
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03 Feb 2021 to 05 Feb 2021
The third edition of the International Circular Economy Meeting aims to strengthen the objectives established in Gipuzkoa province (Spain) for the circular economy. The region set to achieve a recycling rate of 70% by 2030. It also ambitions to place the territory at the forefront as a European reference in circular economy models.
02 Feb 2021 to 04 Feb 2021
Rijkswaterstaat has the ambition to make its infrastructure works fully climate-neutral by 2030 and to operate in a fully circular manner. A great ambition that it cannot achieve on its own. That is why Rijkswaterstaat invite you to participate in a number of online sessions (in DUTCH only) from 2 to 4 February and to work together on a circular and climate-neutral infrastructure.
23 Feb 2021
The virtual event Industrial symbiosis as an opportunity for carbon neutrality on 23 February (9:00-13:00 CET) will launch the CircLean network as a concrete opportunity to tap into the potential of industrial symbiosis (IS) for European businesses. This pilot initiative, led by DG GROW, aims to increase the availability and quality of information about the impacts and benefits of IS in the EU.
21 Jan 2021
24 January is #CircularElectronicsDay! This webinar is part of the official activities and takes place on 21 January, with presentations and live discussions on 5 unique and impactful approaches to circular electronics.
19 Jan 2021
The Interreg MED Green Growth Community would like to invite you to participate in an online communication training session to discover storytelling techniques that inspire journalists to get unique and impactful stories out into the media, to take place on Tuesday 19 January 2021 at 10.30 a.m. CET.
14 Jan 2021
In this new episode of Re-think Webinars we will look into another circular city: Lisbon.
09 Feb 2021
Ever wondered how circular economy could help your city/region in its energy transition? This FEDARENE webinar is for you!
18 Dec 2020
The Circular Learning Hub's public workshop on project outcomes and knowledge sharing will take place on 18 December 2020.
15 Dec 2020
The EU SME Centre, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Beijing and the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China are pleased to invite you to an online workshop on green and circular economy in China. The online workshop will take place on 15 December 2020 on Zoom from 15:30 – 18:30 (Beijing time). (Europe time is -7 hours).
22 Jan 2021
EuroCommerce invites you to a webinar with Virginijus Sinkevičius on 22 January 2021 from 14.00 to 15.00 (CET).
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02 Sep 2019
Writing for The Banker, European Investment Bank President Werner Hoyer says that "By moving to a circular economy, the world can create less waste, design better products and adopt healthier habits" -> more here.
02 Sep 2019
Ecopreneur.eu has created an overview of circular economy policy for all EU Member States, which reveals 28 different paths with inspiring best practices. Countries that lead the way typically have the highest waste production as well.
13 Jun 2019
ACR+, the Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management, celebrated its 25th anniversary in June 2019. At this event, member organisations presented their respective work on the circular economy and committed to continue furthering the circular transition.
30 Aug 2019
At the 14thBled Strategic Forum, Ladeja Godina Kosir, Chair of the ECESP Coordination Group, will be moderating panels on sustainability policy and circular economy.
26 Aug 2019
The CSCP, Sitra and DBU have set up the Consumer Insight Action Panel, a new European multi-stakeholder initiative designed to support the transition to the circular economy by generating, applying and testing consumer behavioural insights in circular strategies for textiles, plastics and electronics. How might we innovate to enable people to reuse, repair, share or recycle? Find out with us!
13 Aug 2019
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s DIF welcomes contributors from across the globe for its November 2019 sessions to share their ideas, stories and innovations to spark conversations with a worldwide audience.
30 Jul 2019
During its Presidency of the Council of the European Union in late 2019, Finland will highlight the EU’s role in leading the transition to a climate neutral Europe with a versatile selection of Finnish artists’ work and a number of exhibitions that will give the public a new view on sustainable development and the circular economy.
18 Jul 2019
The EU’s largest National Promotional Banks and Institutions and the European Investment Bank launch a EUR 10 billion initiative to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and circular economy
05 Aug 2019
Citeo Circular Challenge is a programme to detect innovation, essentially in the paper and packaging sectors, which has supported over 700 projects across the entire circular value chain in 2016. Submit your project until 15 September 2019, and win up to €40,000 in grant funding and business services.
22 Jul 2019
In the context of European Commission’s Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) pilot programme, ADEME (Agence de l’environnement et de la maîtrise de l’énergie) supports innovation projects that include an ETV performance verification step.