The Osservatorio Innovazione Packaging is run by the Advanced Design Unit in the University of Bologna's Architecture department.Itaims to trigger innovation in the area of packaging. It collects, prepares and provides case studies, knowledge and experience in order to promote circular, collaborative and responsible innovation projects along the packaging chain.
One of the observatory's goals is to create a regional and national "network of networks" within the packaging sector so as to foster connections between stakeholders.
The platform provides planning services, bridging research, students and businesses through talent labs and competitive projects.
There are levels of access depending on the type of membership.
PACCT for Sustainability aims to make service and sustainability the keystone of businesses across Europe and to build a European community focused on Product as a Service.
With the support of ADEME, Michelin, BASF and Johnston Circular, PACCT for Sustainability strives to rethink traditional economic models so as to speed up the sustainable transformation of the economy. It will do so by developing innovative business models aiming to replace an approach based on volume and products with a service geared towards customers and impact.
The platform organises webinars exploring different aspects of the sustainable economy, from value proposition to governance and financing, and workgroups where participants can co-create solutions.
The Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform is a forum for dialogue and cooperation between all parts of the European polyolefin value chain: brand owners, retailers, waste management organisations, recyclers, converters, producers and other stakeholders. It seeks to influence policy and aims totransform the entire polyolefin system from linear to circular.
Polyolefins are an extremely valuable, widely used and versatile type of plastic, found everywhere from household settings to specialised industrial applications. They are fully recylable. They are vital materials if we want to decarbonise our society.
The platform provides data and tools to enable the polyolefin value chain to collaborate, identify barriers and develop solutions to deliver a circular polyolefin economy.
The Italian Phosphorus Platform was set up to mirror the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform. It aims to make Italy self-sufficient in terms of phosphorus and to ensure coordination with European policies.
The Platform is made up of stakeholders active in the phosphorus chain, with an emphasis on conservation and recovery. It includes research centres, public and private institutions, businesses and environmental associations.
Phosphorus is a critical raw material for Europe: hardly any products containing it are recycled and the EU is almost entirely dependent on imports from third countries. The Platform aims to close this loop.
The Platform has four working groups: Management and coordination, Technologies and good practices, Legislation, and Market.
The Région Grand Est has five large cities (Metz, Mulhouse, Nancy, Reims and Strasbourg) and borders with Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. It is the second largest industrial region in France.
Seven regional or circular-oriented organisations decided to join forces in order to set up a useful tool, promote their circular initiatives and bolster their expertise in this field. The result was plateforme collectif-grandest.org, which aims to bring all stakeholders together to develop a circular economy in Grand Est businesses.
It is a resource centre, with publications and a directory of circular businesses and initiatives. Members can join or create communities and access support when setting up a project. The platform also holds annual meetings.
The Remanufacturing platform is designed to help with the development of remanufacturing activities.
It provides resources on remanufacturing and the circular economy, includes toolkits and links to relevant publications.
Set up in 2014, Remanufacturing aims to promote remanufacturing and associated activities for product life extension. Within circular economy value recovery cycles, products can be REused, REpaired, REnovated, REmanufactured or REcycled. The aim is to reuse end-of-life products and components in new or upgraded products.
Remanufacturing has created a website describing the advantages of and barriers to starting up and developing remanufacturing activities, with examples and methodologies.
The Policy Hub (founded in 2019) aims to promote circularity in the apparel and footwear industry and propose policies that accelerate sustainable practices. It represents over 700 stakeholders and has partner organisations:
It looks at each stage, focusing on ways to reduce the environmental impact and considering end of life. The Policy Hub seeks to encourage an ambitious policy framework to speed up the transformation of the apparel and footwear industry towards circularity. It focuses on:
Precious Plastic was launched in the Netherlands in 2012. It brings together the solutions needed to tackle plastic waste, by boosting recycling, promoting new biodegradable materials or adopting zero waste lifestyles - whatever works.
In workspaces, waste plastic is transformed into valuable raw materials (Shredder, Extrusion, Sheetpress, Injection and Mix).
Collection Points gather plastic from neighbours, organisations and businesses to be processed by local Shredder Workspaces.
Community Points grow the local recycling network.
Machine Shops produce and build parts, machines and moulds for others in the local recycling network.
Members help with plastic collection and spreading the word.
The idea is to get everyone involved and playing their part.
PREVENT Waste Alliance is an international think tank, connecting circular economy practitioners worldwide.
It was launched in May 2019 and serves as a platform for exchange and international cooperation. Organisations from the private sector, academia, civil society and public institutions work together for a circular economy.
Its goal is tominimise waste, eliminate pollutants and maximise the reuse of resources in the economy. It promotes waste prevention, collection and recycling as well as increased uptake of secondary resources.
The members take part in working groups on plastics, e-waste and batteries, and organic waste. The Alliance has also produced a toolbox on Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging.
The Prosperkolleg project started in the German city of Bottrop on 1 June 2019, aiming to explore how to transfer the idea of the circular economy to industry.
Hochschule Ruhr West, WiN Emscher-Lippe GmbH, the city of Bottrop, the Effizienzagentur NRW and the Prosperkolleg association all joined forces to carry out research and demonstrate innovative developments in circular products and business models.
The project is funded by the Ministry of the Economy, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia.
