08 Apr 2019 to 09 Apr 2019
On 8 and 9 April the Circular Economy Virtuous Circle Tour will take place in Greece in the form of the 1st Greek Circular Economy Forum.
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Innovation and investments
Iberian Circular Economy Foundation (FEC)
The Circular Economy Foundation (FEC) is a private, Iberian ambit foundation working in areas related to circular economy, sustainability, resource use and environment.
FEC has launched PIPEC, a multi-participant Iberian platform (Spain, Portugal and Andorra) whose aim is promoting the Circular Economy and its potential advantages such as sustainable development, eco-competitiveness of companies, new proximity employment, reduction of dependence on raw materials, energy and material efficiency, reduction of the ecological footprint, promotion of local and quality production, prevention and minimization of waste, protection of natural capital, increased ecological resilience and the reduction of carbon emissions.
FEC has launched this platform in order to involve all actors in the life cycle (or value chains), with the aim of discussing the possible orientations and co-build innovative economic initiatives. PIPEC is structured in: "Multiparticipant" Working Groups and Sectorial Platforms.
Getting suppliers involved to better assess circularity throughout the value chain: a project by ENEL
To support ENEL’s transition towards a circular economy, its Global Procurement department aims to achieve a detailed understanding of the flows of its materials (components, environmental impact and recyclability of final products) through the EDP project, which involves its suppliers' commitment.
Futur-E: 23 Italian thermoelectric power plants will get a new life, in consultation with local stakeholders and communities
Enel is a prominent energy actor in Italy. As a result of its investment in renewable energy, 23 obsolete thermoelectric power plants and one mining area are to be decommissioned.
The Futur-E project aims to reconvert these outdated plants into local facilities satisfying criteria of innovation, social, environmental and economic sustainability.
28 Mar 2019
On 28 March 2019 the Economy Circular Chair (ESCP Europe & Deloitte) and the European Research Project R2Pi are co-organising an event (at ESCP Europe Business School, Paris) which focuses on various types of circular economy partnerships among enterprises (firm-centric, consortium and market-based).
Slovenian companies and a circular economy: Slovenian Business Observatory 2017
Slovenian companies and the circular economy
Since 2000, the “Slovenian Entrepreneurship Observatory” publishes a report annually providing analysis of the situation of Slovenian companies and insight into Slovenian entrepreneurship. In 2018 this report had a thematic focus on the circular economy (CE), with the authors centring in on the drivers and barriers to SMEs integrating CE into business practice.
This report first provides a theoretical framework for the CE, which aims to raise awareness and facilitate information exchange between companies and individuals looking to spread circular innovation. Simultaneously this report also provides an overview of the barriers companies face in transitioning towards circularity, which include a lack of comparable indicators to benchmark and track progress; cost of eco-design; administrative burden; access to finance and a lack of awareness about the concept itself: in 2017, a survey of businesses indicated only 32% had some understanding of what a circular economy is. This survey also revealed businesses perceive economic, environmental and regulatory opportunities as the main drivers towards circularity.
The report concludes with practical aspects of CE implementation at the level of enterprises, presenting a case study which highlights the situation and the possible use of eco-design in Slovenian SMEs operating in the construction sector and conclusions with recommended steps to overcome the barriers identified.
27 Mar 2019
The VUB-ULB research chair "Transitioning Belgian companies into Circularity" organises its first interactive seminar entitled "What can cities, companies and citizens do?" .
Scaling the circular built environment
Scaling the Circular Built Environment: pathways for business and government
The built environment, consuming almost half of the world's resources extracted every year and responsible for a massive environmental footprint, is a fundamental sector in the circular transition. The circular economy has great potential to help meet global sustainability targets and the Paris Agreement's goals in particular. Moving towards a circular built environment involves a shift in roles and business models for stakeholders active in this sector. However, barriers related to culture, regulations, market, technology and education are slowing down the transition. The private and public sector need to create a level playing field in order for circular materials, products and services to become the new normal in the built environment.
25 Mar 2019
On March 19, GLOBE EU and the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) organised a conference to look back on what the 2014 - 2019 EU mandate has achieved for the circular economy and present GLOBE EU’s recommendations with priorities for the next European Commission.
08 Mar 2019
More than 350 circular economy stakeholders from across Europe shared their success stories and the challenges they face during the second day of the Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference, hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee on 7 March 2019.
03 Jun 2019 to 05 Jun 2019
The World Circular Economy Forum is a ground-breaking event that presents the best innovations for circular economy and gathers the most recognised experts and decision-makers in the field. Be at the epicentre of the circular economy in Helsinki, Finland, on 3 - 5 June 2019.
25 Mar 2019
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation will be holding a public webinar on its Circular Economy in Cities suite of online resources for urban authorities on the 25th of March 2019.
Circulair Den Haag: transitie naar een duurzame economie
Circular The Hague: transition to a sustainable economy
In this policy note, the City of the Hague outlines why a circular transition is necessary and what benefits it can provide to the city for its sustainable development. Continuing with a state-of-play, the note sketches out the policy framework at European, national and regional level to provide strategic context and introduce analysis of a non-exhaustive list of 143 ongoing circular projects in The Hague area. Links to further research show that making use of the opportunities a circular economy provides in the Construction, Procurement and Retail Trade sectors alone could substantially reduce carbon emissions and deliver 3,500 jobs in The Hague area.
Building on this research, the policy note indicates the city's priorities best lie in biomass, construction material and critical raw materials. To showcase possible next steps, the note provides a list of easily implementable projects and policies in these priority areas, while concluding with a stakeholder engagement strategy that should enable the city's administration to realise its goals for the priority sectors.
Ultra thin White Topping: durable and resource-efficient solution for asphalt roads
Ultra Thin White Topping is a road hardening innovation, applied to pilot projects in Frysland and Overijssel by Schagen Infra BV. To replace damaged asphalt sustainably, the company renovated the degenerated road surface using a thin layer of cement with polyseter fibers mixed in, thus reducing resource consumption and enabling full material recovery at end-of-life stage.
Mater‐Biopolymer - industrial regeneration and recovery of production residues in biopolyesters industry
Mater-Biopolymer is a company based in Patrica, 100% owned by Novamont, dedicated to the production of Origo-Bi, biodegradable biopolyesters of renewable origin, and to the development of new biopolymers.
The industrial site is the result of the reconversion of existing infrastructures and skills of an abandoned production plant for PET. It ensures the highest quality and safety requirements.
21 Mar 2019
The Which sustainable future for plastic? conference, to be held in Brussels on 21 March, aims to stimulate the debate on the way plastic is produced, used and discarded.
Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform
The Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform (PCEP) is a European joint industry value chain initiative, founded by two plastics industry associations (EuPC and PlasticsEurope) in order to advance the circular economy by increasing the reuse and recycling of polyolefin-based products and the use of recyclates as raw material.
Polyofelins are the most widely used family of plastics. They are present in every day life and are fully recyclable. Their main products are high, low and linear low density polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE) and polypropylene (PP). Polyethylene (PE) and PP represent close to 50% of the total European plastic production and are largely utilized in various plastic applications.
PCEP recognises that a business-as-usual approach will not enable the proposed challenging target of 55% plastic packaging "preparing for re-use and recycling” by 2025, as outlined in the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package, so the platform will be working for a 5-10 year horizon based on effective, science-based solutions. It will initially focus on polyolefin-based packaging as it represents the application segment where highest quantities of valuable recycled raw materials can be generated.
PCEP is developing activities in the following areas of work:
- Development of packaging design guidelines and assessment.
- Innovation to increase the recyclability of flexible and rigid packaging.
- EU-wide quality standards for sorted plastics, harmonisation of test methods for recycled plastic materials and certification of plastic recycling operations.
- Innovation & development of end-use markets to encourage demand for recycled plastics.
- Stimulating innovation to improve mechanical recycling, conversion technologies and reuse.
- Driving the R&D of new technologies to convert non-mechanically recyclable plastics into feedstock for the production of new materials.
Love them, wear them out, wear them again: full repair service is part of this eco-responsible shoe line
Kavat produces durable and high-quality shoes made of sustainable materials by resorting to eco-friendly manufacturing processes, and also offers a shoe repair service.