Coffee!UP has adopted a unique cascade recycling system for used coffee grounds which is in line with the zero waste concept. In this way, they support the circular economy and thus mitigate the impact on climate change.
Through this system, Coffee!UP obtains high-quality ingredients by gradually removing the valuable parts of coffee grounds. These are then used in the cosmetics industry and serve as an input material for making plastic products.
UtilDeco Group SRL has become Romania’s flagship work-integration social enterprise.
In 2023, it linked its textiles and coffee operations in a circular-economy pilot scheme: fabric off-cuts from uniform production and empty jute coffee sacks were upcycled into OPYA Fashion, a limited-edition collection of jackets, totes and accessories.
The enterprise is now scaling circularity through two major projects, one on digital product passports in textile products and the other on hiring workwear.
The PROMOFER project aims to use low value feedstock (straw, industrial wastewater and starch, mostly) to manufacture valuable biobased compounds. Specifically, it will improve the fermentation processes and downstream purification, solve bottlenecks upstream and downstream, and produce high-value applications.
The annual Circular Economy Insights Series helps shape strategies and informs the development of support for communities of practice across Ireland. It highlights research gaps and will guide work in this area.
The 2025 report is designed to support an evidenced-based approach to public engagement and communications for a circular economy. It integrates best practices, targeted market research, socio-demographic analyses and community initiatives to provide key insights and statistical evidence on the specific trends currently driving circular economy behaviour in Ireland.
It aims to strengthen capacity for high-quality communications and public engagement to ensure that Ireland is informed and enabled to participate in, and benefit from, the circular transition.
International E-Waste Day on 14 October will focus on Critical Raw Materials, the elements that are mined in only a handful of countries and are crucial to foster the green and digital transition.
Organisations, municipalities, schools, businesses and individuals are invited to get involved!
