Sofie works as a policy advisor for the international policy unit at OVAM, the Public Waste Agency of Flanders, which ensures that Flanders deals with waste, materials and soil in a well thought out and environmentally sound manner. Since 1981, OVAM has been developing a balanced mix of economic and regulatory instruments on waste, materials and soil that has made the Region of Flanders one of the frontrunners in Europe in this field.
We are joining forces with our partners in business, civil society, research and government to develop a circular economy, taking a multi-stakeholder participatory approach. Circular Flanders, which was initiated by OVAM, serves as hub, inspiration and matchmaker for the transition to a circular economy in Flanders. We implement measures that go beyond sorting and recycling waste to make a systemic shift from take-make-waste to a new economic model that factors in the scarcity of raw materials and the ecological limits of our planet.
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.
Fashion for Change EU - with contributions from Michael Laermann and Arthur ten Wolde (Ecopreneur.eu), Mari Saar (Civitta), Maria Kristiin Peterson (EKA), and Justina Lizikevičiūtė- Grišinė (Katalista Ventures)
This Fashion for Change report illustrates the key business challenges and needs for circular fashion designers, start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises, along with proven and recommended solutions to support them.
The report recommends a hybrid community model that interconnects physical local competence centres with digital platforms and online networks to provide access to relevant information, contacts and online tools along with specific training, coaching and funding programmes. This approach would need to be supported by effective policy instruments.
The analytic work has been co-funded by the COSME programme of the European Union via the call COS-CIRCFASH-2019-3-02: Accelerate and scale up innovation applications for a sustainable and circular fashion industry.
We must better link the EU circular economy agenda with food security and safety-related challenges. The packaging industry can support the EU's sustainability ambitions for recyclable packaging by encouraging innovations and circular actions along the whole value chain.
How can the revised PPWD secure investments in sustainable food packaging solutions? And what role can consumers play when it comes to the implementation of the PPWD in practice? These are some points to discuss on 6 September 2023 from 10:00 during the #EUCircularTalks.
The World Circular Economy Forum 2023 Expo Area at Messukeskus in Helsinki, Finland will shine a spotlight on selected circular economy solutions from around the world. Would you like to present your solution to the global audience at the Forum?
Remember that WCEF Side Events can be organised throughout 2023!
The Right to Repair movement has been gathering steam across Europe and beyond. This is reflected in the EU agenda, with the need to promote repairability and long-lasting products stipulated in the European Green Deal and the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. The ECESP Leadership Group on Sustainable products and design held this #EUCircularTalks on 27 April at 10:00 – 11:30 CEST. Experts discussed the EU’s policy landscape on repair and considered what else is needed to make the right to repair a reality.
RREUSE is launching a study that highlights the importance of social enterprises in providing skills and training for a successful and inclusive transition to a circular economy. It analyses 18 cases within the social and circular enterprise community, highlighting the challenges faced and policy recommendations needed to facilitate inclusive upskilling and reskilling in the circular economy.
The study presentation on 15 March 2023 will be followed by a discussion featuring social enterprise representatives sharing their experiences running training programs, discussing their impact, and the barriers and enablers to their implementation. Attendees will also have the opportunity to listen to a panel discussion with key stakeholders and policy-makers exploring the role of EU policy in scaling and developing circular training programmes.
The 2022 Circular Cities Declaration Report is a very important milestone. Not only is it the first progress report for the European Circular Cities Declaration, it also features statements from 40 signatory cities. This makes it the broadest ever assessment of circular economy practices across European cities.
The report shows that considerable progress is being made: half of the 40 cities involved in the programme already have circular economy strategies in place or in development.
This is just the start. By the end of 2025, the aim is to have 150 cities signed up to this Declaration. Together, the signatories are embedding circularity into European cities!
