Sonae Arauco is a wood-based panel producer that contributes to the circular economy through the recovery of wood waste. It has developed a close value chain that reuses and recycles the wood residues generated during the production process.
eCO2blocks creates an alternative – or a complementary material – to cement by producing building blocks made from industrial waste and water which is not fit for drinking.
In the Douro Valley of Portugal, the research and development project Da Vide has created a range of products using grapevine residues – from paper to pens – avoiding the use of plastics and wood and using agricultural waste as a resource.
A team of researchers from the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) has developed an innovative wastewater treatment technique using natural flocculants extracted from waste eucalyptus wood.
A team of researchers from the research centre CIEPQPF and the CFE of the University of Coimbra has developed an innovative application for recovered waste from walnut fruit: compounds with a “nematocidal” effect have been extracted that can control plant-parasitic nematodes affecting a wide range of species.
Econooc is a no-effort conservation beehive made from mycelium and other repurposed/sustainable materials.
The Circular Economy Platform was officially established in November 2018 in Hungary as an initiative of the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.
The aim of the platform is to facilitate the paradigm shift and joint thinking, along with building a community of forward-thinking change leaders and sharing business solutions that make a real impact. For the new model to develop and spread, collaboration and knowledge sharing are required, with the involvement of businesses, government and science.
DigitalLead is Denmark's national cluster for digital technologies. They organise yearly network sessions on circular economy called Green Tech - Cirkulær økonomi.
Employees and managers in related businesses can join the network and participate in meetings to discuss the development of the circular economy and how digital technologies can be applied.
The Alliance for Women in a Circular Economy was created in 2019 in the Czech Republic, and it aims to help project managers interested in the topic get together, discuss, and implement circular economy initiatives.
The alliance has been founded by women, but is also open to men.
Soeco Kontorsmöbler is a Swedish company that recycles and refurbishes office furniture. Its goal is to take furniture which would most likely be thrown away and transform it into an item that either looks like or is new.
RREUSE is organising its second online study tour designed to help public authorities implement re-use activities. The tour is tailored for representatives of local, regional and national authorities, municipalities and public waste companies wishing to develop re-use activities in their area using a social enterprise model.
The Dutch company KarTent has come up with a sustainable solution for the many tents left behind by music festival goers: a cardboard tent, designed to be purchased and transported in bulk to festival sites. After the festival, the company arranges for the tents to be removed and recycled.
Mamukko is an Irish company, founded in 2011, that uses waste nautical materials as a secondary raw material. They promote upcycling by using end-of-life sails, decommissioned life rafts and recycled leather to make bags.
The Circularity Dataset is an initiative by Luxembourg’s Ministry of the Economy and some international industry leaders. It has now developed the “Product Circularity Data Sheet” (PCDS): a data template for standardising data about the circular aspects of products.
The Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) is a private business and employers' organisation representing approximately 18 000 companies in Denmark. They aim to provide the best possible corporate conditions for their member companies.
The DI network for circular economy (text in Danish only) aims to create a platform for companies that are interested in, working with or want to be updated on the circular economy. It organises three meetings a year, and is open to members of the Confederation of Danish Industry. The network has around 150 members and growing.
Stop Food Waste is an Irish initiative which aims to prevent food waste through better buying, storage and cooking, as well as through home composting.
ZIKOM is one of the largest distributors of professionally reconditioned computer equipment in Poland.
Music business can be circular, too! MWfono makes vinyl records from the waste that remains after cutting other records. Kayax label then packs the discs in recycled paper and employs a protection film made from maize.
RUCONBAR, developed in a project which ran from 2011 to 2014, is a highly absorptive, environmentally-friendly concrete noise barrier. It is an innovative mixture of recycled waste tyres and concrete which forms a porous, lightweight, sound absorbing panel.
Zona Urbana is a fashion company based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Since 2004, it designs and manufactures products with recycled materials, mainly bags or wallets.
In Venturis HoReCa a group of professionals has joined forces, knowledge, expertise and ideas to tackle the problem of food waste. They have developed IT systems (KuMin.Sys and KuMin.App) to monitor and reduce food waste in kitchens and canteens. Monitoring of food waste is the first important step in the process of reduction. Venturis HoReCa also advises companies on how to limit food waste.
Nachhaltig.digital is a platform for stepping up dialogue on the sustainability and digitalisation of SMEs in Germany.
It provides a space for the exchange of ideas, products, solutions, inspiration and discussion - both online and offline. The platform helps companies to use digitalisation to make their business sustainable.
The platform has also focused on the circular economy. As well as providing a forum where companies can interact, Nachhaltig.digital informs them about digitalisation and the circular economy, answering questions and telling them about current trends.
Repairmystuff is an online platform based in Ireland which supports, promotes and encourages the repair industry in Ireland.
It promotes a circular economy by providing a free online space for repair companies. It aims to give consumers more options for accessing repair services throughout the country. It also provides consumers with a search tool which suggests service providers according to what needs to be repaired and where in the country the person is located.
Product categories include:
CIRCit was a 3½-year research project, spanning the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Sweden. The objective was to help their industry to discover and implement the opportunities of the circular economy.
This project was part of the Nordic Green Growth Research and Innovation Programme funded by NordForsk, Nordic Energy Research and Nordic Innovation.
The project focus areas for the circular economy were:
The project webpage contains 101 circular economy case studies in the Nordic region and several scientific publications.