On 19 February 2019 the European Parliament and ACR+ hosted experts and practitioners from local and regional authorities, training providers, NGOs and academia across Europe.
After the 2014 elections, the new Roubaix municipality team wanted to change the image of its city and encourage a positive attitude towards both its inhabitants and France as a whole.
The roadmap aims at turning difficulties into advantages, generating a new dynamic. Based on theSustainable development strategy (since 2003), a zero waste policy is progressively implemented with a focus on cooperation and awareness raising among stakeholders.
The approach is global, even if some activities are implemented on a micro-scale (budget issue), mostly at the level of a city sub-district (Fresnoy-Mackellerie).
To enable the entire City of Roubaix to experience the transition to a zero waste economy, projects are open and accessible to all categories of population and businesses.
Circul'R is a team that has the expertise to help companies and regions shift to a circular economy.
It aims to unlock the circular economy's potential by connecting innovative startups with companies so that they can co-create solutions to accelerate their transition towards the circular economy.
Focus areas:
training on identifying the challenges and opportunities of the circular economy,
consultancy (helping companies go circular,
Circul'R Club (more than 100 companies and institutions, from large groups to local authorities, including ESG funds and committed startups. Each participant contributes to the transition towards a circular economy model),
Circul'R coalitions (aiming to bring together companies from different sectors to address specific issues and deploy circular projects).
The educational project Ecotic Caravan was co-financed by LIFE+ and ran from 2014 to 2016. It aimed to raise awareness about environmental protection and sustainable development by focusing on efficient management of WEEE. The caravan travelled across Romania, organised workshops with school children and was parked in the main squares so that the general public could easily interact.
Atelier Extramuros is a social enterprise specialising in upcycling waste wood into office furniture. It has a strong focus on circular economy principles and social impact.
Kierrätyskeskus is a network of secondhand shops in the Helsinki area. As well as selling on donated items, they repair electrical goods and offer training sessions on the circular economy.
When Dublin's Ballymun suburb was scheduled for regeneration, a local environmental project redeveloped the neighbourhood's heating plant into a 3D textbook on repair, reuse and refurbish. The Rediscovery Centre, housed in the old boiler house, is now a cutting-edge creative space connecting people, resources and ideas that includes four social enterprises.
Van Hulley is a Dutch SME that upcycles worn-out shirts into boxershorts, employing disadvantaged women as seamstresses every year and training them to join the labour market more permanently.
The Upper Austrian Cleantech-Cluster brings together suppliers, manufacturers, industrial researchers, mechanical engineers, recyclers and disposers in order to find joint solutions and develop new technologies.
Focus areas:
Material efficiency in production
Recycling
Recovery
Disposal
Circular design
Business models
Initial and continuing education
Research
SERVICES:
Cross-sector networking with researchers, companies, associations (regional, national, international)
Project development
Project management
Process support through conception, moderation of workshops, work meetings, events
