This E-Learning module on Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement guides learners, for instance, through the process of building a procurement strategy and procuring in a circular way.
Cikautxo worked with the TAPA (ThermoplAstic fluid handling Pipes for cooling circuits in Automotive sector) project, funded by EIT RawMaterials, to develop new materials for pipes and hoses. They substituted natural rubber with a 100% recyclable thermoplastic material (thermoplastic elastomeric, TPE), using energy-efficient extrusion technology.
MarketPlace Circular Labs is an Interreg project in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula (North and Central Portugal and Castilla y León and Galicia in Spain). It aims to give visibility to good practices and circular economy success stories developed by businesses and entrepreneurs in the region.
There is a private area where users can share products and services, along with ideas for projects and synergies. There is also a learning centre, and events and publications are listed in the News space.
The project is funded by the ERDF via the Cooperación Transfronteriza INTERREG V-A España Portugal programme. It aims to incorporate the circular economy into the business culture and to build new ideas into every stage of the value chain.
Fab City Challenge is an initiative launched in 2014 by the then mayor of Barcelona, challenging cities to become self-sustainable by 2054. The project has now expanded into a sustainable cities network working on the digital transition, localisation and regenerative economy. One focus is combating food waste and using fresh produce which would otherwise have been thrown out.
Members have access to knowledge exchange, network events, research opportunities and engagement with like-minded cities around the world. They meet once a year at the Fab City Summit, where new cities also join the Network.
Distributed Innovation Workshops are also organised, where participants learn about various areas of innovation and sustainability.
ACCEZ is a platform which aims to foster circular economy practices in the southern Netherlands.
It pools initiatives by several regional universities and public and private actors in the following fields:
area development
circular agriculture
manufacturing industries
plastic.
The platform bolsters cooperation between partners to develop solutions to knowledge-intensive issues. To do so, they oversee and fund triple-helix research projects. The end-goal of the platform is to enhance the regional knowledge base and networks, with a view to substantially accelerating the transition to a circular economy.
Across the world, cluster organisations have taken a leading role in the green transition. Cluster Excellence Denmark recently released a new e-book titled Towards a New Greener Normal – How Clusters are Dealing with Circular Transition in Times of COVID-19, exploring how this work has continued despite the current pandemic.
The e-book contains informative insights into how clusters are integrating the green transition and digitalisation, leading to brand new and innovative solutions with market potential.
Enhanced Landfill Mining (ELFM) of historic (and future) landfills is a key part of the solution for closing material loops. It addresses major societal challenges by recovering materials, energy and land. Machiels' ‘Closing the Circle’ project will be the first to put ELFM into practice.
