The EU-financed LEVEL-UP project offered circularity protocols and strategies for extending the remaining useful life of large industrial equipment and assets that can no longer remain competitive in the Industry 4.0 paradigm.
Rigiocattolo collects used toys, regenerates and puts them back into circulation. Its ambition is to become a bigger and renowed re-use centre that can also offer people a decent job.
In order to create a new commercial use for raw wool, the Italian association Post Industriale Ruralità has developed a form of vertical hydroponic cultivation using wool instead of soil.
Rcube is a Federation of French companies active in the reuse and repair sectors and covering a wide range of products and services (such as smartphones, computers, tyres, toys, electronics and bicycles).
The federation aims to develop the reuse sector and put it on a professional footing by promoting good practices, representing the sector vis-à-vis external bodies, fostering partnerships and innovation with various socio-economic stakeholders and generally advocating for the shift to the circular economy. It works with various French ministries, and currently has 400 members. These members provide mutual support through committees, working groups and meetings.
It is active in Paris, and has outreach offices in the regions of Hauts de France and Grand Ouest.
In its position paper, Eurocities aims at contributing to the revision of the EU legislation on packaging and packaging waste by making proposals on:
packaging design (to facilitate separate sorting by citizens, and further dismantling for reuse or recycling, i.e. less complexity in packaging materials)
compostable/biodegradable plastic packaging (citizens cannot distinguish between biodegradable/compostable and more ‘conventional’ ones; the Commission should assess if this packaging can benefit the environment or create more littering and hamper waste collection, reuse and recycling)
reuse and recycling (new legislation should consider EU-wide mandatory labelling to identify packaging as reusable, recyclable or compostable) and
Finnish jewelry company EKORU makes jewelry out of discarded Finnish coins, old silver spoons and other cutlery. After Finland changed to the Euro, the metal of old Finnish coins found other purposes.
