Plateforme des acteurs européens de l'économie circulaire

The Luxembourg Wood Cluster was set up in 2016 as a platform for exchange between all players in the wood sector, spanning from wood production to the end consumers of wood products. Its structure is managed by Luxinnovation, the National Agency for Innovation and Research.

As a meeting point for innovative, public and private organisations in the region – companies as well as research centres – the Wood Cluster brings together know-how and facilitates the sharing of experience in Luxembourg and beyond. Optimising the market release and the use of wood resources in order to lengthen their life cycles, and creating and enhancing regional wood product chains are among its objectives.

Its underlying logic is that of improving the recovery of this sustainable material par excellence at local and regional level. To this end, the Cluster:

• promotes the wood sector as a whole,
• organises networking events for its members ("Meet a member"),
• organises conferences and thematic visits, 
• manages technical working groups around the themes of wood production, processing and use,
• looks for innovative projects and new technologies at national and international level, 
• identifies and manages strategic flagship projects, and
• supports sectoral SMEs and start-ups.

"Circular Futures - Plattform Kreislaufwirtschaft Österreich" is a solution-oriented multistakeholder platform that brings together professionals across relevant industries, the administration, politics, science and civil society in Austria. Circular Futures acts as a think-tank, incubator, and catalyst for projects and initiatives necessary for a successful transition to a circular economy in Austria.

Circular Futures offers:

• A website that serves as a central information and communication platform;
• Knowledge events on the circular economy to inform and mobilise stakeholders;
• Targeted capacity-building for relevant stakeholders through workshops, trainings, and the publication of project information;
• The coordination of local activities and strengthening of regional networks; and
• The involvement of relevant stakeholders in political processes (consultations, strategy/guideline developments, etc.) through information-sharing and mobilization.

Circular Futures AT is a collaboration between the Umweltdachverband and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the Reuse and Repair Network Austria (RepaNet), and the Verband Abfallberatung Österreich (VABÖ).

The Upper Autrian Cleantech-Cluster networks all actors from the resource supplier, to the manufacturer, industrial researcher, to mechanical engineers, recyclers, and disposers in order to find joint solutions and develop new technologies. We cooperate with our 10 cluster initiatives in the Upper Austrian business support agency and 2000 partner companies, whose activities range from plastics, to automotive, furniture and wood construction, food, medical technology, mechatronics, IT, logistics, and HR, In order to support projects for SMEs in particular, the cluster also supports EU funding applications, thus offering its partners an internationally mature circular economy toolbox.

THEMES and EXPERTISE in the network:

• 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
• Funding advice

The “Cyprus Circular Economy Platform” aims to collect circular economy good practices and events from all stakeholders that can contribute to the transition to a circular economy across Cyprus. For industries, enterprises, local authorities, public bodies, associations, NGOs etc that have a good practice to demonstrate or an event to share, regarding the circular economy in Cyprus, this is the place to do it.

The Cyprus Circular Economy Platform was co-created by the European Commission Representation in Cyprus and the Cyprus Federation of Employers & Industrialists (OEB) and was registered as a partner for the 2018 EU Green Week.

The European Resource Efficiency Knowledge Centre (EREK for short) is here to help European companies, especially SMEs, save energy, material and water costs. We provide tools, information and business opportunities that show you new and better ways to be resource efficient and benefit from circular economy business models which turn waste into an asset. EREK also supports national, regional and local organisations across Europe that work with SMEs to improve their environmental performance, helping them to become more resource efficient.

SMEs can get the following benefits thanks to EREK’s tools and services:

• Access to knowledge on best available technologies and business models
• Better control of energy, water and material costs
• Compliance checks for upcoming regulations
• Become less dependent on suppliers
• Demonstrate return on investment when adopting resource efficient measures Information on funding sources and technology providers
• Help building a green image which enables the targeting of new customer segments

EREK offers the following to SME intermediaries:

• Tools and instruments for businesses to assess their saving potentials
• Access to top international knowledge, technical expertise and practices on resource efficiency
• Capacity-building workshops and networking events Online training opportunities to learn from resource efficiency experts
• Overview of relevant support programmes available on European, national and regional levels
• Updates on professional events within the community

Concrete activities include:

• European Resource Efficiency Self-Assessment Tool for SMEs
• Catalogue of Resource Efficiency Improvement Measures
• European Resource Efficiency Information Database
• Online EREK platform
• Structured knowledge on resource efficiency best practices
• News, trends, and information on support programmes
• Database and managed European network of the national and regional organisation providing support to SMEs in resource efficiency measures
• Capacity-building and training workshops
• Knowledge resources, expertise and sharing

EREK is an initiative of the European Commission and is implemented by a consortium of organisations including Technopolis Group, VDI Zentrum Ressourceneffizienz (DE), WRAP (UK), Motiva (FI), Enviros (CZ), WAAT and Arctik (BE).

Circle Lab is an online platform for cities, businesses, and citizens to explore, brainstorm, and implement circular business models and strategies to tackle universal and local challenges.

By digitising knowledge, opening up access, and encouraging co-creation, we aim to break down information silos and fuel cross-industry collaboration and innovation. The circular economy has the potential to change the world, and we believe the time to bring the concept to the kitchen table – so that everyone, from entrepreneurs to big brands, can play a role in making it a reality – is now.

See how the platform works
Check the knowledge hub

Catalunya Circular was launched on the 9^th of May 2018 in Barcelona and it already has around 20 member organizations. Its aim is to become a central point of reference for circular economy (CE) in Catalonia.

Besides providing useful knowledge and information on CE, Catalunya Circular offers an opportunity to raise awareness about the work done by Catalan businesses and society by publishing details of their CE initiatives. These initiatives are geolocated on an interactive map and can be selected using a search engine that allows users to look for projects by keyword and/or type of economy.

The ARA Innovation Space is a place for networking, interdisciplinary exchange and innovative creating around topics for a circular economy.

For civil society, artists, scientists, creative people, students, entrepreneurs and all those who are simply curious. The goal of the ARA Innovation Space is to connect people on a cross-disciplinary level to join forces developing and implementing innovative solutions – contributing to the sustainable use of our natural resources.

We organize workshops, networking events as well as creative formats such as exhibitions and performances on a regular basis.

The aim of FURN360 is to create an Innovative didactic content to promote the integration of the Circular Economy Principles within the different business models used by the furniture and woodworking sectors specialized in office and contract.

It will comprise a joint curriculum, didactic materials and a collaborative platform in line with the needs of identified different target users. FURN360 will develop and implement an innovative practice, a new training curriculum for the furniture sector, specifically for the office furniture and contract sectors, adapted to the future trends and needs of the whole society in terms of circular economy.

Cities are where the future happens first. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group connects more than 90 of the world’s greatest cities, representing over 650 million people and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens.