The URBIOFIN project aims to demonstrate the techno-economic and environmental viability of an integrated and innovative biorefinery for the transformation of the organic fraction of municipal solid wasteinto new marketable bioproducts, chemical building blocks, biopolymers and additives for different markets like agriculture and cosmetics.
The Loop Company has discovered the opportunities offered by the circular economy and launched three initiatives - Book in Loop, BabyLoop and UniLoop - that bring circularity to everyday life.
C2C ExpoLAB is a consultancy firm which specialises in the practical application of Cradle to Cradle (C2C) principles in the built environment. It enables its clients to exploit the circular economy concept. One of its projects was Venlo city hall which illustrates its approach and principles.
Leadax uses high-tech material and production knowledge to develop and manufacture 100% circular materials out of discarded PVB for waterproofing buildings.
Green Serendipity is an international consultancy firm with a focus on renewable plastics for packaging and products. It advises businesses on how to develop circular concepts and strategies for packaging and products.
Schijvens has been producing corporate uniforms for more than 150 years now. In 2017, they began collecting customers' old clothing, shredding it and mixing the textile fibres with shredded PET-polyester ones from sportswear, fishing nets and bottles. This led to 100% recycled yarn, which is used to make new fabrics and ultimately new uniforms.
Van Werven Plastics Recyling specialises in creating high-quality raw materials from post-consumer hard plastics, collected from construction waste, industrial waste and municipal recycling centres. Van Werven has a separate machine for each type of plastic, as every material has its own properties.
Groningen Seaports is the economic operator, developer and port authority for the port of Delfzijl, Eemshaven and adjoining industrial sites. Groningen Seaports is at the forefront of the circular economy with an innovative circular cluster and ongoing sustainable investments. They facilitate mechanical and chemical recycling and specialise in recycling plastics.
Interseroh provides recycling solutions for plastic packaging. For instance, it has developed a pooling system of reusable plastic boxes for fruit and vegetables sold at Aldi Süd, a German supermarket network.
The Gr3n projects aims to contribute to the fight against plastic proliferation in the world by introducing an innovative process for profitable plastic recycling. This process uses microwave technology on a chemical reaction, and results in a ground-breaking, economically efficient chemical recycling process for PET.
The Finnish Roadmap to achieve a Circular Economy goal is to create a shared mindset in Finnish society to promote the circular economy and determine the most effective means to do it.
The Roadmap focuses on 5 focus areas, topics that will initially be used in advancing the circular economy in Finland. Based on Finland’s traditional strengths, these topics include a sustainable food system, forest-based loops, technical loops, transport and logistics, and joint actions.
The authors of the study apply ascendency analysis (a systematic method based on information theory for quantifying the efficiency and resilience of natural ecosystems) at EU level and discuss the implications for urban waste management systems, taking the Netherlands as an example.
They argue that ecological principles can be useful for developing human-made systems. The system is made sufficiently robust to be able to cope with shocks by including a diverse set of stakeholders who provide:
Arup has joined forces with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to produce a report on the value of circular economy (CE) in real estate.
CE offers real estate investors a framework for achieving environmental and social goals while delivering better economic performance. How do real estate business models need to change - apart from eco-design - if CE principles are to scale up in this sector?
The report defines five models to improve financial performance to the benefit of real estate investors and construction clients:
In many countries, the government is the single largest purchaser of products, services and works. Green Public Procurement (GPP) enables governments to reduce the environmental impact of their purchases. It also serves as a powerful tool for governments to simultaneously achieve their environmental and development policy objectives.
This report - Green Public Procurement: An Overview of Green Reforms in Country Procurement Systems - provides an overview of international experience in the implementation of GPP. It focuses on the institutional framework that is needed to support the mainstreaming of GPP practices across governments. The intention is to equip practitioners with a broad understanding of the issues they need to consider in the design and implementation of GPP reforms.
The European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) works on raising awareness about the problems of food waste and poverty, lifting obstacles to food donation for social purposes, and promoting the circular economy.
This research paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the functioning of European food banks and how resilient European food banks were in coping with the pandemic in 2020.
The researchers apply a multiple case study to assess how the first year of the pandemic affected European food banks’ operations and the amount of redistributed food. They further investigate innovation practices that have been developed to cope with the new situation, hoping to draw lessons for imminent future waves of the pandemic and other social crises.
The benefits of transitioning to a circular economy outweigh the disadvantages. However, more efforts are needed to move from conceptualisation to implementation. The transition requires a political commitment and the right business mindset. It also requires prioritisation and investment in innovation, the utilisation of new technological solutions, and the right set of skills and competences.
So far, there has been very limited focus on what skills and competences are needed for this transition and whether Nordic STEM education provides them. This report introduces the basis for a Circular Economy Competence Framework for STEM specialists, including a set of essential technical and analytical skills for creating circular solutions.
Active and intelligent packaging is a new and exciting area of technology, the potential of which has received much attention from the food business operators, retailers and consumers alike.
This Position Paper aims to oversee the barriers identified for the rapid market introduction of active and intelligent packaging and offer recommendations on lifting these barriers. The examples brought forward in this Position Paper are based on the results and experiences from the GLOPACK project and relevant publications, guides and knowledge collected from industry practice.
Circular Threads is a down-to-the-ground research aiming to offer a picture of the practices related to sustainability and circularity in the fashion and textile industry in Northern Italy.
This work represents a starting point to concretely foster the transition towards circular production models in the Italian textile industry. Researchers have developed a tripartite approach (desk research, questionnaire and circularity assessment) with different levels of granularity to measure the sustainability and circularity of the companies present in this area.
The report highlights how few companies in the fashion and textile industry are adopting CE practices and strategies, and a clear lack of knowledge-sharing about the opportunities the CE can bring them on a systemic level.
The French National Institute for Circular Economy (INEC) has published its Programme Ecole circulaire (in FR), whose objective is to use schools - a place familiar to all - as showcases for the circular economy. It contains a series of good practices (for public and private actors, youth) - over 40 territorial initiatives and 50 operational solutions - on the following themes:
The circular economy is a key element of the European Green Deal as a concept that can support the transition towards a more sustainable growth model. In recent years there has been a growth of circular economy industrial applications, but evidence suggests that the uptake of circular approaches in many sectors is still limited.
The report titled Barriers and enablers for implementing circular economy business models - Evidence from the electrical and electronic equipment and agri-food value chains provides facts and data on barriers and enablers to the implementation of circular economy business models in two value chains that exhibit high levels of waste generation:
SMEs hold the key to the circular economy. Their innovation potential to introduce and mainstream sustainable business models is blocked by many obstacles such as lack of demand, additional costs, and the complexity of circular design.
To unleash their full potential and realise the European Green Deal’s objectives, Ecopreneur.eu recommends: launching regional circularity hubs, active engagement of ecopreneurs as front-runners, true pricing using economic incentives, 100% green implementation of the European Recovery Plan, introducing innovation funding and subsidies that are attractive to SMEs, and enacting progressive EU legislation such as a mandatory gate-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment for all companies.
Click here for the Executive Summary.
The Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) is an international, non-profit think-and-do tank. Together with companies, political organisations and civil society actors, the CSCP pursues its mission to mainstream sustainability towards the good life for all.
From H2020 projects (R2Pi, Scalibur, Refresh and Spread), to CE Missions to Japan and Mexico, to launching the Consumer Insight Action Panel with the European Economic and Social Committee, co-developing the European Circular Cities Declaration or designing and running the Academy of Change – a unique capacity building programme that can be replicated across various topics - the CSCP integrates multiple stakeholders and various perspectives to help implement a systemic transition towards circularity.
The Conseil Européen de Remanufacture is a business-led group advocating the growth of remanufacturing to €100 billion in Europe by 2030 in sectors like automotive, aviation, acoustic devices, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, defense, electronics, electrical equipment, IT imaging equipment, machine tools, marine, medical devices, telecoms, trains, transmissions, tyres, wind turbines.
Open to participation with universities in Horizon and similar EU-funded research programmes, it has access to several experienced technical research staff. Networked with WEF, OECD, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, UNEP, it is well connected to standards organisations and academic researchers in the fields of circular design, eco-design, product life extension, IR4.0, and digital.
MaterialTrader.com is a one-stop-shop for trading materials and connecting with potential business partners in a way that grows your business sustainably and helps prevent unnecessary material waste.
Zero Waste Europe is the European network of communities, local leaders, experts, and change agents working towards the elimination of waste in our society.
Zero Waste Europe advocates for sustainable systems and the redesign of our relationship with resources to accelerate a just transition towards zero waste for the benefit of people and planet.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is composed of both government and civil society organisations. With over 1400 member organisations, it is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. The European Regional Office in Brussels represents IUCN at EU level and works with Member States to help deliver EU goals.
IUCN has been focusing on the circular economy (CE) debate for some years now, including addressing marine pollution issues (e.g. plastics).
IUCN brings knowledge, expertise and convening power on biodiversity and nature-based solutions to the CE debate, aiming to establish the link between both environmental priorities: conservation of nature and transition from a linear to a circular model.
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of over 1 750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 100+ countries, ICLEI influences sustainability policy and drives local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.
To live in a truly sustainable society, we need an economic model that separates economic growth from resource depletion and environmental degradation, replacing the linear “produce, consume, discard” model. ICLEI focuses on how local governments can lead the transition to a circular economy.
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is Europe’s largest network of environmental NGOs working for a better future where people and nature thrive together.
Holland Circular Hotspot is a private-public platform comprising the HCH foundation, (local) government authorities, knowledge institutes and companies. They collaborate intensively and internationally and exchange knowledge with a view to stimulating entrepreneurship in the field of the circular economy.
The European Sustainable Business Federation Ecopreneur.eu features six national associations with 3000 sustainable companies - mostly SMEs.
A member of the ECESP Coordination Group, Ecopreneur.eu is the international business organisation in Brussels committed to ambitious measures, rules and regulations for a low-carbon circular economy. Ecopreneur.eu advocates a new economic framework by bringing concrete experience from pioneering companies into the political debate, showing best practice examples and advocating the needs of green SMEs in a credible way.
The Ecopreneur.eu Low-Carbon Circular Economy Advocacy Group is a sounding board of circular economy pioneers, including Tarkett, Werner & Mertz, Interface, REMONDIS and HUMANA Kleidersammlung.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation develops and promotes the idea of a circular economy. It works with, and inspires, business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilise systems solutions at scale, globally.
Its vision is a new economic system that delivers better outcomes for people and the environment. Business models, products, and materials are designed to increase use and reuse, replicating the balance of the natural world, where nothing becomes waste and everything has value.
A circular economy, increasingly built on renewable energy and materials, is distributed, diverse, and inclusive. The Foundation’s work focuses on six interlinking areas:
EFIC is organizing an hybrid event on 19 May, to create a cross value chain discussion about the furniture industry and its future competitiveness and positive societal impact. Policymakers, furniture industry and supply chain representatives will debate about the impact of the pandemic and the twin transition: sustainability and digitalisation.
A learning and exchange event on the amelioration of regional policy instruments targeting the circular economy is organised by REPLACE in Brussels on 11 March.
The EU’s second Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP 2.0) is now moving ahead, with further elements expected in March and July 2022. Will this package deliver what is required in terms of industrial decarbonisation? A renewed focus on carbon budgets, combined with climate neutrality by mid-century, means the EU’s green industrial transition must increasingly harness the enormous greenhouse gas abatement potential offered by enhanced circularity and materials efficiency for the most CO2-intensive materials and products.
Join the discussion at an Agora Online Event on 17 March at 9:00-11:00 CET!
The International MonGOS conference - Water and Sewage in the Circular Economy Model, which will be held from 30 June to 1 July 2022 in Cracow (Poland), will provide a summary of the MonGOS project "Monitoring of water and sewage management in the context of the implementation of the circular economy assumptions" financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) under the International Academic Partnerships Programme (2020-2022).
You are invited to participate in a webinar led by the European Commission, DG ENV, on 8 March 2022, to launch a "Support study for the development of the Roadmap for the reduction of whole life carbon of buildings", .
DiCE Lab is an initiative of two universities - TU Delft and ETH Zurich - aimed at connecting academia, policy and practice to discuss digital innovations for achieving a circular economy. This webinar is focused on blockchain technology.
SUM 2022 - 6th Symposium on Circular Economy and Urban Mining - will take place from 18 to 20 May 2022 in the fascinating venue of Capri, Italy. The Symposium, organised biennially since 2012 by the International Waste Working Group (IWWG), is the reference forum for resource recovery from waste, where scientists and stakeholders can debate cutting edge results and focus on future needs. The conference programme will include parallel tracks of oral sessions, workshops, poster presentations and much more.
Batteries are considered crucial for the transition to a circular and climate-neutral economy. On 10 February, the European Parliament's Environment Committee (ENVI) overwhelmingly (by 74 to 8!) adopted an ambitious report on the European Batteries Regulation covering proposed rules governing the entire battery product lifecycle, from design to end-of-life. This webinar, which will take place on 3 March at 15:00 CET and is organised by TÜV Rheinland, will address durability of consumer electronics with regard to needs/issues for removable and replaceable batteries.
Participate in this free webinar on 17 March, the second of a series of informational webinars for Interreg North-West Europe funded project TRANSFORM-CE. In this webinar the TRANSFORM-CE project partners will share the advances and outputs from the research and innovation carried out under this Interreg NW Europe funded initiative on plastics as a source for future use.
Just say no to textile waste! In order to identify the potential for circular business practices and fabric recycling, it is important to understand the availability and usage of post-industrial and post-consumer textile waste in production and consumption countries.
Join the EU ETV programme's online webinar on 29 September to learn how Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) can help innovators, investors and buyers become more familiar with verifying new environmental technologies. ETV seeks to boost the uptake of innovative environmental technologies and to contribute to the circular economy.
You are invited to follow GACERE's (Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency) first high-level meeting online on 14 September 2021 in the sidelines of the upcoming World Circular Economy Forum.
Are you an entrepreneur and/or a project leader in the field of circular economy? Is your project less than three years old and are you still looking to refine your business model? Do you want your project to have a positive impact? Do you need to better understand and identify the opportunities and threats? Submit your project to Circulab!
Have you ever wondered how a taxshift would impact your business? You’re invited to fill out the Circular Tax Survey!
This call for feedback on technical screening criteria on circular economy is part of ongoing work by the Platform on sustainable finance, which was set up by the Commission to provide advice on the further development of the EU taxonomy. The Platform on Sustainable Finance is welcoming stakeholder feedback until 24 September 2021.
The Commission has opened a public consultation on the review of the Directive on the end-of-life vehicles (ELV). It is targeted especially at two stakeholder groups: 1) citizens with a general interest in the area of end-of-life vehicles; 2) stakeholders (economic operators, NGOs, public administrations…) who have specific knowledge and/or interest about end-of-life vehicles. Let's participate!
Welcome to the circular economy event of the year, World Circular Economy Forum 2021, on 13-15 September 2021!
Hosted for the first time in North America, WCEF 2021 will focus on the system level changes, or “game changers,” needed to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
On 12 July 2021, EFSA launched a call for expression of interest in the context of a two-year project aimed at identifying potential emerging risks to food and feed safety in the transition to a circular economy. The project’s objective is to help ensure that food and feed safety and environmental health considerations are taken into account at an early stage of research or policy initiatives.
The World Bank has designed a survey to identify key challenges facing the public sector in the EU Member States when transitioning to a circular economy. The "Survey for the Capacity of the Public Sector in Mainstreaming Circular Economy" aims to understand these challenges and discover what capacities are required to address them.
Join this online workshop, organised by the European Commission, focusing on the current and possible upcoming initiatives for research and development in the EU textile industry, as part of the consultative process for the development of the Strategy for Sustainable Textiles.
For four days in 2019, more than 750 company leaders, scientists and policy makers from all over the world came to Antwerp for the World Resources Forum organised by OVAM - the Public Waste Agency of Flanders featuring sessions on the power of the circular economy and the link with climate change, and an introduction to numerous pioneering projects and initiatives that are driving the transition.
To help inspire conversation and policy action concerning inclusive circular business models during the next EU Commission mandate, RREUSE invited EU decision makers to a closed site visit to Les Petits Riens, a Brussels-based social enterprise with activities dating back to 1937.
During Romania's Presidency of the Council of the EU in Spring 2019, IRCEM began a project to support the development of a circular economy strategy for Romania. With support from the Ministry of Environment, Department for Sustainable Development and other public authorities, civil society organisations and private businesses, 9 conferences and workshops were organised from April to June 2019.
On 31 May 2018 ENEA (the Italian national agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable economic development) presented the Italian Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ICESP). This platform, since launched formally on 3 December 2018 in the Italian Senate, is the mirror platform of ECESP at the national level and promotes the Circular Economy by sharing good practices from Italy.
This year took place the third The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF), beginning Monday 3rd June in Helsinki, Finland. The Forum is organised by SITRA, the Finnish Innovation Fund.
The fourth edition of the international Circular Change Conference was a meeting of the global circular community, and a platform that sent a strong message to change-makers across Europe that more needs to be done to accelerate the change from linear to circular.
The Consumer Insight Action Panel is a two-year initiative jointly set up by the CSCP and Sitra as part of their contribution to the ECESP.
Its objective is to translate consumer needs and behavioural knowledge into impact-oriented activities, initiatives and recommendations to support policy makers, business and civil society in enabling consumer-relevant circular economy strategies.
On 10 October 2018, ECOSOC and the Second Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations held a joint meeting on Circular economy for the SDGs: From concept to practice, to discuss how the transition towards a circular economy can be leveraged to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.
Seminar discussing the different aspects of urban waste prevention, with a particular focus on exchanging best practices coming from European heritage cities.
