Purified Metal Company can responsibly process contaminated steel scrap into a high-quality raw material.

Residuos do Nordeste, an intermunicipal waste management company based in North-Eastern Portugal, is running an education and awareness-raising campaign called "Educar para uma Economia Circular" related to the top of the waste management hierarchy: prevention.

TailoredTile creates decorative tile pieces completely made of recovered plastic. The company also promotes circular economy by accepting used tilegrams in exchange of purchase discounts, as this material can be crushed and shaped more than once.

Sonae Arauco is a wood-based panel producer that contributes to the circular economy through the recovery of wood waste. It has developed a close value chain that reuses and recycles the wood residues generated during the production process. 

In the Douro Valley of Portugal, the research and development project Da Vide has created a range of products using grapevine residues – from paper to pens – avoiding the use of plastics and wood and using agricultural waste as a resource.

SEAclic is a project developed by the German company Storopack, which has created a packaging technology suitable for temperature-sensitive food products, such as fish. The bio-based version of the Storopack SEAclic Box is made from a new, compostable plastic. 

Yoyo is a French start-up that has developed an innovative behavioural change approach to enhance recycling in communities.

French company Seine Alliance repurposes EV batteries from cars to power boats for cruises on the river.

Salomon is a French company that has developed a running shoe that is 365º sustainable. This shoe has been designed to be 100% recycled easily.

Soeco Kontorsmöbler is a Swedish company that recycles and refurbishes office furniture. Its goal is to take furniture which would most likely be thrown away and transform it into an item that either looks like or is new.

SEA2SEE, based in Catalonia, designs and produces optical frames and sunglasses in Italy, as well as watches in Switzerland, entirely made from recycled marine plastic collected by fishermen in Spain, France and West Africa.

The Norwegian company NCP delivers sustainable furniture from recycled plastic materials through innovation and design. The S-1500 chair, designed by Snøhetta, is produced by NCP showing how plastic waste from Norway’s fish farming can be transformed into a sustainable design object with an expected lifetime of at least 50 years.

In France, SUEZ has invested EUR 10 million on the construction of a hub to recover waste from local businesses and authorities. Once sorted and recycled, the waste is then sold for reuse.

The Dutch company KarTent has come up with a sustainable solution for the many tents left behind by music festival goers: a cardboard tent, designed to be purchased and transported in bulk to festival sites. After the festival, the company arranges for the tents to be removed and recycled.

Mamukko is an Irish company, founded in 2011, that uses waste nautical materials as a secondary raw material. They promote upcycling by using end-of-life sails, decommissioned life rafts and recycled leather to make bags.

Portuguese startup Benefício devels limited edition products, with particular attention to the use of materials local knowledge. By adopting artisanal production methods and respecting fair trade and the environment, the company mostly applies the principles of circular economy, in particular upcycling.

ZĪLE is a Latvian fashion brand which develops its clothing while looking at a sustainable future, through the concept of upcycling. The label’s main resource materials are denim trousers, men’s shirts and imagination.

ZIKOM is one of the largest distributors of professionally reconditioned computer equipment in Poland.

Music business can be circular, too! MWfono makes vinyl records from the waste that remains after cutting other records. Kayax label then packs the discs in recycled paper and employs a protection film made from maize.

Zona Urbana is a fashion company based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Since 2004, it designs and manufactures products with recycled materials, mainly bags or wallets.

In Venturis HoReCa a group of professionals has joined forces, knowledge, expertise and ideas to tackle the problem of food waste. They have developed IT systems (KuMin.Sys and KuMin.App) to monitor and reduce food waste in kitchens and canteens. Monitoring of food waste is the first important step in the process of reduction. Venturis HoReCa also advises companies on how to limit food waste.

Re-Match has a recycling process for synthetic turf, recovering up to 95% of the materials, which is accredited with the EU’s Environmental Technology Verification. Their patented technology separates the sand, backing, rubber and plastic fibre from used synthetic turf. These materials can then be sold or used in a wide variety of new products in different industries.

In Slovakia and Czechia, an initiative set by three recent graduates has been positively impacting the sector of waste management in both countries. The Elwis Waste Registration System has the objective to increase efficiency in the cities’ waste management systems by helping reducing the amount of mixed waste.

LENZING™ ECOVERO™ produces a sustainable and fully biodegradable fibre brand for apparel. It is developed from renewable pulp and wood sources. Importantly, the wood which serves as raw material come from certified sustainable sources.