With the idea of showcasing ongoing circular solutions currently funded by the Horizon program of the European Union, the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative’s Coordination Support Office organized a workshop addressing their deployment in various industries and value chains.
Held on 16 January, the workshop gathered over 50 participants representing a diverse pool of projects and initiatives – from recently launched to already mature ones, each with its focus and approach. The general objective of the workshop was to strengthen collaboration and promote knowledge sharing among these projects. As an added value, this event wanted to highlight project results, support their dissemination to broader audiences, and serve as a platform to enhance synergies within the CCRI community.
Among the recently launched initiatives that had the opportunity to present themselves and their demonstration and replication cases was also the CSSboost project, represented by Chrisostomos Galanos of the University of Crete. He highlighted the approach and the methodology the project identified to deploy in the participating pilot cases, namely the island of Crete, the Marche region in Italy, the north Schwartzwald in Germany, and the city of Lisbon, each with its value chain to be addressed.
Speaking of value chains, the workshop further wanted to examine and discuss the first results and challenges along the way that emerged from more mature projects which started two years ago, or before. The value chains that received special attention were biobased side and waste streams, construction, and plastics and packaging. Some of the most discussed challenges were stakeholder engagement and product placement, as well as consumption patterns of various materials and resources needed for different industries and production lines. As for other barriers, to boosting the deployment of circular solutions, a regular and timely collaboration among policymakers is a considerable challenge, as their agendas and the public sector in general often lack the willingness to advance and create an ambiance and atmosphere for circular solutions to flourish and thrive. Regional and national circular economy plans and their implementation should drive that forward.
The workshop was closed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation who shared their reflection on the challenges and provided a summary of the day.
