{"id":1383,"date":"2026-04-24T10:32:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2026-04-24T10:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:32:12","slug":"crete-leads-the-way-in-circular-agri-food-innovation-highlights-from-the-recent-stakeholder-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/?p=1383","title":{"rendered":"Crete Leads the Way in Circular Agri-Food Innovation: Highlights from the Recent Stakeholder Workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This week, a pivotal workshop brought together a multidisciplinary group of public authorities, academic researchers, and industry stakeholders to address the future of the circular economy in Crete. The event focused on the island&#8217;s unique sectoral challenges, with a special emphasis on transforming the agri-food sector into a model of sustainable regional development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strengthening Crete\u2019s Circular Identity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Industrial and Digital Innovations Research Group (indigo-TUC)<\/strong>, representing the Technical University of Crete, played a central role in the day\u2019s thematic discussions. Their contribution underscored the importance of integrating digital tools with physical circular practices to overcome local barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Technical Insights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The workshop featured two significant presentations from the <strong>indigo-TUC<\/strong> team that bridged the gap between theoretical research and practical application:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Valuing Agri-Food Waste:<\/strong> <strong>Maria Aryblia<\/strong> (Researcher at Indigo-TUC) delivered a presentation titled <em>&#8220;Value Chains in the Management of Agri-Food Waste.&#8221;<\/em> She highlighted how &#8220;value chain thinking&#8221; can turn agricultural residues\u2014often seen as a burden\u2014into high-value raw materials, reducing environmental footprints while creating new economic opportunities for local farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CSSBoost as a Model for Innovation:<\/strong> <strong>George Arampatzis<\/strong> (Associate Professor at TUC and CSSBoost Coordinator) showcased the <strong>CSSBoost<\/strong> project as a leading example of circular systemic solutions in practice. He demonstrated how the project\u2019s Cyber-Physical Systems can support the transition to circularity, further cementing Crete\u2019s reputation as a key player among <strong>European Circular Regions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Global Context: CSSBoost &amp; CCRI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This workshop is part of a broader effort under the <strong>CSSBoost<\/strong> project, a <strong>Horizon Europe<\/strong> initiative (2024\u20132027) co-financed by the <strong>Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI)<\/strong>. By developing &#8220;Virtual Regional Circular Economy Spaces,&#8221; the project aims to minimize risks and maximize the impact of circular systemic solutions across Europe, with Crete serving as a primary pilot for agri-food and livestock valorization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking Ahead: RETASTE 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The discussions held during this workshop serve as an important precursor to the upcoming <strong>Rethink Food Waste Conference (RETASTE 2026)<\/strong>, which will take place in <strong>Rethymno, Crete<\/strong>, from <strong>September 16\u201318, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1001\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1386\" src=\"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Maria-Aryblia-1001x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Maria-Aryblia-1001x1024.png 1001w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Maria-Aryblia-293x300.png 293w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Maria-Aryblia-768x786.png 768w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Maria-Aryblia.png 1154w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1001px) 100vw, 1001px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"749\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1385\" src=\"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Promo-749x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Promo-749x1024.jpeg 749w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Promo-219x300.jpeg 219w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Promo-768x1050.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Promo.jpeg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 749px) 100vw, 749px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"1387\" src=\"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Discussion-Panel-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Discussion-Panel-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Discussion-Panel-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Discussion-Panel-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Discussion-Panel-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Discussion-Panel-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week, a pivotal workshop brought together a multidisciplinary group of public authorities, academic researchers, and industry stakeholders to address the future of the circular economy in Crete. The event focused on the island&#8217;s unique sectoral challenges, with a special emphasis on transforming the agri-food sector into a model of sustainable regional development. Strengthening Crete\u2019s Circular Identity The Industrial and Digital Innovations Research Group (indigo-TUC), representing the Technical University of Crete, played a central role in the day\u2019s thematic discussions. Their contribution underscored the importance of integrating digital tools with physical circular practices to overcome local barriers. Key Technical Insights The workshop featured two significant presentations from the indigo-TUC team that bridged the gap between theoretical research and practical application: The Global Context: CSSBoost &amp; CCRI This workshop is part of a broader effort under the CSSBoost project, a Horizon Europe initiative (2024\u20132027) co-financed by the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI). By developing &#8220;Virtual Regional Circular Economy Spaces,&#8221; the project aims to minimize risks and maximize the impact of circular systemic solutions across Europe, with Crete serving as a primary pilot for agri-food and livestock valorization. Looking Ahead Looking Ahead: RETASTE 2026 The discussions held during this workshop serve as an important precursor to the upcoming Rethink Food Waste Conference (RETASTE 2026), which will take place in Rethymno, Crete, from September 16\u201318, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/George-Arampatzis-2-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1388,"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions\/1388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssboost-project.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}