The circular economy is at the core of the transformation of Europe’s industrial landscape and the move towards more sustainable economic models. Next to the central role it now has in EU policy strategies like the Green Deal and economic growth and recovery, it is also increasingly being integrated in business strategies, practices and supply chains. Despite its growth in industrial applications, a variety of barriers limit the adoption of circular practices by businesses. However, several opportunities also exist and have helped inspire the uptake of circular business models.
These topics will be addressed during the final event of the CIRC4Life project which will discuss lessons learnt from the implementation of circular economy business models in the electronics and agri-food value chains, existing challenges and policies needed to further boost circular solutions.
Day 1 – Circular economy business models in the electrical and electronic equipment value chain
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is among the fastest growing waste streams in Europe, posing several environmental, economic and societal challenges. A variety of circularity approaches and models can be implemented in the EEE sector including production and design of circular products, repair, refurbishment, reuse, product-as-service and leasing models, collection and recycling. Although the ecosystem of circular economy industrial applications for electronics is rapidly evolving across the EU, the uptake of circular processes has been limited in comparison to the scale of challenges linked to the management of WEEE.
Day 2 – Circular economy business models in the agri-food value chain
Production of food has been associated with significant environmental impacts such as CO2 emissions, increased pressure on land use, water and energy consumption. These impacts are further amplified by high levels of losses and food waste across supply chains as well as during the consumption stage. Various business models have been emerging in the agri-food sector with the objective to improve the use of resources across supply chains, including models based on improved production methods as well as utilising side streams from food production and consumption.
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his project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 776503. The European Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this webpage. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on the European Commission’s behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein
