| Posted June 22, 2021

Are You Working on a Project to #MoveTheDate of the German and Earth Overshoot Day? Let us know!

May 5, 2021 marked the German Overshoot Day. This means that between 1 January and 5 May, German residents have used as much ecological resources and services as the planet is able to renew per person in the entire year. The Earth Overshoot Day for 2021 falls on 29 July, which is almost as early as it was on 2019, after being momentarily pushed back in 2020 as an effect of the pandemic lockdowns. Many civil society projects are showcasing what we all can do to #MoveTheDate. Show the world how you’re moving the date by sharing your solutions with […]

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How a Voluntary Code of Practice is Putting Mongolia on a Fast Track to Sustainable Cashmere

Most of Mongolian cashmere, world-renowned for its superb quality, is the result of Nomadic herding. Yet, there is no organic certification for the nomadic production of cashmere. However, the challenge of trying to bridge European certification standards with this traditional way of cashmere production did not shy Mongolian wool and cashmere producers away. As part of our project STeP EcoLab, 18 of them agreed to a voluntary code of practice to make cashmere production more socially and environmentally sustainable. Now the code of practice is becoming national law. The developing of the voluntary code of practice (VCP) for sustainable cashmere […]

| Posted June 21, 2021

Guiding Questions for Implementing Artificial Intelligence as an Enabler for Sustainability

The potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an enabler for sustainability is increasingly evident, but so are worries pertaining to data biases, data privacy, the environmental footprint and rebound effects. So, how to bridge the gaps between economic feasibility, ethical considerations, and environmental standards? And how can small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make the most of it? Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only one of the key technologies for the digitalisation transformation, but also a lever in the transition toward more sustainability. In the AI breakfast series organised by the Competence Centre eStandards, key application areas such as clean energy, […]

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Did You Miss our EU Circular Talk “The Circular Electronics Initiative: Insights on Skills”? Watch the recording now!

Did You Miss our EU Circular Talk “The Circular Electronics Initiative: Insights on Skills”? Watch the recording now! How can consumers lead the effort to keep electronics in the loop and not lose valuable resources? Who can support them and how? Who needs which skills for this? Our EU Circular Talk “The Circular Electronics Initiative: Insights on Skills” took a close look at these questions together with experts, retailers, city representatives, and policymakers. When it comes to keeping products in the loop, the stakes are high. “Not only a one-year lifetime extension of smartphones would save 2.1 million tons of […]

| Posted June 18, 2021

Supporting SMEs to Become Leaders in Sustainable Digitalisation

It is clear: digitalisation is in full swing and governments need to take bold action to shape this transformation to the benefit not only of the economy but also the environment and society as a whole. With its Digital Strategy, the German federal government has put together measures to ensure that digitalisation and innovation work as enablers for the kind of economic growth that is attentive to these needs and expectations. As the backbone of the German economy and with strong ties to local communities, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), constitute a key stakeholder in the digital transformation. To support […]

| Posted June 17, 2021

How the Circular Cities Declaration is Empowering Cities to Become Circularity Leaders

Strategic aligning and waste management are two of the cornerstones for cities in their transition toward more circularity. During the second European Circular Cities Declaration webinar, signing cities and circularity experts exchanged knowledge and ideas on circularity at the city level. In their path toward more circularity, cities and regions face various challenges, from engaging the right stakeholders to coming up with the best implementation plans. Through an exclusive webinar series for its over 50 signatories, the Circular Cities Declaration (CCD), is offering cities a platform to exchange and engage with one-another as well as with experts on pressing circularity […]

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Engaging Employees is Key in Becoming a Sustainable Organisation

The way companies approach the integration of sustainability principles into their culture and working practices is as varied as the companies themselves. Top management responsibility and commitments are often regarded as the most important means and indicators for formal sustainability integration. But do they also need to be the starting point? Putting employees in the driver’s seat from the beginning may offer significant advantages. Some organisations do not start with a sustainability strategy at the top, but as a cross-cutting cultural process. This was the case with a German municipal utility whose human resources (HR) team wanted to hear their […]

| Posted June 16, 2021

How Innovation and Multi-stakeholder Collaboration Can Reduce Packaging Waste

Due to demands for high-performance packaging by consumers and the industry, a good fraction of packaging is multi-layered. This, in turn, makes recycling difficult. How can innovation and multi-stakeholder collaboration play a positive role in reducing waste and keeping materials in the loop? Our project MERLIN, which launched in June 2021, aims to increase the rate and quality of multi-layer packaging recycling. To do so, it relies on a collaborative process between technology partners, waste management companies, service providers, packaging industry, and a European packaging association. MERLIN, which stands for Increasing the quality rate of Multi-layer packaging recycLINg waste, is […]

| Posted June 15, 2021

Valorising Biowaste Paves the Way for Circular Economy

The Urban Bioeconomy Webinar Series, co-organised by our projects HOOP and SCALIBUR and their Horizon 2020 sister projects ValueWaste and WaysTUP!, kicked-off successfully in May 2021. The series brought together field experts from across Europe and started a dialogue on how biowaste can contribute to the overall EU bioeconomy strategy and support cities in becoming circular bioeconomy hubs. With up to 50% of municipal waste being organic, biowaste is a feedstock for safe and sustainable bio-based products. There is still a lot of potential that can be tapped into, however, numerous regulatory bottlenecks hinder the full deployment of solutions in […]

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Putting Community, Collaboration and Innovation at the Heart of Sustainable Lifestyle Initiatives

Rosalyn Old has a background in sustainable development and innovation research. She thinks that societal shifts toward the common good happen when we recognise and make use of the links between wider systems and potential levers. In this short interview, we explore more on her ideas and goals as a new project manager in our Sustainable Lifestyles (SL) team. How does your past experience relate to the CSCP?  My background is in sustainable development and social innovation research. I’ve worked across themes from human behaviour in sustainable cities, to digital participatory democracy, to community ownership and data commons. At the […]

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