eco n o my ch a m b e rs for a c ircu la r · ch a m b e rs fo r a c i rcu la r eco n o my f e b r...

Actions to support SMEs'transition to a Circular Economy

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Chambers for a CircularEconomy

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1. Foreword by EUROCHAMBRES President Christoph Leitl

2. Executive Summary

3. ProjectsBachelor’s degree on Sustainable Resource Management

Working group Mineral building rubble Tyrol Brussels Green Network

Project 303030 - City climate challenge

Resilience Coaching

Voka Charter Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Croatian Waste Exchange (CWE) Emissions Reduction Training for business 2020

ACTIF

Ecodesign Center

ORHI - Project on Circular Economy

REV 3

Chambers for Greentech

By-product Portal Circuito

Life WEEE

Ri-Ecco

Circular Public Procurement

Ecobatterien

Ecotrel Luxembourg Clean Tech Cluster

Super Drecks Kescht

Valorlux

Business Against Food Waste

LIFE Foster Project

Academy of Circular Economy

Foodwaste Novi Sad

Moveco

Bank of Ideas

Environmental Advising on Business Opportunities

Self-diagnosis guide

Salamanca Circular City

4. Contact details

Table of Content

Chambers for a Circular Economy

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The legislative term 2019-2024 will be a period of exciting developments for

European businesses, citizens and society as a whole. A Green New Deal aims

to revolutionize the way we produce, consume, and manage our resources.

One of the key elements, the Circular Economy Action Plan, shall be designed

to deliver a solid base for coherent and steady action to make our society

more circular, while guaranteeing a profitable future for businesses. Together

with them, this goal can be achieved.

Being the largest business representation in Europe, the activities of the

Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the transition towards a more

sustainable economy will be an essential asset, thanks to our extensive

network that bridges the gap between national, regional and local authorities

and the private sector. With this publication, Chambers prove not only that

the Circular Economy is a priority and a subject of deep interest for them, but

that we as EUROCHAMBRES combine the local expertise and knowledge with

the necessary network at national and European level to transform theory

into reality on both the micro and macro level.

SMEs represent 98% of the entire economic fabric of our continent. They are

therefore the key of how change will materialize. Facilitating the incorporation

of new business models, offering more funding, taylor-made guidance and

opportunities to collaborate within and across borders and reducing red tape,

will ensure that SMEs can reap the benefits of the Circular Economy and that

noone is left behind in the transition.

Foreword by Christoph Leitl,President of EUROCHAMBRES

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In a society faced with deep systemic pressures, there is a need for positivechange and initiatives that can tackle some of the biggest challenges, whilebuilding resilience for an unpredictable and increasingly unstable futureahead. With this in mind, and following the growing interest and involvementof EUROCHAMBRES on the Circular Economy, we are glad to present our newpublication, focused on projects and initiatives undertaken by Chambers ofCommerce and Industry.

"Chambers for a Circular Economy" aims to offer a clear overview of the widerange of initiatives led or co-managed by Chambers in the field of the CircularEconomy, with the intention of not only informing and sharing innovativeactions, but to spur and motivate synergies, triggering collaborations and thecreation of new business models. The aim of each and every of these projects isto enable businesses to evolve from a linear to a circular mode of productionand consumption.

This publication presents a total of 32 projects initiated or co-led by Chambersin 13 countries, and categorized under 5 main topics: certification, circularskills, cooperation, reuse & recycle and waste prevention. Of the totality of theinitiatives, a majority falls into the circular skills and reuse & recycle topics,showing Chambers’ specialization in guiding, training, consulting, and not lessimportantly, in creating new platforms and opportunities for businesscollaborations and synergies. Each of the five topics received a symbol that wasadded to the project page. To identify the theme of the project, just follow thesymbol below.

Executive summary


Waste prevention

Circular SkillsCertification

Cooperation

Reuse and Recycle

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Austria

Austria

BelgiumBelgiumBelgiumBelgium

Croatia

Finland

FranceFranceFrance + SpainFrance

Germany

ItalyItaly + FranceItaly + SpainItaly

Latvia + Balticsea Region

LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg

MaltaMalta

SerbiaSerbia

Slovenia +

Danube region

SpainSpain

SpainSpain

Projects by countries


Country

Bachelor’s degree on Sustainable ResourceManagementWorking group Mineral building rubble Tyrol

Brussels Green NetworkProject 303030 - City climate challengeResilience CoachingVoka Charter Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Croatian Waste Exchange (CWE)

Emissions Reduction Training for business 2020

ACTIFEcodesign CenterORHI - Project on Circular EconomyREV 3

Chambers for Greentech

By-product PortalCircuitoLife WEEERi-Ecco

Circular Public Procurement

EcobatterienEcotrelLuxembourg Clean Tech ClusterSuper Drecks KeschtValorlux

Business Against Food WasteLIFE Foster Project

Academy of Circular EconomyFoodwaste Novi Sad

MOVECO

Bank of IdeasEnvironmental Advising on BusinessOpportunitiesSelf-diagnosis guideSalamanca Circular City

Circular skills

Cooperation

Certification, circular skillsCooperationCircular skillsCertification

Cooperation, reuse & recycle and waste prevention

Certification, circular skills

Cooperation, reuse & recycle, waste preventionCircular skills, reuse & recycle, waste preventionCircular skills, cooperationCircular skills, cooperation, reuse & recycle, wasteprevention

Circular skills, cooperation

Cooperation, reuse & recycle, waste preventionCircular skills, cooperationCircular skills, cooperationCircular skills, cooperation

Circular skills, cooperation, waste prevention

Circular skills, reuse & recycleCircular skills, reuse & recycleCooperation, circular skillsCertification, circular skills, reuse & recycleCertification, circular skills, waste prevention

Circular skills, waste preventionCircular skills, cooperation

Circular skillsCooperation, waste prevention

Circular skills, cooperation, reuse & recycle

Circular skills, cooperationCircular skills

Circular SkillsCircular skills, reuse & recycle, waste prevention

Project title Topic

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Austria

Project: Bachelor’s degree on SustainableResource Management

More information at:https://www.wko.at/branchen/information-consulting/entsorgungs-

ressourcenmanagement/bachelorstudium-nachhaltiges-ressourcenmanagement.html

https://www.fh-campuswien.ac.at/departments/applied-life-sciences/studiengaenge/detail/nachhaltiges-ressourcenmanagement.html

English Site: https://www.fh-campuswien.ac.at/en/departments/applied-life-

sciences/studiengaenge/detail/nachhaltiges-ressourcenmanagement.html

The Austrian Waste and ResourceManagement Association, part of theAustrian Federal Economic Chamber,was significantly involved in theprocess to create the Bachelor’s degreeon Sustainable Resource Management.

The programme can be attended at FHCampus Wien, University of AppliedSciences. At the center of theeducational programme are ecological,economic and social dimensions ofsustainability. The student has to learnto implement these dimensionsthrough the whole life cycle of aproduct.


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In addition to solid technical andscientific foundations, the methodsof resource management and asound economic education aretaught in the programme.

The programme is structured to becompleted part-time and is carriedout in a number of attendanceblocks as well as e-learning units.This enables students from outsideof Vienna to participate. The studyduration is six semesters (180 ECTS).

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Austria

Project: Working group mineralbuilding rubble Tyrol

More information at:https://www.wko.at/branchen/t/industrie/Arbeitsgruppe_mineralische_Baurestmassen_Tirol2.html


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The industrial division of the Tyrolean Economic Chamber (WirtschaftskammerTirol) organises a specific working group on building rubble. Overall the aim is tocreate a network and provide an exchange forum on how to proper handleconstruction waste.

The project includes regular network meetings, broad exchanges on recycling,recycled building materials or discussions on public tenders with all interestedstakeholders and regional authorities involved.

Within the scope of the working group guidance and access to up-to-datepractical, technical, and legal information related to waste, construction andlandfill management is provided.

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Belgium

Project: Brussels Green Network

More information at:https://www.brusselsgreennetwork.be/index.php/fr/services/

The Brussels Green Network is a public-private partnership between theBrussels Enterprises Commerce andIndustry (BECI) and the Brussels WasteNetwork, which comprises localenvironmental authorities to create anetwork of actors. The main objective isto offer environmental guidance andmanagement for companies in waste,energy, pollution, mobility, land andurban management.


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Within the scope of the service,“Brussels Green Network”project offers consultations on:

Local environmental legislationWaste auditsGuidance to compile certificationdocuments, such as for theEnterprise Ecodynamique labelHow to organise seminars and infosessionsEnvironmental management training for companiesUpdates on environmental newsand initiatives through different channels of the Chamber

Next to BECI the partners of theproject are the Sense Brussels, 21Solutions and the BrusselsEnvironment.

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Belgium

Project: 303030 – City Climate Challenge

More information at:https://www.303030.eu/

The Project 303030 – City Climate Challenge is an initiative that was launched byBrussels Entreprises Commerce and Industry (BECI) in October 2019. Together withBrussels enterprises, the project aims at reducing carbon emissions in the city by30% by 2030 from the installation of 30 collaborative projects.

Together with external experts, BECI accompanies partners through expertise,communication and influencing regional decision-making process. The objectiveis to boost local economy, create jobs and strengthen competitiveness.

Any Brussels company can apply to the project by:Sending in an application for a new project. This project will only be taken intoconsideration if other partner companies express interest to back the project.Hopping on an existing project with other partner companies.


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Emissions per sector in Brussels

Residential (40.12%) Transport (28.81%) Tertiary (21.6%) Electricity (7.2%) Industry (2.26%)

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Belgium

Project: Resilience COACHING

More information at:https://environnement.brussels/thematiques/transition-de-leconomie/resilience-coaching

https://www.brusselsgreennetwork.be/index.php/fr/2019/02/26/resilience-coaching/

Resilience Coaching is a service thatoffers expertise of specialized coachesto guide companies in findingprofitable opportunities, integratingthe sustainability and circular aspect intheir business models.

The service was developed in theframework of the Resilient WEB EUproject, in partnership with theBrussels Environment administrationand comprises dissemination of toolsand trainings. The programme includes4 days of training given in a 6-monthperiod, and is fully offered by BrusselsEnvironment.

In 2018, with the help of BECI 26companies have boosted their activitythanks to Resilience Coaching, and in2019, 40 local companies were given thepossibility of free guidance.


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The Coaching programme is thefollowing:

A complete review of the activityIdentification of sustainableopportunities for the companyA search for concrete solutions toseize these opportunitiesA prioritization of actions interms of feasibility, cost and timeto be devoted to themAn action plan of concrete andachievable measures to bedevelopedAn evaluation of the resultswithin one year

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Belgium

Project: Voka Charter Sustainable Entrepreneurship (VCDO)

More information at:www.voka.be/vcdo

www.cifal-flanders.org

The Voka (Flemish Chamber ofCommerce) Charter SustainableEntrepreneurship (VCDO) is an annualreward that certifies that the companytook significant steps towards therealization of corporate sustainability.The United Nations SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) constitutethe universal framework in this regard.Voka is convinced that businesses canmake an important contribution toachieving the SDGs and developed theVCDO based on these universal goals.

Any business or organisation can applyto participate, regardless of the size ofthe company, the number of employeesor the nature of its activities. Anevaluation committee examines theextent to which the action plan hasbeen achieved. The committee is led byan independent chairperson and itis comprised of independent experts, representatives from governmentdepartments, organisations and thecorporate sector.


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Companies that have participated inthe VCDO three times within atimeframe of five years can receive aUnited Nations Institute for Trainingand Research (UNITAR) certificate fromCIFAL Flanders. In order to obtain thecertificate, companies must implementactions in each of the 17 United NationsSDGs.

The objective of CIFAL Flanders is topromote the declarations andprinciples of the United Nations,and in particular the SustainableDevelopment Goals. Being one ofthe 15 UNITAR training centres, it ispart of an international network. Itstrives to help (local) authorities,institutions, organisations and thecorporate sector to embed theSustainable Development Goals intheir company or organisation'sstrategy.

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Croatia

Project: Croatian Waste Exchange (CWE)

More information at:www.hgk.hr/s-energetiku-i-zastitu-okolisa/burza-otpada-1

The Croatian Waste Exchange (CWE), organised by the Croatian EconomicChamber (HGK) is the center of supply and demand for all waste streams, whichcan be used as secondary raw materials in production processes.

The aim of the Waste Exchange is to connect secondary raw material providerswith the raw material seekers and create a transparent secondary raw materialsmarket.

Through the CWE, businesses that are using secondary raw materials, canpresent technical criteria for waste in order to achieve high quality of separatecollection and to enable better recycling. The technical criteria is published onthe CWE website. The quality of the secondary raw materials market largelydepends on defined technical criteria and their application.


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Finland

Project: Emissions Reduction Training forBusiness 2020

More information at:www.kauppakamari.fi/hankkeet/tapahtumat/paastovahennyskoulutukset/

The Emission Reduction Training forBusiness 2020 is an initiative led bythe Finnish Chamber of Commercelaunched in November 2019, whichinvolves a series of training courses.The main objective it to guaranteecarbon neutrality by 2035 or 2040, atthe latest.

The success of the implementation isoften based on increasing customerand employee engagement, marketingmeasures and conservation ofresources. In addition, the reduction ofmaterial or heat loss, the reduction ofenergy and fuel consumption and thereduction of emissions are taken intoaccount.

On top of that, the Finnish Chamber hasset up a sustainability committee,which will supervise corporate plans toreduce CO2 emissions. In return, SMEswill be able to use the climate logo intheir corporate marketing.


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The project provides trainings, whichinclude workshops on:

Emissions’ calculationEmission data reportingReduction of emissions and carbonneutralityOffset of emissions Discussion on the results of work

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France

Project: ACTIF

More information at:https://www.cci.fr/web/developpement-durable/actif

ACTIF is a platform for industrialsynergies between companies. Theproject is currently implemented by theFrench Chambers of Commerce andIndustry (CCI), but it is open to bereplicated in other countries.

The French local CCI Occitanieenvironmental advisors visit SMEs tocollect their energy and raw materialflows, feed in the data into the ACTIFdatabase, and to identify inter-company mutualisation or substitutionsynergies. CCI Occitanie provides localpublic authorities with industrial flowstudies based on ACTIF data.

Gradually, private consultants, andcompanies themselves, will also beable to feed data into the platform anduse it in order to identify possiblesynergies. A study is under way todevelop the business model of theplatform with services that will becharged by the CCIs in order to financethe platform and this activity.


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Economic and environmental gains canbe found in four areas:

Materials: reuse of production scrap,reduction of waste, waste recoveryand development of new activities.Energy-water: optimization of energyconsumption, heat recovery, reuse ofwater.Logistics and Equipment: sharedtransport, sharing of offices, spaceand equipment between companies,shared services (groupedpurchasing, collective wastemanagement, etc).Human resources: businesssynergies, complementary know-how, shared jobs, employee loans.

The platform’s model is a replicabletool, easily transplanted in othercountries, and at relatively low start-up costs.

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France

Project: Ecodesign Center (Pole Eco-Conception)

More information at:www.eco-conception.fr

www.ecodesign-centres.org

The "Pôle Eco-conception" is a national resources centre on eco-design, createdoriginally by the CCI of Saint-Etienne (now the CCI Lyon Métropole) in 2009. ThePole Eco-conception develops tools and issues studies to facilitate theintegration of eco-design and life cycle thinking in SMEs. The Pole is supportedby the national French energy and environment Agency ADEME, and is amember of ENEC, the European Network of Ecodesign Centres.

French local CCI environmental advisors use the tools developed by the PoleEco-conception, such as an eco-design pre-check, in order to visit SMEs to raisetheir awareness on the benefits of integrating eco-design and life cycle thinkingin the development of their products and services, and help them define theright priorities in their approach. Studies done by the Pole show the clearbenefits SMEs get in terms of improved competitiveness from implementingeco-design of their products and services.


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France

Project: ORHI- Project on Circular Economy

More information at:https://www.bayonne.cci.fr/Developpement-durable/INTERREG-POCTEFA-ORHI.html

The ORHI project aims to contribute tothe evolution of the food sector withinPOCTEFA (Spain, France, Andorra)territory towards a Circular Economy bypromoting inter-company synergies,identifying innovative solutions, andsupporting their development in theterritory.

ORHI focuses on contributing togenerate better effective and efficientscenarios in the use of organic matterand plastic in the activities of the agro-food value chain of the territory(Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja,Atlantic Pyrenees, High Pyrenees,Haute-Garonne, Ariège and EasternPyrenees). In the European Union, everyyear between 31% and 39% of theseplastics will go to incineration andlandfill, and only 6% of the demand forplastic comes from recycled plastic.

The project is co-financed at 65% bythe European Regional DevelopmentFund and is a consortium of 9stakeholders from 5 different regions,one of which is the CCI of Bayonne.


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The project offers the followingpossibilities to companies belongingto the food sector and located in theORHI partners’ territories:

Access to workshops based uponan innovative method ofexchange of resources to fostercollaborations betweenparticipating companies.

Discover circular economysolutions (technologies andbusiness models) generatingeconomic, social andenvironmental value through amore efficient use of organic andplastic material flows.

The possibility of beingsupported and accompanied bythe ORHI team.

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Spain

France

Project: REV3

More information at:www.rev3.fr

Rev3 is a common initiative by the CCIsand the Regional Council of the Hauts-de-France Region launched in 2012. Itaims at implementing in the Hauts-de-France Region the principles of theThird Industrial Revolution, based onenergy transition and digitaltechnologies, as defined by JeremyRifkin.

Rev3 also aims at changing behaviorsand transforming the economy andmaking it circular. The two keypriorities of the project are: 1) to boostlocal economy (supporting innovationand the creation of jobs), 2) aim forzero carbon emissions by 2050 forHauts de France.


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Since Rev3 was launched in 2012, ithas allowed the development of 10large-scale structuring projects, andof 800 smaller-scale energytransition and/or circular economyprojects.

Rev3 represents a total of annualpublic and private investments of500 million €. More than 14 million €have been deposited by regionalcitizens on the Rev3 dedicatedsavings account, which contributesto funding Rev3 small-scale projects,and a 50 million € investment fundhas been created to fund projects.

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Germany

Project: Chambers for GreenTech

More information at:https://www.exportinitiative-umweltschutz.de/

The ‘Export Initiative for EnvironmentalTechnologies’ was launched in 2016 bythe Federal Ministry for theEnvironment, Nature Conservation andNuclear Safety (BMU).

The aim of this initiative is to establishenvironmental standards in therelevant target countries by exportinginnovative technologies andapplications which help to protect theenvironment and climate ("greentechnologies").

Circular economy, sustainable mobilityand sustainable water management arethe focus areas of the initiative. Therising demand for green technologiesall over the world creates excellentopportunities for German companies toestablish themselves on a global scale.


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Currently, the German foreignChambers in Croatia, Chile,Indonesia, Portugal, Romania, Russiaand Ukraine are involved in circulareconomy projects. These projectsinclude the promotion of anExtended Producer Responsibility(EPR) scheme in Chile, theimprovement of municipal wastemanagement systems in Russia aswell as legal support for theNational Waste ManagementStrategy in Ukraine.

Via the extensive network of 140offices in 92 countries around theworld, the German chambersestablish themselves as reliablepartners whilst expanding theirnetwork. Furthermore, theycontribute to climate protection andhelp creating new sustainablemarkets .

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Italy

Project: By-product portal (ElencoSottoprodotti)

More information at:https://www.elencosottoprodotti.it/

The By-product portal is a platformorganised by the Italian Chamber ofCommerce and Industry (Unioncamere)to match producers and users of by-products. Residues are by-products andnot waste when the producerdemonstrates that, since they have notbeen produced voluntarily and as aprimary objective of the productioncycle, they are intended to be used inthe same or a subsequent process,either by the producer himself or by athird party.

At each stage of the wastemanagement, it is necessary todemonstrate that a number ofconditions are met, including certaintyof use and the absence of furthertreatment other than normal industrialpractice.


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The locally competent Chambers ofCommerce shall establish a speciallist in which producers and users ofby-products are registered, withoutany charge, which is made publicand can be consulted on adedicated section of the Chamber ofCommerce's website or on a websiteindicated by it.

The list does not introduce anenabling requirement for producersand users of by-products but has acognitive and trade facilitationpurpose..

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Italy

Project: Circuito - CompetitivitaImprese Innovazione

More information at:http://www.ao.camcom.it/pitem-clip-progetto-circuito-competitivita-imprese-e-innovazione.aspx

Circuito is an Italian andFrench partnership, co-funded byInterreg Alcotra (France and Italy),which enhances innovation creationand knowledge sharing across theregion, focusing on sustainability.

Together with the Chamber ofEnterprises and Professions of theAosta Valley and Chambers ofCommerce and Industry of Rhone-Alpes, the following actors areinvolved: Liguria region, Piemonteregion, Aosta Valley region, Universityof Genova, University of Turin,Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA)region and Nice Metropolitan City.

The project was launched on October2018 and is expected to be completedon April 2021, with a total budget of 1.78million € invested until there.

More specifically, the project aims atstructuring shared cross-borderprogramming to support the innovativecapacity of companies in the field ofcooperation. This shared programmingis achieved through a series ofactivities that are logically linked toeach other


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The activities are the following:

Definition of guidelines for thedevelopment of a common actionplan to support innovation,obstacles to cross-bordercooperation and potential interms of circularity and industrialsymbiosis.

Facilitate creative workspaceswhere research and businessactors can meet, strengtheningthe capacity of SMEs to networkand develop innovation.

Development of a cross-borderplan for innovation in theproduction system, in comparisonwith other European experiencesin the field of macro-regions andthe feasibility study on jointplanning of regional policyinstruments for the futureprogramming of the structuralfunds.

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France

Italy

Project: LIFE WEEE - Waste Electrical andElectronic Equipment: treasures to recover

More information at:https://www.lifeweee.eu/lifeWeee_en/

LIFE WEEE is an EU-funded project which aims at encouraging citizens andcompanies to more carefully manage the collection of electrical and electronicwaste (WEEE), to improve the model of regional governance and to encouragethe collaboration and sharing of information between the institutions.

How does the project works? Together with their project partners, theChambers of Commerce of Florence and Seville offer the following:

Support local administrations with training and information actions forinstitutional actors in order to improve services to citizens.

Develop a system of services and incentives for SMEs, with the creation of agreen network of SMEs as capillary collection point.

Develop IT tools for businesses and citizens: a software and guidelines forthe simplification of administrative and bureaucratic activities thatbusinesses must undertake to allow the collection of WEEE on theirpremises and an App that will allow users to easily identify the nearest sitescollection.

Create awareness campaign to raise public awareness on the topic andprovide adequate information to citizens and businesses.

Test the replicability and transferability of the project results through theimplementation of actions in Andalusia.


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Spain

Italy

Project: RI-ECCO - Recycling, Innovation:Circular Economy as an opportunity

More information at:www.milomb.camcom.it/ambiente

RI-ECCO is a free service that offers toSMEs technical-scientific guidance andsupport for the transition to theCircular Economy. The service is madeavailable by the Chamber of Commerceof Milano Monza Brianza Lodi, incollaboration with the ManagementInstitute Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna ofPisa.

The project is about providinga strategic support path to maximizecircular economy and is divided intothree steps.

STEP 1: Business involvement andtraining pathInvolvement of the reference territoryand route informative and educationalon the theme of the Circular Economy.


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STEP 2: Work tablesIdentification of sectorial actions.The target is 30 companies, dividedin 3 “working tables” for themaximization of circularity. Thetables are facilitated by a researcherfrom the Management Institute andparticipation is expected to be of 3-4 meetings per table, for a durationof 4 hours each.

STEP 3: Individual support (Check-up)Individual support with check-up for15 pilot companies aimed atidentifying tailored strategies formaximization of circularity. The“check-up” also includes a one-dayfocused visit and evaluation at thepremises of each company.

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Latvia

Project: Circular Public Procurement

More informationwww.circularpp.eu

The Circular Public Procurement is a 3 year project supported by the InterregBaltic Sea Region Programme.

The aim is to address the societal challenge of resource efficiency, byconsidering innovation from a multidimensional perspective – includinginvolving products, processes and new business models and by exploiting thesynergies between public authorities, research institutions, SMEs and non-profitorganizations in this field.

The main goal of this project is to develop an adequate framework for circularprocurement in the countries belonging to the Baltic Sea Region. In order toachieve the goals of the project, four main steps have to be followed:1. Analyses of existing situation in the Baltic Sea Region.2. Build capacity on circular procurement, pilot circular calls for tenders (eg.:training, guidance, future recommendations).3. Disseminate information among European public procurers and SMEs.

The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) based on participation inthe project, has increased know-how about the Circular Economy, whichincreases capacity both for member support about circular business modelsand policy making in business environment level. The project also provided theChamber with valuable contacts and new ideas for future international projects.


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Baltic sea Region

Luxembourg

Project: Ecobatterien

More information at:www.ecobatterien.lu

ECOBATTERIEN ASBL is a non-profit association founded in October 2009 withthe support of the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Tradesvia ECOTREL, the Confederation of Commerce, the Federation of artisans andthe Federation of Industry.

The association's mission is to take over the obligations of producers orimporters, concerning all types of the waste batteries and accumulatorsincluding portable, industrial and automotive sold separately or included inappliances or vehicles.

Producers and importers are helped on their registration to the authorities,on the finantiation of the take-back and treatment of waste batteries andaccumulators.

The association has more than 750 members and represents more than 95 %of the market shares in Luxembourg. In 2018, the association collected 69,26% of portable batteries. It is the best realistic collection rate of Europe.

Producers and importers pay a recycling fee when they put batteries andaccumulators on the Luxembourgian market. The recycling fee representsthe administrative, collection, treatment and communication costs ofECOBATTERIEN. The fee is calculated in €/unit per defined subcategories ofbatteries and accumulators.


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For the automotive sector,ECOBATTERIEN only takes over theadministrative obligations ofproducers and importers throughan administrative fee. The take-back obligation is directly fulfilledby the garages.

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Luxembourg

Project: ECOTREL

More information at:www.ecotrel.lu

ECOTREL ASBL is an organisationapproved by the Ministry of theEnvironment, Climate and SustainableDevelopment and founded in February2004 by 43 companies with theassistance of the Chamber ofCommerce and the Chamber of Tradesof Luxembourg. The companies importand produce electrical and electronicequipment following the publication ofEuropean directives which weresubsequently transposed into nationallaw.

The main objective is to endorse theobligations borne by producers andimporters of electrical and electronicequipment. The association manageand finance the removal and treatmentof waste electrical and electronicequipment (WEEE), which ends up inthe collection structures set up by themunicipalities and the State.

In addition, Ecotrel guarantees onbehalf of its members the futurerecycling of the electrical andelectronic equipment that they put onthe market today.


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ECOTREL has for mission to take overthe obligations of producers orimporters by:

Registering them to the authorities.Financing the take-back andtreatment of WEEE.Providing a guarantee for the take-back and treatment of future WEEEissued from appliances placed onthe market after August 2005.

As a result of the activities of ECOTREL,more than 10 kg of householdWEEE/inhabitant have been collectedon behalf of ECOTREL in 2018. With anaverage collection rate of 50,84 % anda specific collection rate of 64,49 % forcooling appliances, ECOTREL is amongthe best students of the Europeanclass.

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Luxembourg

Project: Luxembourg CleanTech Cluster

More information at:https://www.luxinnovation.lu/cluster/luxembourg-cleantech-cluster/

The Luxembourg CleanTech Cluster supports it's members in the generation ofnew processes, products and services with an ultimate goal of turning theconcept of the circular economy into a reality in Luxembourg.

The project is managed by Luxinnovation and foster innovation, businessdevelopment and cross-sector cooperation by focusing on an exciting area forpotential growth – sustainable living and clean technologies.

The main objectives are the following: • Diversify the activities of the companies thus allowing them to gain and todevelop new capabilities in the clean technologies field.• Contribute to develop new environmental solutions in the field of eco-technologies and sustainable construction.• Raise the public awareness for “green technologies”.• Build public-private partnerships for new collaborative projects. • Encourage the networking between public and private actors on the nationaland the international level.

The set of specialised support services provide access to practical and technicalinformation related to clean technologies, advice on national and Europeanfundings, vlue-added information on emerging technologies and markets.

The Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce is a founding member and main privatestakeholder in Luxinnovation. It particularly collaborates with the CleanTechCluster initiative when it comes to promotion campaigns andinternationalisation activites, in order to commonly strengthen activites.


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Luxembourg

Project: Super Drecks Kescht (SDK) Project

More information at:https://www.sdk.lu/index.php/en/

The SuperDrecksKëscht® is atrademark developed in the frame ofthe waste management missions of theLuxembourg state. It's orientation isbased on the EU strategy giving priorityto prevention before preparation ofrecycling any other processing (i.e.energy production) before wastedisposal.

The main objective is to use and applythe most recent information toimplement a sustainable and high-quality management of resources.Besides, it aims at dissemination ofecologic restructuring, providingimpulses in the economy for ecologicbehavior and efficient use of resources.The main partners are the Ministry ofEnvironment, Climate and SustainableDevelopment and the Chamber ofCommerce and the Chamber of Crafts.

The activities of the trademark areacknowledged by the EU and have beenawarded with the label “best practice”for resource management and climateprotection.


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The activities of SuperDrecksKëscht®are based on the 6 following pillars:1. Animation, information, sensitization, training and further education.2. Ecological waste management in thecompany certified according to DIN ENISO 14024.3. Clever shopping, intelligent andsustainable consumption.4. The SuperDrecksKëscht® and itsbusiness and association partners.5. The SuperDrecksKëscht® and itspartners in local and social authorities. 6. Ecological waste management isequal to climate and resourceprotection.

A recent initiative launched to reducethe use of packages was the ECOBOXand cutlery. A return and refill systemto take away food and leftovers formultiple purposes (canteen, restaurant,take-away) developed in Luxembourgfor transporting meals.

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Luxembourg

Project: Valorlux

More information at:https://www.valorlux.lu/en

Founded in 1995, Valorlux is a non-profit organization, which has the objectiveof promoting and coordinating selected waste collection for household wastepackaging and such in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Valorlux is authorizedby the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development andexceeds 1100 member companies at present. The Luxembourg Chamber ofCommerce, along with the Chamber of Crafts and other private sectorrepresentatives define and accompany the Valorlux strategy in their capacity ofactive board members.

Valorlux ensures compliance with the legal obligations in force relative to wasterecycling and recovery of packaging waste of his member companies, called“Responsible for packaging”, according to the law of 21st of mars 2017 relativeto packaging and packaging waste.

Examples of best practices:Eco-bag: since the beginning of the project, the use of approximately 922million single-use bags has been avoided, saving 6,287 tons of plastic or13,982,072 litters of oil.Superbag: The Superbag is a reusable produce bag, launched on the 25th ofJune 2019.Bottle-to-bottle recycling: every year Valorlux, together with Plastipakconverts 60 million PET drinks bottles into so-called recycled from whichpreforms/bottles can again be manufactured.


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Malta

Project: Business Against Food Waste

More information at:https://mbb.org.mt/category/projects/ongoing/business-against-food-waste/

Business Against Food Waste is a national awareness-raising campaign led by theMalta Chamber through its EU advisory and projects arm (the MBB), which willbring together local strategic partners such as the Malta Tourism Authority,Wasteserv (the national waste management authority), the Institute of TourismStudies and HSBC Malta CSR Institute.

While a substantial amount of food waste is generated by businesses, most isgenerated by consumers themselves. This necessitates a cultural and behavioralshift on the side of customers. This concern has also been reiterated to the MBBby local hospitality establishments. The campaign will feature 3 main actions: azero-food waste competition; awareness raising seminars; and demonstrations byprofessional chefs (food waste cafes).

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, through the Malta Business Bureau (its EUprojects and advisory arm), acts as a key coordinator between differentstakeholders in the food waste challenge - businesses, experts, policymakers andthe general public. Through the Business Against Food Waste campaign, we arebringing together all these different actors and facilitating dialogue andsolutions to reduce food waste in Malta, and beyond.


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Malta

Project: LIFE Foster Project

More information at:www.lifefoster.eu

Co-financed by the EU CommissionLIFE Programme and led by theItalian network for VET, ENAIP NET,the LIFE FOSTER project aims atreducing waste in the restaurantindustry. The project focuses onfour main fields: training,education, prevention andcommunication.

The LIFE FOSTER project willimplement a bottom-up approachinvolving the education of traineechefs, kitchen staff and front-of-house restaurant personnel. Thiswill be coupled with promotion ofthe project’s findings throughseminars and workshops targetingrestaurant staff and owners,networking with other LIFE projectsdealing with food waste, andthrough the engagement of policystakeholders.


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Apart from the educational aspect, LIFEFOSTER is also targeting establishedprofessionals working in the hospitalityindustry through activities such astraining, seminars and fairs. Thispromises to compliment the long-termbenefits of the project in terms ofeducation, which immediate benefitsbeing provided to businesses.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce,through the Malta Business Bureau (itsEU projects and advisory arm), is in aposition to reach out to thesebusinesses and get them activelyinvolved in the project. Furthermore,the MBB is handling the policydimension of the project at a locallevel, through working groups andpolicy dialogues with policymakers andstakeholders..

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Serbia

Project: Academy of Circular Economy

More information at:http://akademija-ce.rs/

The Academy of Circular Economics is ajoint project organized by the Chamberof Commerce and Industry of Serbia-Center for Circular Economy. Theproject was launched on September2018 in cooperation with CirEkon andwith the support of the EIT-Climate-KICinitiative.

The goal of the Academy of circulareconomy is to empower companies toinitiate positive changes in business,discover new opportunities to createadditional lines of revenue and achievethe benefits of resource efficiency.

Furthermore, it teaches participantshow to analyze and assess theeffectiveness of their companies’business processes and use ofmaterials, as well as to implementsystemic changes to switch to a circularbusiness model.


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Students of the Academy have theopportunity to get acquainted withcurrent trends and to prepare for theupcoming changes that are expected inthe international business systems inthe form of new standards, regulations,laws, market requirements andavailable technologies.

The Academy is intended forrepresentatives of the production-oriented companies.

Thirty participants were accepted forthe first pilot round and got an averagegrade 4.76 (out of max 5), which wasunseen before on the Serbian market,especially in the SME sector wheretraditional business rules still prevail. Asmall community has since beenformed with the intention to scale upthe academy and spread the word.

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Serbia

Project: Food Waste Novi Sad

More information at:https://www.climate-kic.org/countries/serbia/

https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/303.html

FoodWaste Novi Sad is a one-year project and part of the collaborationportfolio with EIT Climate-KIC. The project started in January 2020 and has nolink or website yet.

The main role of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) isto connect different project partners, administration of funds andto coordinate activities.

Through this project, the CCIS puts together different stakeholder of the foodwaste value chain in Novi Sad, Serbia. The main goal is to test differentsolutions in a closed environment and to disseminate project resultsthrough CCIS associations, after finalizing the pilot project.

All EIT Climate-KIC projects include co-founding. In the case of Food WasteNovi Sad, the main co-founder is the Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the CCIS offers supports throughin-kind co-founding.

The EIT Climate-KIC is a knowledge innovation community established andfunded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) in 2010.Their purpose is to tackle climate change through innovation. Serbia joinedthe EIT in 2016.


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Slovenia

Project: MOVECO

More information at:http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/moveco

Launched in 2017, the MOVECO project aims at improving the frameworkconditions and policy instruments for eco innovation and transition to acircular economy, fostering smart and sustainable growth and reducingdisparities among the regions in the Danube.

The project has 12 project partners and 4 associated partners (including theChamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia) from ten Danube regioncountries including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova,Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. MOVECO is co-funded by the EuropeanRegional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Instrument for Pre-AccessionAssistance (IPA) of the European Union.

The MOVECO project is now involved in creating numerous toolkits to fostercircular economy activities in the Danube region. The activities are thefollowing:

Transnational strategy: includes the identification of possible materialsstream for the Danube region and roadmap for the strategy'simplementation.Roadmap and action plan: three cross country roadmaps developed,together with derived action plans.Circular Economy toolbox: for SMEs, including financial technical andinformation tools.Online platform: to support cooperation between business and research.Virtual marketplace: to promote reuse and stimulate industrial symbiosis.Mobile exhibition: showcasing best practices in the region.


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+ Danuberegion

Spain

Project: Bank ofIdeas

More information at:https://www.tenerife.es/portalcabtfe/en/companies/banco-de-ideas-de-negocios-ambientales-sostenibles

https://www.camaratenerife.com/servicios/emprendimiento/asesoramiento-ambiental


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The Ideas Bank for EnvironmentallySustainable Businesses providesguidance for self-employedprofessionals, business people andentrepreneurs who are looking for newbusiness opportunities involving a widerange of activities in the environmentalfield. ; from water management andclean energy to the organic-agriculturesector, waste management andsustainable construction and tourism.

Since its creation this initiative hasbeen managed by the Council ofTenerife’s Office for the Environment,and all the business opportunities itproposes have one element incommon: sustainability.

The Environmental Advising onBusiness Opportunities is an initiativeof the Chamber of Commerce andIndustry of Santa Cruz Tenerife and theCouncil of Tenerife with the goal ofadvising and guiding entrepreneurs ongreen and blue employment trends,especially regarding the demand for theproduct or service they want to offerand what competition they willencounter.

The project complements theChamber's guidance services forentrepreneurs. Consultations andguidance cover the following topics:

Environmental obligations andprocedures to be fulfilled by acompany.Proper management of businesswaste.Implementation of an environmentalmanagement system.Incorporation of good environmentalpractices.Courses related to the environment.Self-employment and employmentopportunities in the environmentalfield.

Project: EnvironmentalAdvising

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Spain

Project: Self-diagnosis Guide

More information at:https://www.camaranavarra.com/Camara/highlight/3639/guia-autodiagnosticos-en-economia-

circular-en-la-industria-navarrahttps://www.camara.es/salamanca-ciudad-circular

https://www.dgratisdigital.com/actualidad/entrevista/salamanca-ciudad-circular/


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The Self-diagnosis Guide to thecircular economy in theNavarre Industry is a project that aimsat bringing the concept of circulareconomy to companies.

The guide facilitates the realization ofself-diagnoses of circularity incompanies, and helps them to reflecton those aspects on which they canwork to introduce changes. As aresult, companies are able to find theway of designing and producingeconomically and environmentallysustainable goods and services.

It is an initiative developed bySustainn and Navarre Chamber ofCommerce, and cofinanced by theCaja Navarra Foundation.

The phases for the development ofself-diagnosis are the following: Phase 1 - analysis of material,resource and waste flows. Phase 2 - life cycle cost analysis. Phase 3 - definition of circularityindicators and sustainability. Phase 4 - identification of circularopportunities.

The project "Salamanca, Circular City"was launched in December 2019 andurges business, people andentrepreneurs to change the way theyproduce, consume and manageresources.

The main objective is to turn companiesinto more sustainable and morecompetitive organisations and tostimulate new design models so thatthe value of products, resources andmaterials is maintained as long aspossible in the production cycle.

The project would follow the model ofthe 7 Rs of R’s of sustainability: rethink,redesign, reuse, repair, remanufacture,recycle and recuperate, in order topropose new and innovative ways tomake the city of Salamanca from alinear to a circular city.

Project: SalamancaCircular City

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Austria - Austrian Federal Economic ChamberContact person: Barbara Lehman Email: [email protected]

Belgium - Federation of Belgian Chambers of CommerceContact person: Camille Callens Email: [email protected]

Croatia - Croatian Chamber of Economy (CCE)Contact person: Dijana Varlec Email: [email protected]

Finland - Finland Chamber of CommerceContact person: Eero Yrjö-Koskinen Email: [email protected]

France - CCI FranceContact: Jan-Erik Starlander Email: [email protected]

Germany - Association of German Chambers of Commerce and IndustryContact person: Kohlwes Stefan Email: [email protected]

Italy - Association of Italian Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Craft & AgricultureContact person: Chiara Gaffuri Email: [email protected]

Luxembourg - Chamber of Commerce of the Grand Duchy of LuxembourgContact person: Anne-Marie Loesch Email : [email protected]

Malta - The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and IndustryContact person: Gabriel Cassar Email: [email protected]

Latvia - Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)Contact person: Liga Siceva Email: [email protected]

Serbia - Chamber of Commerce and Industry of SerbiaContact person: Gordana Tiodorovic Email: [email protected]

Slovenia - Chamber of Commerce and Industry of SloveniaContact person: Antonija Božic Cerar Email: [email protected]

Spain - Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Shipment of SpainContact person: Javier Concepción SoriaEmail: [email protected] person: Hector BenitezEmail: [email protected]

Contact details


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Circular Economy Chambers' Projects

EUROCHAMBRESwww.eurochambres.euTwitter: @EUROCHAMBRES

EUROCHAMBRES – The Association of European Chambers ofCommerce and Industry represents over 20 million enterprises inEurope – 98% of which are SMEs – through 45 members and aEuropean network of 1700 regional and local Chambers.

Drafting: Valerio BurlizziCoordination: Clemens RosenmayrDesign: Karen Albuquerque

Circular Economy Chambers' Projects

eco n o my ch a m b e rs for a c ircu la r · ch a m b e rs fo r a c i rcu la r eco n o my f e b r...

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