ReTraCE — Realising the Transition to the Circular Economy: Models, Methods and Applications

Results in brief

Realising the Transition to the Circular Economy: Models, Methods and Applications

The project "Realising the Transition to the Circular Economy" (ReTraCE) has been funded by Horizon 2020 EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks and has provided support to the implementation of the European Commission’s Circular Economy strategy. A Circular Economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of their useful life. It aims to redefine economic growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. The project has brought together world-leading experts from a wide set of beneficiaries and partners to achieve breakthroughs in understanding how the transition towards a circular economy can be realised – both within existing organisations and industries as well as through innovative and sustainable business models. The main innovation proposed by the project has been the development of a holistic approach for evaluating and realising the transition towards the Circular Economy, involving knowledge and methodologies from multiple domains (including Supply Chain Management, Environmental Science, Environmental and Ecological Economics, Science and Technology Studies, Innovation Studies) and addressing economic, environmental and social issues. The trans-national, multi-disciplinary, multi-sector, multi-stakeholder approach proposed in this project aims to bridge the main gap in research dealing with the CE paradigm, that, until recently, has been characterised by a “silo” approach that has undermined theoretical development and knowledge transfer to practitioners. The research which has been performed within this project will directly facilitate the implementation of the recently adopted ambitious Circular Economy strategy of the European Commission, which is closely linked to Sustainable Development Goals. The network has designed and delivered world-class multidisciplinary training to 17 Early Stage Researchers, offering them an extended and valuable program of international exchanges and secondments through a wide network of partner organisations – from public, private and third sector. The multi-disciplinary project has drawn upon research that will advance the current understanding of the circular economy from economic, environmental and social perspectives, providing policy insights and implications for practice. ESRs from the ReTraCE project have also undertaken doctoral training, and have now been employed by research institutions, public sector bodies, consultancy firms and industrial organisations, which all require new professional profiles for realising the transition towards the circular economy.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

This network brings together an exceptionally strong team of world-leading experts from a wide set of beneficiaries and partners in order to achieve breakthroughs in understanding how the transition towards a Circular Economy (CE) can be realised in a successful way in the European context, both within existing organisations and industries as well as through innovative and sustainable business models. The proposed approach is inherently multi-disciplinary, drawing upon research that will advance significantly the state-of-the-art in terms of the current understanding of the applicability of the CE paradigm from Economic, Environmental and Social points of view, providing policy insights and implications for practice. The consortium of 10 beneficiaries (including 7 academic and 3 non-academic groups) will design and deliver world class multidisciplinary training to 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs), offering them an extended and valuable program of international exchanges and secondments through the wide network of partner organisations involved in the proposal. The network builds on the success of previous projects in which beneficiaries have successfully delivered high impact research and knowledge exchange. ReTraCE is specifically designed to train a cohort of new thought leaders capable of driving the transition towards a more sustainable mode of production and consumption in Europe in the next decades, who will directly facilitate the implementation of the recently adopted ambitious Circular Economy strategy of the European Commission, which is closely linked to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indeed, it is envisaged that ESRs will be employable not only by research institutions, but also by public sector bodies and within a wide range of manufacturing and service industries which will require new professional profiles for realising the transition towards the CE.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD · SHEFFIELDCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
A&C Ecotech · NapoliItaly
ABIS - THE ACADEMY OF BUSINESS IN SOCIETY · Bruxelles / BrusselBelgium
AFRICAN CIRCULAR ECONOMY NETWORK NPC · BALLITOSouth Africa
AGENZIA NAZIONALE PER LE NUOVE TECNOLOGIE, L'ENERGIA E LO SVILUPPO ECONOMICO SOSTENIBILE · RomaItaly
ALLARIZ · ALLARIZSpain
BOSCH THERMOTECHNIK GMBH · WETZLARGermany
COGEI S.r.l. · NaplesItaly
CSR EUROPE THE BUSINESS NETWORK FOR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY · Bruxelles / BrusselBelgium
ERASMUS UNIVERSITEIT ROTTERDAM · RotterdamNetherlands
ESCO ITALIA SRL · MilanoItaly
EUROPEAN RECYCLING PLATFORM - ERP · ParisFrance
HOGSKOLAN DALARNA · FalunSweden
KENTRO EREVNON NOTIOANATOLIKIS EVROPIS ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIREIA · ThessalonikiGreece
N. LAKASAS - P.ARVANITIDIS SA · AiginioGreece
PROTEG SPA · NapoliItaly
Recovery Insulation · SheffieldUnited Kingdom
SHANGHAI JIAO TONG UNIVERSITY · SHANGHAIChina
SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL · SheffieldUnited Kingdom
SMA Solar Technology AG · NiestetalGermany
SOLVAY SA · Bruxelles / BrusselBelgium
STICHTING CIRCLE ECONOMY · AMSTERDAMNetherlands
SYNDESMOS EPICHEIRISEON PLIROFORIKIS VOREIAS ELLADAS · ThessalonikiGreece
TATA STEEL UK LIMITED · LONDONUnited Kingdom
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER · ExeterUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI PARTHENOPE · NAPOLIItaly
UNIVERSITAET KASSEL · KasselGermany
UNIVERSITY OF KENT · Canterbury, KentUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS · LeedsUnited Kingdom
University of Ulsan · UlsanSouth Korea

ReTraCE · Realising the Transition to the Circular Economy: Models, Methods and Applications

Results in brief

Realising the Transition to the Circular Economy: Models, Methods and Applications

Project objective

Participants

Links