Circular Economy Innovation in Action at CIRCULÉIRE’s Q2 Network Meeting

CIRCULÉIRE Q2 Network Meeting – Attendees and speakers at IMR Mullingar, 11 June 2026.

On 11^th June, we held the CIRCULÉIRE Q2 Network Meeting, entitled Circular Economy Innovation in Action, a day designed with the power of the network as its central theme, bringing together members' expertise, experience, and ambition to accelerate circular action. The event included three interactive sections —IMR’s CEI Tour, the Circular Action Pledge, and Catalysing Collaboration — to inspire action, activate collective intelligence, and prompt collaboration for impact.

Veena Grace Thomas from the Digitalisation team presenting “Demystifying AI for the Circular Economy” to attendees at the Q2 Network Meeting.

IMR’s Circular Economy Innovation (CEI) Tour enabled attendees to explore the organisation’s wide range of supports offered to industry. Guided by Veena Grace Thomas from the Digitalisation team, Kevin Mongey and Aswin Ramasubramoniam from Substractive Manufacturing, Jayme Rossiter from Design for Manufacturing, Edward O'Dwyer from Sustainable Manufacturing, Eoghan Kidney and Gabrielius Mizutavicius from the Software Team.

The sustainable manufacturing section showcased how companies can map and measure the true cost of water, reduce consumption and operational costs or implement digital monitoring systems for efficiency. One standout case study revealed how a beverage manufacturer identified hidden water costs, allowing them to save up to €80,000 annually, while cutting water use by 5% per year. On energy, IMR demonstrated how businesses can adopt tailored renewable energy strategies. In one example, a seafood processing company achieved 43% reduction in energy costs, 79% of electricity demand met by renewables, and 3-year payback on investment. Both case studies confirmed the environmental and commercial value of circularity.

The digitalisation team focused on the role of Artificial Intelligence in the circular economy. Moving beyond hype, Veena’s presentation clarified how AI can detect inefficiencies in processes, predict maintenance needs, optimise resource use and reduce waste and emissions. The case studies demonstrated a measurable impact, with up to 50% reduction in food waste using AI-driven analytics, 10% reduction in manufacturing scrap through data insights, and significant material savings via AI-enabled design optimisation. AI may not be valuable on its own, but it can become powerful when driving better decisions.

The discussions on subtractive and additive manufacturing challenged assumptions about sustainability in production. While additive manufacturing offers benefits like minimal waste and efficient prototyping, CNC machining still plays a critical role due to its durability and scalability. The focus, therefore, shifts to making existing processes more circular. One innovative IMR project that demonstrated this in practice was a wireless tool-monitoring system that detects tool wear in real-time, prevents defective parts before they are produced, reduces material waste and improves yield. The case also reflects a broader industry trend: optimisation over replacement.

Niall McLoughlin presenting DCEE updates at the Q2 Network Meeting.

The tour was followed by the CIRCULÉIRE and strategic partners updates. A major highlight was the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment's announcement of the CIRCULÉIRE’s Innovation Fund. The fund will relaunch in July 2026 and will be open exclusively to CIRCULÉIRE member-led consortia. The Innovation Fund 2026 will support projects that: 

• Address a collective circular economy challenge within an industrial cluster, supply chain, or cross-sector group.

• Involve collaboration between at least two organisations, with a CIRCULÉIRE member acting as consortium lead. 

• Test circular economy strategies, system-level interventions, or innovative approaches to implementation.

• Demonstrate a clear and credible plan for replication, scale-up, or wider adoption, including how impact will be sustained beyond the funded project term.

• Deliver measurable short-term results, supported by a credible plan for longer-term circular, environmental, economic, or societal impact.

The CIRCULÉIRE Innovation Fund 2026 will offer grant support across three funding levels, with awards of up to €50,000 for small-scale projects, up to €150,000 for medium-scale projects, and up to €250,000 for large-scale projects.

The morning concluded with two interactive sessions: the Circular Action Pledge and Catalysing Collaboration. The Circular Action Pledge, led by CIRCULÉIRE Senior Programme Manager, Sophie Reynolds, invites CIRCULÉIRE industry members to take a small but meaningful step toward their organisation’s circular ambitions. Through a gallery walk, attendees were encouraged to commit to practical actions, whether advancing innovation, collaborating with others, rethinking materials or business models, or beginning to measure circular performance, setting ambitious yet achievable, concrete, and relevant actions. The Circular Action Pledge will be followed up on in Q4 to reflect on progress, share learnings, and highlight how collective action across the network is driving real circular change.

After a pitching session by the Circular Ventures Accelerator 2026 cohort, IMR’s Circular Venture Lead, Agnese Metitieri presented the Catalysing Collaboration session. This year’s Accelerator cohort comes from a wide range of industries, from materials and textiles to climate tech and digital platforms. However, common challenges emerged from their pitching: access to funding and investment pathways, strategic partnerships and pilot opportunities, support in scaling operations and entering markets, and expertise in data, measurement, and reporting. Ábhar Materials, Bounce Back Recycling, Celestine Materials & Innovation, Ecokinly, NEG8 Carbon, Nothing New CMT Studio (by Change Clothes), Sampla and TechStuff presented their scalable solutions and exposed their challenges to the network to tap into the members' expertise in this rapid-fire session.

The Q2 meeting also outlined upcoming opportunities to engage with CIRCULÉIRE, including Leading for Circular Innovation CPD Training, the wrapping up of the Innovation Sprints, and the Q3 Network Meeting on 23^rd September.

The meeting’s slide deck is available to members on the Knowledge Library (link here).