CircularShift: Ireland Joins Forces to Accelerate Circular Procurement Across Northwest Europe

Representatives from the CircularShift consortium, including IMR’s Patrick O’Donnell and partners from across Europe, gather in Mechelen for a three‑day project meeting on advancing circular procurement.

From December 1-3, Patrick O'Donnell from Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) attended the Interreg NWE CircularShift project meeting in Mechelen, Belgium. He represented the wider Irish consortium, which includes the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Sandyford Business District, and WEEE Ireland as associate partners.

The CircularShift project aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy by scaling up circular procurement practices for frequently purchased public-sector products such as phones, laptops, and workwear across 5 regions Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Ireland.

This twice-yearly gathering brought together all partner organizations and selected associate partners to review progress across the three work packages and plan for the coming six months. Patrick was joined by Fernanda Pinto Godoy from Sandyford Business District, who presented their work on the Circular PsP project and the AI tool they're developing to help public organizations draft tenders for circular procurement.

Day One: Decision Making Framework and Dashboard

The morning started with a masterclass from Nyenrode Business University on decision-making for circular procurement. They outlined two approaches for making better procurement decisions:

The Structural Path

The structural path uses regulations, frameworks like the Digital Product Passport, and established best practices. While these will be essential tools once legislation is fully operational, that will take time.

The Behavioural Path

The behavioural path focuses on motivating people to engage with the challenges of circular procurement. Using the FOGG behavioural model, it explores how prompts can encourage people to ask the right questions of the right people, driving motivation and building capability.

Breakout sessions then tackled three sectors: workwear, laptops, and phones. Participants identified key stakeholders and KPIs important for the project, along with the risks and opportunities that could either hinder or enable behavioural change. They also examined how ESPR criteria could guide procurement choices.

In the afternoon, Anusha Mascarenhas from Nyenrode explained how a decision-making framework can help shift from quick, intuitive thinking to more deliberate analysis. Patrick then presented a prototype of the Decision Making Framework, followed by discussion of its proposed elements.

Saul Morais from Nyenrode led a workshop where participants applied the framework to a sample tender for modular phones. Groups of procuring organizations from different regions tested the framework phases and provided feedback.

Fernanda wrapped up the day with an overview of the Circular PsP project, explaining how their AI tool could assist in creating tenders. She invited all partners to follow the project and potentially test the tool in future.

Day Two: Needs Assessment

The morning masterclass, delivered by Joan Prummel and Mervyn Jones from lead partner Rijkswaterstaat, focused on changing mindsets to change behaviour. Their key message was that mindset operates at the individual level, not the abstract organizational level.

To create change, you need to find people with the ability, influence, and interest to make it happen, understand what barriers are holding them back, and address those barriers. These stakeholders will vary across organizations and procurements. Successful needs assessment means finding the right people at the right time and asking them the right questions. It's crucial to enable individuals to lead on areas they're passionate about.

Joan Prummel's work on the Green Deal illustrated how networking and building collaboration are essential for developing new ideas. A workshop then showed partners how to map stakeholders based on their interest and influence to identify those who can drive the biggest change.

The afternoon session, led by Patrick and Wouter Reekers from the City of Almere, began with an overview of the needs assessment requirements for training. An open discussion identified key stakeholders—both internal and external to procurement organizations—who need to be interviewed. Once the stakeholder types were agreed upon, a proposal for conducting interviews in partnership with Anusha was presented and accepted.

Partners then identified stakeholders within their networks who could be interviewed. These will be mapped on a matrix to identify gaps, allowing partners to seek out any missing stakeholders.

Day Three: Value Chain Collaboration and Pilots

Jukie Poppe and Peter Verswijvel from the City of Mechelen ran a workshop to help partners develop ideas for potential pilots. Three breakout groups each focused on one sector: laptops, phones, or workwear.

Using the R-Strategy table from Circular Flanders (outlining five goals and various strategies to achieve them) groups identified possible strategies and actions for each sector that could be included in future procurements. They then explored the barriers and enablers to implement these strategies.

After each group shared their findings, pilot partners reviewed all three sectors to identify strategies and actions they could incorporate into future pilots. The exercise was highly successful, with pilot partners finding several strategies to test.

Audrey Bonabeau from RESECO in France then presented their experience with working groups for furniture, outlining how they set them up, ran them, and what they learned. An open discussion followed, and both methods for establishing working groups were endorsed, along with the scope of pilots for work packages 1 and 3.

The afternoon featured site visits to social-circular practices in Mechelen:

CiLAB Collective collaborates with fashion brands, retailers, and Decathlon to repair and upcycle collections that would otherwise be discarded. They're working with social economy company Ecoso on the RegioGreentex project to develop new business models, particularly for workwear life extension.

The Recupperij, Ecoso's innovation lab, prepares laptops and smartphones from the City of Mechelen and other companies for reuse as part of digital inclusion efforts. This work is done by people who face barriers to employment. The Recupperij also sorts and refurbishes fashion items like glasses, shoes, and bridal wear, and provides laundry and repair services for workwear.

Next year IMR will be reaching out to organizations across Ireland's public procurement landscape and value chain partners to understand their training needs and unlock new opportunities.

We will also be establishing a dynamic working group centered on a procurement pilot for laptops or phones.

As part of this collaborative effort, we'll be hosting an innovative "Meet Your Supplier" event.

Watch this space for details as plans take shape!