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After its first three-year cycle, CIRCULÉIRE are delighted to announce that it has received continuation funding for 2023 activities Read the official announcement on the website of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications CIRCULÉIRE – Ireland’s first industry-led circular innovation network – and its secretariat Irish Manufacturing Research are delighted to share the news that we have been granted continuation funding. This announcement was made by the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Ossian Smyth TD, in his keynote address delivered at   CIRCULÉIRE's 2022 Annual Conference held on 23rd November 2022. Minister Smyth, who has responsibility for the Circular Economy and Communications, announced his commitment to provide €1.5million funding to CIRCULÉIRE to continue its activities in 2023 to “foster and enhance circular economy knowledge, capacity building and implementation by Irish Industry”. “Since its inception in 2020, CIRCULÉIRE and its members have been leading the way in circular innovation, supporting manufacturers and their supply chains to embrace circular economy principles. The transition to a circular economy, supported by CIRCULÉIRE, will contribute to Ireland achieving its targets in greenhouse gas reductions by 2030”, Minister Ossian Smyth. CIRCULÉIRE- The National Platform for Circular Manufacturing’s activities are aligned with and contribute to the realisation of the objectives and actions of the Government’s Circular Economy Strategy and the Climate Action Plan. For the last three years, CIRCULÉIRE has been dedicated to assisting manufacturers and their supply chains to switch from linear to circular business models. That has been possible by supporting ten circular innovation demonstration projects, conducting baseline surveys, in-depth circularity assessments, annual thematic working groups, running Ireland’s first dedicated circular venture accelerator and fostering meaningful dialogue between policymakers and industry while supporting our members to reduce waste and associated CO2 emissions. This year, coming to the end of its first three-years-funding cycle, CIRCULÉIRE has shown significant progress in creating circular momentum across the Irish industry. “Since CIRCULÉIRE started its activities in 2020, we have grown from 25 Founding Industry members and we are now supporting over 50 organisations on their circular economy journey. IMR are extremely proud to receive DECC’s funding in 2023, which recognizes the valuable momentum CIRCULÉIRE has generated and the importance of continuing to foster and grow circular economy innovation and implementation” - Dr Geraldine Brennan, Head of Circular Economy, IMR & CIRCULÉIRE Lead. As an example of this engagement, Freefoam Plastics was one of the companies funded by CIRCULÉIRE to lead a supply-chain innovation project. The “ Circular Economy & The Power of Many ” is a pilot construction collaboration take-bake scheme for all the materials that are delivered for the installation of roofline building products. “By being involved with CIRCULÉIRE, we were able to get the assessment done, and the take-back scheme pilot through innovation funding. These activities and engagement brought the circular economy up in the company’s agenda and now it is one of our main strategic initiatives as part of our corporate strategy” - Kevin Cronin, COO, Freefoam Plastics. Another key activity for CIRCULÉIRE members is the annual baseline survey across materials, water and energy which helps companies measure their waste and CO2 reduction performance over time. “Initially, we thought it would be time-consuming, but it is exactly the opposite. CIRCULÉIRE performed a fantastic baseline survey. They worked with probably 15 of our staff and it was a great team effort. Everyone learned and worked together. Since then, we have had good networking, worked on our carbon emissions, and calculated our Scope 3 emissions. It is been a very good journey” - Fergus O’Sullivan, Plant Manager, Aryzta . Watch what CIRCULÉIRE Industry Members have to say about their engagement in our platform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtMIYRh0qPg About CIRCULÉIRE CIRCULÉIRE is a public-private partnership co-created by Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) and three strategic partners: the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) , the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EIT Climate-KIC . Together with industry partners, CIRCULÉIRE aims to assist manufacturers and their supply chains to switch from linear to circular business models. Read more about CIRCULÉIRE here .

CIRCULÉIRE is looking assist circular economy start-ups and businesses that are revenue generating and scaling to - develop their solutions such that they can help make a systemic impact on our economy and consumer behaviour and drive Irelands transition to net-zero carbon circular economy. Our 2020 call for applications to our “New Venture’s Innovation & Mentoring Program” is now open for new ventures that are at a high technology readiness level (TRL) i.e. close to market or recently launched on the market. Applications close on Tuesday 8th December 2020 – submissions via circuleire@imr.ie . Benefits for participating companies include: - Business coaching & trainingMentoring by industry experts and experienced founders - Validate your product/technology and market - Find your product-market fit - Understand how to gain access to MNC and SME supply-chains through CIRCULÉIRE’s network - Access to local ecosystems and infrastructure to drive growth and internationalisation - Get investor ready and establish contact to investors & VCs/funds - Receive € 5,000 in equity-free funding for your new venture Click on the following links to download: “ Call for Applicants ” “ Application Form ”

A key feature of CIRCULÉIRE is our €1.5m ring-fenced innovation fund (2020-2022) which seeks to support industry-led circular economy innovation demonstration projects which will accelerate the transition towards a circular economy in Ireland. Following international peer review, we are delighted to announce the circular innovation demonstration projects which have been awarded funding in CIRCULÉIRE’s 2020 Call for Proposals are both led by Founding Member WEEE Ireland. Below Elizabeth O’Reilly, Compliance & Membership Manager, WEEE Ireland describes the innovation demonstrations that have been awarded funding: “WEEE Ireland are very excited to be kicking off two circular economy innovation demonstration projects in collaboration with the White Goods Association, Fast-Track into IT (FIT), KMK Metals Recycling and Wisetek, funded by the CIRCULÉIRE 2020 Innovation Fund in 2021. These innovation demonstrators will help the transformation of our successful recycling scheme to a more circular one, supporting our 1100+ Irish electrical and battery industry Members on their own circular economy journeys. These innovation projects are in completely different areas – the first one supports the White Goods Sector to develop training programmes and engage more repair engineers in life extension of appliances and therefore waste prevention with a circular economy and e-waste management ethos. The second tackles the challenge posed by waste long life lithium batteries (LLLB), such as those used in electric vehicles in Ireland, and will explore opportunities to manage these in a more circular and sustainable way, including repurposing and reuse of LLLBs in other industrial settings. We have just finished our first year of membership of the CIRCULÉIRE platform and as Founding Industry Members we have found it an invaluable resource us as we face the positive challenges ahead for our Scheme and the electrical and battery industry under new Circular Economy, Green Deal and Sustainability developments in Ireland. We look forward to what 2021 will bring and continuing to collaborate with other industry members in this innovative cross-sectoral network” Congratulations to WEEE Ireland, White Goods Association, Fast-Track into IT (FIT), KMK Metals Recycling and Wisetek and CIRCULÉIRE look forward to opening the 2021 call for innovation projects in the new year!

CIRCULÉIRE are delighted to report that our 2020 call for Irish circular new ventures that are revenue generating and scaling to join our innovation network was a resounding success! We received many high-quality applicants to CIRCULÉIRE’s New Venture & Innovation Program (co-created in collaboration with Tangent ) and had the challenging task of only choosing 5 young businesses to welcome into network. It is our pleasure to announce that the new ventures joining CIRCULÉIRE as part of the 2020 cohort are: Ashleigh Environmental who have developed novel solution to transform and derive value from underused anaerobic digestion feedstock materials; Avoca Seafood Ltd who are improving salmon farming practices through industrial symbiosis; DACS (Digital Array Control Systems Ltd) who have developed a battery management system to extend the useful lifespan of lithium battery packs; IANAV (I Am Not A Virgin) who are developing 3D printed footwear from secondary raw materials. The ZeroNet who have developed a reverse logistics solution to enable product life extension. Congratulations to these ventures and a very warm welcome to the CIRCULÉIRE network!

CIRCULÉIRE are delighted to be contributing to multiple of the “Pathways to the Circular Economy” Webinars organised by UpThink Innovation Agency in collaboration with Dublin City Council and Ireland’s Waste Regions in January and February 2021. The purpose of this webinar series is to increase awareness of the circular economy and will explore opportunities, challenges, and the benefits of circularity over the following sessions: 1. What is the Circular Economy? Wednesday 20th January, from 4pm to 5pm. Speakers include Dr Geraldine Brennan (IMR), Peter Corcoran (MBio), and Patrick Barrett (DAFM) 2. The Future of Food and Bio-Based Systems Wednesday 27th January from 4pm to 5pm Speakers include Cliodhna Dowling (Nutramara), Teresa Patton (Green Generation), Deirdre de Bhailís (The Dingle Hub), and Dermot Hanley (Roundtable Partners) 3. Financing the Circular Transition Wednesday 3rd February from 4pm to 5pm Speakers include Dr Geraldine Brennan (IMR), Dr Conor Hanley (Fire 1 Foundry) and Filippo Giancarlo Martinelli (IBF) 4. Re-thinking Packaging in the Circular Economy Wednesday 10th February from 4pm to 5pm Speakers include Romain Couture (IMR), Russel Walshe (VivaGreen), Garrett Walshe (VivaGreen) and Sinead Murphy (WRAP). Learn more

On Friday 29th January from 11am to 1pm the findings from @CIRCULEIRE’s Thematic Working Group “ CircularBioeconomy2020” exploring the circular bioeconomy opportunities that can deliver significant CO2 and waste reductions in Ireland will be shared. “ CircularBioeconomy2020” was delivered in partnership with @Irish Bioeconomy Foundation and ran over the summer and autumn of 2020. The focus of this thematic working group was to understand the Irish circular bioeconomy opportunity landscape and as such it is the first of its kind in Ireland. “ CircularBioeconomy2020” builds on the insights from a wide range stakeholders from across the Irish innovation ecosystem ranging from industry, government agencies, academia and third sector who participated in this working group. You are warmly invited to join us for this free public webinar. Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis! Register Here

On Friday 26th February from 11am to 12.30pm, this webinar will share the findings from CIRCULÉIRE’s Thematic Working Group “ Industrial Symbiosis 2020” exploring the opportunities that can deliver significant CO2 and waste reductions in Ireland. “ Industrial Symbiosis 2020” was delivered in partnership with International Synergies and ran over the summer and autumn of 2020. The focus of this thematic working group was to understand the current and future industrial symbiosis opportunities in Ireland. “ Industrial Symbiosis 2020” builds on the insights from a wide range of stakeholders from across the Irish innovation ecosystem ranging from industry, government agencies, academia and third sector who participated in this working group. You are warmly invited to join us for this free public webinar. Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis! Register here

Irish Manufacturing Research is seeking quotes from suitably qualified and experienced consultants in the delivery of one or all of its three Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) for its CIRCULÉIRE industry network in the 2021 period on the following topics:  Circular Design and Redesign Circular Packaging and Resuables Circular Plastics Context CIRCULÉIRE is the first cross-sectoral industry-led innovation network dedicated to accelerating the net-zero carbon circular economy in Ireland. CIRCULÉIRE is a €4.5m public-private partnership co-created by Irish Manufacturing Research (Secretariat), and three Strategic Partners; the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and EIT Climate-KIC and 25 Founding Industry Members.  CIRCULÉIRE’s overarching objective between 2020-2022 is to source, test, finance, and scale, circular manufacturing systems, supply chains and circular business models to deliver significant reductions in both CO2 emissions and waste across our Industry Membership over the programmes’ lifespan.   The TWGs support this strategic objective by providing CIRCULÉIRE’s industry partners with:  Expert knowledge, guidance, and support to ensure members are familiar with strategically important topics related to the Circular Economy and its implications for industry – outlined below. ( Past Thematic Working Groups in 2020 focused on topics including Circular Bioeconomy; Industrial Symbiosis; and the Circular Procurement );   Delivering well-designed, interactive online (or in-person COVID-19 permitting) meetings, workshops and webinars (including 2-3 Sprint/Ideation sessions to help industry members prepare and pitch innovation 5-10 project ideas which can be funded through CIRCULÉIRE’s ring-fenced network innovation fund dedicated to funding large scale systems-level innovation);  Thought leadership and high-quality, engaging content based around the following key outputs:  State-of-the-Art Review (SoAR) which incorporates a landscape review of relevant national and EU policy, industry best practice, key barriers and key enablers to scaling circular economy strategy or practice in Ireland (e.g 10-15 pages)  (interim deliverable to inform / set the context for the ideation process) Synthesis Report which incorporates insights of SoAR and outputs of Ideation Process (max 50 pages including appendices)  (final deliverable) High-Level Summary Report (max 15 pages)  (final deliverable) 1 page infographic or factsheet  (final deliverable) 2x Webinars (Network only & Public)  (final deliverable) Background information, Deadline for Proposals + Contact Details  Further information about the Expert Facilitators can be found in the attached document available here . Questions on this specification should come in writing (please complete and submit a financial assumptions template to aide evaluation). We will collect questions until 5pm, 8th March 2021. Please note we require individual quotation templates for each thematic working group however, invited organisation/individuals are welcome to submit quotations for all three of the thematic working groups. The application form to be returned to IMR is available h ere .   Key dates on the Call for Proposal: Q&As from IMR to submitting parties by  5pm Monday 8th March 2021  Deadline for RFP submission to  circuleire@imr.ie  midnight  Monday, 15th March 2021 Communication of winning proposal(s):  Friday, 26th March 2021 Kick-Off Meeting with to Agree Timeline:  Monday, 29th March 2021 Invitation for Panel Participants Go Live:  Thursday, 1st April 2021 IMR Contact Person: Sophie Reynolds, Senior Researcher – Circular Economy  E:  sophie.reynolds@imr.ie

On Wednesday10th March from 4pm to 5pm, this webinar will share the findings from CIRCULÉIRE’s Thematic Working Group "Circular Procurement 2020” exploring some opportunities that can deliver significant CO2 and waste reductions in Ireland. “ Circular Procurement 2020” was delivered in partnership with IDDEA and ran over the summer and autumn of 2020. The focus of this thematic working group was to understand the current and future circular procurement opportunities in Ireland. “ Circular Procurement 2020” builds on the insights from a wide range of stakeholders from across the Irish innovation ecosystem ranging from industry, government agencies, academia and third sector who participated in this working group. You are warmly invited to join us for this free public webinar. Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis! Register Here

CIRCULÉIRE is seeking quotes from suitably qualified and experienced consultants in the delivery of one or all of its three Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) for its CIRCULÉIRE industry network in the 2021 period on the following topics:  Circular Design and Redesign Circular Packaging and Resuables Circular Plastics Context CIRCULÉIRE is the first cross-sectoral industry-led innovation network dedicated to accelerating the net-zero carbon circular economy in Ireland. CIRCULÉIRE is a €4.5m public-private partnership co-created by Irish Manufacturing Research (Secretariat), and three Strategic Partners; the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and EIT Climate-KIC and 25 Founding Industry Members.  CIRCULÉIRE’s overarching objective between 2020-2022 is to source, test, finance, and scale, circular manufacturing systems, supply chains and circular business models to deliver significant reductions in both CO2 emissions and waste across our Industry Membership over the programmes’ lifespan.   The TWGs support this strategic objective by providing CIRCULÉIRE’s industry partners with:  Expert knowledge, guidance, and support to ensure members are familiar with strategically important topics related to the Circular Economy and its implications for industry – outlined below. ( Past Thematic Working Groups in 2020 focused on topics including Circular Bioeconomy; Industrial Symbiosis; and the Circular Procurement );   Delivering well-designed, interactive online (or in-person COVID-19 permitting) meetings, workshops and webinars (including 2-3 Sprint/Ideation sessions to help industry members prepare and pitch innovation 5-10 project ideas which can be funded through CIRCULÉIRE’s ring-fenced network innovation fund dedicated to funding large scale systems-level innovation);  Thought leadership and high-quality, engaging content based around the following key outputs:  State-of-the-Art Review (SoAR) which incorporates a landscape review of relevant national and EU policy, industry best practice, key barriers and key enablers to scaling circular economy strategy or practice in Ireland (e.g 10-15 pages)  (interim deliverable to inform / set the context for the ideation process) Synthesis Report which incorporates insights of SoAR and outputs of Ideation Process (max 50 pages including appendices)  (final deliverable) High-Level Summary Report (max 15 pages)  (final deliverable) 1 page infographic or factsheet  (final deliverable) 2x Webinars (Network only & Public)  (final deliverable) Background information, Deadline for Proposals + Contact Details  Further information about the Expert Facilitators can be found in the attached document available here . Questions on this specification should come in writing (please complete and submit a financial assumptions template to aide evaluation). We will collect questions until 5pm, 25th March 2021.The application form to be returned to IMR is available h ere .   Key dates on the Call for Proposal: Q&As from IMR to submitting parties by  5pm Thursday 25th March 2021  Deadline for RFP submission to  circuleire@imr.ie 12am, Wednesday, 31st March 2021 Communication of winning proposal(s): Thursday, 1st of April 2021 Kick-Off Meeting with to Agree Timeline:  W/C 6th of April Invitation for Panel Participants Go Live:   Thursday, 1st April 2021 IMR Contact Person: Sophie Reynolds, Technologist – Circular Economy  E:  sophie.reynolds@imr.ie

CIRCULÉIRE is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced individuals or organisations for its three industry-led Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) in the 2021 period on the following topics: * Includes summer break for August About CIRCULÉIRE’s Thematic Working Groups CIRCULÉIRE is the first cross-sectoral industry-led innovation network dedicated to accelerating the net-zero carbon circular economy in Ireland. CIRCULÉIRE is a €4.5m public-private partnership co-created by Irish Manufacturing Research (Secretariat), and three Strategic Partners; the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and EIT Climate-KIC and 25 Founding Industry Members. CIRCULÉIRE’s overarching objective between 2020-2022 is to source, test, finance, and scale, circular manufacturing systems, supply chains and circular business models to deliver significant reductions in both CO2 emissions and waste across our Industry Membership over the programmes’ lifespan. The Thematic Working Groups, which will be co-delivered by IMR and its appointed Expert Facilitators, support this strategic objective by providing CIRCULÉIRE’s network members with: Expert knowledge, guidance, and support to ensure network and panel members are familiar with strategically important topics related to the Circular Economy and its implications for Irish industry. Thought leadership and high-quality content aimed at informing the ideation process – and supporting industry’s transition towards circularity (e.g. by delivering a State-of-the-Art Review (SoAR) i.e. a landscape review of relevant national and EU policy, industry best practice, key barriers and key enablers to scaling circular economy strategies or practices related to the thematic area or topic in Ireland) Ideation sessions to help industry members prepare and pitch 5-10 innovation project ideas which can be funded through CIRCULÉIRE’s ring-fenced network innovation fund dedicated to funding large scale systems-level innovation; About the Panel Member / Associate Member role This is a voluntary role equivalent to a 3-day commitment in total (approximately 1 day / month) split across the Thematic Working Group activities, where via interactive discussions and online workshops, you will network and collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders to identify concrete industry-led circular economy innovation opportunities for the Irish context. As well as accessing cutting-edge thought leadership on key circular economy thematic areas / topics, and having opportunities to network and exchange with CIRCULÉIRE’s industry members and others, Panel Members will play an important role in ensuring that the key findings and innovation opportunities generated via CIRCULÉIRE’s Thematic Working Group process integrate the insights and expertise of a good cross-section of Ireland’s innovation ecosystem (including academia, government, third sector, solution providers etc.). The main tasks the Panel Member will be responsible for is to inform the scope of the State-of-the-Art Review developed by IMR and its appointed Expert Facilitators, to assist with peer reviewing 2x short draft reports produced by IMR/ the Expert Facilitator, and finally, to attend circa 8 virtual 2-hour meetings, workshops and webinars led by IMR / the Expert Facilitator over a 12 – 16-week period between April and September as outlined below: Meeting 1: TWG Kick-Off Meeting to agree on scope & framing of State-of-the-Art-Review (SoAR) to clarify objectives and inform the scope of the Working Group’s ideation process Meeting 2: Panel Meeting to Discuss Peer Review Feedback on the SoAR interim report Ideation Workshops: Attendance at, and contributing to 2-3 TWG Ideation/Sprint workshops (spread over 1 week) which aim to generate 5-10 circular system innovation project ideas tailored to the Irish context Meeting 6: Panel Meeting to Discuss Peer Review Feedback on Synthesis Paper (a short report which will summarise the policy context and the opportunities for innovation projects identified through the Ideation/Sprint workshops) Webinars : Invitation to join 2x webinars for CIRCULÈIRE Founding Members and public audience, where the overall findings of the TWGs will be presented Thematic Working Group Panel Member Expressions of Interest IMR, on behalf of CIRCULÉIRE, invites expressions of interest for the 2021 Thematic Working Groups up until midnight, May 11th . You will find more details about the Panel Members’ role and CIRCULÉIRE’s industry-oriented Thematic Working in t his background document. Please use the links below to submit your expressions of interest: Click here to apply to join the Circular Plastics TWG Click here to apply to join the Circular Design & Redesign TWG IMR Contact Person: Sophie Reynolds, Technologist – Circular Economy E: sophie.reynolds@imr .ie

On June 1st, CIRCULÉIRE collaborated with Holland Circular Hotspot and the Netherlands Embassy in Dublin to organise a webinar on circular opportunities for the Irish Construction & Demolition Sector. We want to thank our great line-up of speakers from great organisations that agreed to participate in this webinar namely: · Wytze Kuijper, Cirkelstad · Otto Friebel, BRBS · Ton van der Giessen, Van Werven - Infra & Recycling · Micheál Keohane, BAM Ireland · Brian Kennedy, Vision-Built · Patrick Barry, Irish Green Building Council The recording of the webinar is now available on youtube at this link . Stay tuned on our events page for more information on future webinars and conferences!