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CIRCULÉIRE is thrilled to have been part of the successful bid to host the 2023 circular economy innovation hotspot event in Dublin. The consortia was led by the The Rediscovery Centre in collaboration with Dublin City Council, the Eastern Midlands Waste Management Region and CIRCULÉIRE with support from over thirty organizations from government department and agencies to industry, academia and the not for profit sector alike. For the first time ever, there will be an event in Latin America, in Africa and in Europe; each one fine-tuned to suit its region dynamics. The jury noticed that there is a specific and rather unique momentum for CE in every continent and on November 17th, at the Catalonia Circular Hotspot Event 2021, they announced the 2023 CE Hotspot event will take place in Nigeria , Ireland , and Chile . Dublin circular hotspot 2023 is going to be epic! Read more about the announcement here . About CIRCULÉIRE CIRCULÉIRE is Ireland's first dedicated EU Hotspot for the circular economy part of the Holland Circular Hotspot global network and 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 .

Our conference reinforced how circular economy is a key tool in Ireland’s decarbonization strategy On the 24th of November 2021, CIRCULÉIRE held its annual conference “Accelerating the transition to a Circular Economy” as part of the National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Expo at RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin. The half-day event reinforced how circular economy is a key tool in Ireland’s decarbonisation strategy. CIRCULÉIRE’s strategic partners and network members shared insights into how they are embedding circular economy principles into policy-making and putting it into practice in their organizations. The conference was structured around three themes: The Circular Economy Policy Landscape post COP26; Industry Perspectives on Circular Drivers, Challenges and Opportunities and Circular Innovation Insights. Maurice O’Connell, Chief Operating Officer at Irish Manufacturing Research - CIRCULÉIRE’s secretariat - opened the event acknowledging the circular economy challenge and how CIRCULÉIRE’s network members are visionary for embracing this path: “Closing the circularity gap c. €2bn annual prize is easy to say but it needs coordination. CIRCULÉIRE is seeking to build knowledge and capacity as well as address circular economy implementation gaps, not just conversations but practical implementation”, said Maurice. “It is very easy to wait for legislation regulation, but our industry members are pioneers, and they are doing the hard job. These companies are actively trying to change their business not because they have to do it, but because they believe it is the right thing to do. We are delighted to work with them” - Maurice O’Connell, COO, IMR. Below are some highlights from the discussion from our conference and you can also watch the conference recording on IMR’s Youtube channel. https://youtu.be/qh10-qv4rPE Theme 1: The Circular Economy Policy Landscape post COP26 Leslie Carberry, Principle Officer who heads up the Circular Economy Unit in the Department for the Environment, Climate Action and Communications (DECC) opened up the discussion with his presentation on “Making Ireland’s Circular Economy transition happen ” and highlighted the Government of Ireland’s commitment to this agenda: A Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy (due to be published in the coming weeks) and is a key deliverable of the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy (2020) which will seek to set the trajectory for Ireland’s transition towards circularity and ambition to have circular economy embedded systemically in our economy by 2030. Moreover, the Circular Economy Bill which was announced earlier this year (2021) and is currently being drafted by the Department for Environment, Climate and Communications and going through pre-legislative scrutiny. The Circular Economy bill will a provide legislative basis for the circular economy strategy which is important because once the bill is enacted, the government will be under a legal obligation to have a circular economy policy in place. Leslie Carberry also highlighted that the transition to circularity has environmental, economic, and strategic imperatives: “As we look towards the next decade and beyond that, one of the challenges for companies but also countries will be competition for an increasingly scarce amount of raw materials. So being able to adapt to the circular economy, being able to close material loops, relying on shorter, more sustainable supply chains is not just an environmental issue. It is not just an economic issue, but it is also a strategic issue. And those companies and businesses that can adopt a circular economy and will have a competitive advantage in the years to come” - Leslie Carberry, Principle Officer, DECC. Next up was Mary Frances Rochford, Programme Manager of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who presented an “Overview of the EPA’s Circular Economy Programme” where she highlighted the waste challenges Ireland has encountered over the last two decades and noted the shift from a focus on landfill, incineration and recycling as the dominant waste treatment processes to circular economy principles – emphasising waste prevention and the overall shift from waste management to resource management: “We will reconfigure the existing National Waste Prevention Programme to make it Ireland’s Circular Economy Programme, Led by the EPA, it will have a designated coordinating role to support the Department’s Circular Economy Unit in overseeing national, regional and local activities to improve coherence and alignment of national and local activities and ensure maximum impact” - Mary Frances Rochford, Programme Manager, EPA. The third keynote in this panel was Dr Andy Kerr, UK & Ireland Lead for EIT Climate-KIC who shared his experience from EIT Climate-KIC’s work across Europe to “Build the enabling conditions for the circular economy to thrive highlighting that a portfolio of interventions is needed to support the transition to circularity: “Our approach to this model for circular economy for materials is very much about using a portfolio of interventions across the globe of relevant levers of change for that particular system to drive change. And these then are thinking about how do we build new markets? How do we create the new business models, the new funding and finance models and create new industrial value chains, that localised value within Ireland, so that we can actually capture the economic benefits of doing this whole change? And at the same time on the social side, the just transition side, we are working on how to ensure that those people who are economically dependent on fossil fuel and fossil fuel supply chains are supported to transition away from that...” - Andy Kerr, UK & Ireland Lead, EIT Climate KIC. Theme 2: Circular Drivers, Challenges & Opportunities: Industry Perspectives CIRCULÉIRE’s Network Industry Members from the pharmaceutical (Hovione), food (Dawn Meats) and consumer electronics (WEEE Ireland and The Zeronet) reflected on the circular drivers, barriers, and opportunities they are encountering on their journey from linear to circular economy models. Austin Geraghty​, Global Health, Safety & Sustainability Snr Director of Hovione reflected on “Hovione’s Sustainability Journey and the Challenge of the Circular Economy”, the role of carbon foot printing and waste and carbon reduction target setting. Austin emphasised the complexities associated with implementing circularity in the pharmaceutical sector given the new capabilities for example to re-use solvents and associated regulatory and supply-chain challenges which need to be overcome: “Circular economy is complex. For Hovione, it is about processing markets and regulations. Embedding this requires internally and externally in alignments and that takes time” - Austin Geraghty​, Hovione. Brian Cloonan, General Manager, Western Proteins & By products recovery, Dawn Meats spoke about Sustainability and Circular Economy “Opportunities and Challenges” in the context Agri-Food sector and highlighted the need for proactive thinking to enable the better utilisation of resources to shift from linear models to circularity: “Dawn Meats joined CIRCULEIRE to help and participate in the structuring of a framework for Circular Manufacturing. We hope this model can inspire other companies to adopt circular economy to their business <…>. We all are aware of the commitment made during CO26 and this is the challenges we face together” - Brian Cloonan, General Manager, Dawn Meats. Brian Cloonan also briefly introduced Dawn Meats’ “SUCCESS” project (funded by the CIRCULÉIRE 2021 Innovation Fund) which recently kicked off with the aim to demonstrate a better and more constructive utilisation of waste animal by-products (to deliver the energy demands of the core business and enable trace element recovery) in collaboration with BHSL and the University of Limerick. Elizabeth O’Reilly​, Head of Environmental Compliance & Membership​, WEEE Ireland reflected on “Circular Opportunities in meeting the E-Waste challenge” and highlighted the fact that tackling the e-waste challenge requires an #allactorsapproach (a phrase coined by the WEEEForum) – ranging from producers, retailers, en-users, recyclers, producer responsibility organisations, local authorities, brokers, scrap dealers, reuse organisations, repair organisations, enforcement authorities and to Environmental Protection Agencies. “The challenge we face dealing with industry e-waste is immense, so we cannot do it alone. WEEE Ireland, industry members, importers and supply-chain need to work together, it is our responsibility. As a member of CIRCULÉIRE, we need to show what we are doing to reduce our carbon footprint” - Elizabeth O’Reilly​, Head of Environmental Compliance & Membership​, WEEE Ireland. Elizabeth O’Reilly also provided an overview of the support from CIRCULÉIRE to develop WEEE Ireland’s circular economy vision and strategy and how they are transitioning from a recycling EPR Scheme to a Circular Economy Scheme. Paul McSweeney​, Founder & CEO​ of The ZeroNet ​​ spoke about how “The circular economy needs a whole new operating system” and introduced The ZeroNet. Paul highlighted that circular logistics are different to reverse logistics and the ZeroNet’s USP is about enabling convenient take-back from household doorsteps which enables greater re-use, repair, and higher quality recycling. “From our perspective, there is no such thing as waste, only ‘scattered inventory’. The ZeroNet is the first holistically designed circular logistics operating system dedicated to the creation, deployment and scaling of zero-wate and ultimately circular forms of consumption” - Paul McSweeney​, Founder & CEO, The ZeroNet. Theme 3: Circular Innovation Insights from the CIRCULÉIRE Delivery Team in IMR CIRCULÉIRE’s team and IMR’s specialists shared circular innovation insights from CIRCULÉIRE’s own work as well as how we leverage opportunities from complementary research & innovation projects. Sophie Reynolds​, Circular Economy Technologist​, IMR , reflected on “Circular Innovation Opportunities & Sectoral Best Practice” emerging from CIRCULÉIRE’s 2021 Thematic Working Groups on Circular Packaging & Reusables, Circular Plastics and Circular Design as well providing a sneak preview of the insights from CIRCULÉIRE’s forthcoming sectoral guide series – ranging from circular business models to circular processes and circular materials – which will be kicking off with a focus on the Construction Sector and followed by guides related to the Food and Drinks; Agri-Food and Circular Bioeconomy; Fashion and Textiles; Electronics and Circular ICT. Dr Mohamed Abokersh​, Senior Circular Economy Researcher, IMR , introduced “CIRCULÉIRE’s Circular Maturity Toolkit” which an online self-assessment tool developed by IMR for industry to help companies understand the steps and internal capabilities required to transition from a linear to a circular business model. CIRCULÉIRE’s Maturity Assessment is a simple but powerful online tool that enables businesses to explore 5 key capabilities (Strategy, Culture, Collaboration, Innovation & Circularity) necessary to transition to a circular business model and provides insights into how to improve your circular economy performance. Key benefits of the tool highlighted were: creating a baseline of circular maturity, benchmarking performance, gaining recommendations for improving circularity and developing a shared language and dialogue around what circular economy means for your business. This online toolkit was launched to market during the 2021 Manufacturing & Supply-Chain Expo which took place over the 23rd-24th November 2021. Dr Damian Coughlan​, Senior Circular Economy Researcher, IMR, spoke about “ CircThread : Building the digital thread for the Circular Economy” which is a Horizon 2020 funded project with the aim of developing an open-source digital platform that makes it possible for manufacturing companies to collect, utilize and securely share data about the different phases of a product’s full life cycle focused on the White Goods sector.The CircThread consortium encompasses 31 partners from 12 European countries with €9M in funding over 4 years. The CircThread project will develop 3 pilot programs in Slovenia, Spain, and Italy. Wrapping up the conference, Dr Geraldine Brennan, CIRCULÉIRE’s Lead and Head of Circular Economy at IMR provided an overview of the keyways CIRCULÉIRE supports industry to transition to a net-zero circular economy – namely through Awareness Raising, Knowledge Sharing (Annual Thematic Working Groups) & Policy Engagement (Townhalls on Public Consultations like the All of Government Circular Economy Strategy and support to engage with Sectoral Roadmap Implementation), Capacity Building, Demonstrators & New Ventures (ring-fenced Innovation Fund), Ecosystem Collaboration (DECC Waste Advisory Group; NSAI/ISO Circular Economy Working Groups, OECD Policy Dialogues and as Ireland’s first dedicated EU Circular Economy Hotspot). If you want to know more about CIRCULÉIRE and how we can support your organisation capture circular advantage, please contact us: circuleire@imr.ie . In case you missed it, you still have the chance to watch the recording of CIRCULÉIRE’s 2021 Circular Economy Conference here. About CIRCULÉIRE CIRCULÉIRE is Ireland's first dedicated EU Hotspot for the circular economy part of the Holland Circular Hotspot global network and 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 .

TerraCycle’s CEO and founder will talk about eliminating waste through circularity We are delighted to announce that Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle, is the key-note for CIRCULÉIRE's 2021 Circular Economy Lecture (virtual) on Monday, December 6th, 2021, from 4 - 5 pm (Irish Time). TerraCycle is a private US-based business headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey, that operates in 21 countries, turning non-recyclable pre-consumer and post-consumer waste into raw material to be used in new products. During this one-hour fireside chat we will explore some of the challenges TerraCycle has encountered on their journey to eliminate waste and how they have overcome them to scale circular economy models around the world - most notably with their rollout of Loop - an FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) refillable packaging system. Join us to be inspired and learn from one of the leading global entrepreneurs of the circular economy and hear as Tom brings to life the vast array of recycling and redesign projects that TerraCycle & Loop Store has implemented over the last two decades. Register Here Terracycle TerraCycle works with some of the world’s largest brands, retailers, and manufacturers to create national platforms to recycle products and packaging that currently go to landfill or incineration. In May 2019, TerraCycle launched Loop, a circular reuse platform that enables consumers to purchase products in durable, reusable packaging. Loop is available in France, the UK, Canada, Japan and the 48 contiguous U.S. states, and is a key step in helping to end the epidemic of waste that is caused by 'single-use' consumption. In 2022, Loop will become available in Australia. Tom and TerraCycle have received hundreds of social, environmental, and business awards and recognition from a range of organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Schwab Foundation, Fortune Magazine, Time Magazine and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 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 .

Check out the highlights and recording from our 2021 fireside chat with TerraCycle/Loop’s CEO On the 6th December 2021, we hosted virtually Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle / Loop , as the keynote for CIRCULÉIRE's 2021 Public Circular Economy Lecture . During this one-hour fireside chat, Tom was interviewed by Dr Geraldine Brennan, CIRCULÉIRE Lead and Head of Circular Economy at Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) to explore some of the challenges TerraCycle has encountered on their twenty-year journey to eliminate waste and learn from their vast experience. Creation of TerraCycle TerraCycle can collect and recycle “almost any form of waste,” but what were the motivations that inspired Tom to create the company that operates now in 21 countries? As he told CIRCULÉIRE, something sparked him in his first year of university. “ I was told the purpose of business is to maximize profit to shareholders. I didn’t like this answer. I see profit more as an indicator of health. But it is not the purpose. I believe we don’t live on this planet to be healthy; we live in it to make it better. And if we are healthy, we will do that for a long time, and if we are not, for less time”. Tom’s deep fascination with waste brought him to reflect on the business behind this sector. “Waste is a very big problem, so it is very purposeful to solve it. This field, with so many anomalies, is the best playground for innovation. We live in a materialistic world where our status is equal to how much stuff we have. But it’s interesting that everything we own will legally be the property of a garbage company one day”. Tom also shared his realization that it would be tough to eliminate the idea of waste if TerraCycle were a product company, so they restarted their business. “Even if we make our product out of garbage, which was the case of the liquefied worm poop packaged in reused soda bottles, the product would be the business’ hero. We would always look for the best materials in the garbage to use it so dirty diapers and cigarettes would still never be recycled. We wanted to eliminate the idea of waste ”, he explained. Consumer Journeys Years ago, reuse used to be the way society worked: from fixing shoes and clothes to bottles of glass from the milkman all over the world. Why has disposability become the way we deal with products nowadays? According to Tom, the benefits must be acknowledged. “Disposability is unbelievably convenient and affordable. And it gives you range. In the milkman model, how many types of milk could you order? Maybe one or two. But now you go to the supermarket, and you can see such a variety. Range, affordability, and convenience are things we advocated for. It’s important to not just vilify the disposability, although we know the issues, but to honour those benefits because that’s what you have to compete with on reuse”, he said. And as TerraCycle’s CEO observed, as consumers, if we thought more about how powerful our decisions are, we would understand better how we can collaborate to a world more sustainable and circular. “We are all citizens, so we are voting mostly blind for the future with our purchase, which I think is way more important than the political vote. The brands and the retailers are all here to serve our desires. Let’s think about the baby food industry, for example. Most of it is being sold in pouches because is more convenient. If I am brand A and you are brand B and I decide to move back to the glass jars, but consumers don’t buy it because the pouches from brand B are more convenient, then I will disappear. So, it’s important that we open our eyes to the way we purchase and influence organizations to do as much as they possibly can to make choices available”. According to a report from the Institute for European Environmental Policy , if everyone in the world wanted to consume in the same way as Europeans by 2050, we would need a number of natural resources equivalent to three Earths. “There is this long-going conversation about responsibility, and everybody loves to point to everyone else that is not oneself. I think we can all agree that we are in an urgent crisis from an environmental stand of point. We are in the middle of the explosion: climate change, species reduction, deforestation, the waste crisis… So, we don’t have the luxury of time. If we had it, maybe we could have this conversation. We all must do whatever we can”, urged Tom. Business Journeys In 20 years of existence, TerraCycle has worked with lots of companies and organizations to help them in their circular economy and sustainability journey. That experience brought valuable lessons Tom shared with CIRCULÉIRE and the participants of our Annual Lecture. “Besides the public opinion and legislation, for example, there is a big incentive for companies and stakeholders to go green, which is: make people prefer your products, or brand, over the competition. And if this incentive is your recycling program, then that may help the brand strategy. Because the bigger the recycling program is, the more money is needed and the way you deploy more money is showing how it is a good investment”. As the CEO added, manufacturing industries usually develop momentum through the recycling path where they soon learn that they can do the job themselves. But the journey tends to it always start with the financial driver. “They hire us, and they now are paying, voluntarily for something they were not putting any dollar investment before into the end of the life of the product. And that starts to create motivation inside of the organization to think about how to solve this financial opportunity. Instead of paying for a recycling program to take care of their waste, they can design new methods of consumption, like reusables, for example. Instead of relying on waste management, they can change the landscape themselves”. Enabling and encouraging businesses to tackle their waste themselves does not confront TerraCycle’s business. As Szaky reflected, TerraCycle’s first question is –“Can you design your product so it can be managed through local recycling programmes where you don’t need us?”. TerraCycle is always evolving – enter LOOP & Diagnostics TerraCycle has three major divisions with an emerging one, as Tom announced. The first one, waste management asks the main question: “Is the object recyclable?”. The second focuses on helping companies to integrate waste back into their products whether they are made from unique materials like polycarbonate, triton, Methacrylate Butadiene Styrene (MBS); or traditional materials like aluminium, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) sourced from unique places like the bottom of oceans or rivers or even aboriginal communities in the cities. The third division is Loop. “Loop is shifting from disposable consumption to reuse-based consumption. Perhaps this is the best thing to do: collect recyclable materials and reuse them in the new products or packages. This is circular economy. Some examples of this process are the reusable stainless steel that contains the ice cream you can buy on the supermarkets or coffee cups from fast-food franchises that can be reused”. And for the next year, they plan to lunch a diagnostic division that concentrates on the thesis that certain waste trims carry diagnosable samples. “Your air conditioning filter while is there to filter mold and mild on your air can also give you information. Is anybody thinking of analyzing that to understand what your air is like? Or instead of recycling your kid’s diaper, you will be able to send it to us to analyze your kids’ gut health, for example, among other possibilities”. In Summary… Tom wrapped up CIRCULÉIRE’s 2021 Public Lecture with the followingtake-aways - which according to him, can be implemented by anyone, professionally or personally: Consumption is the ‘Elephant in the Room’: “Spend some time addressing the white elephant in the room. The only solution to sustainability will be a reduction in consumption. And it’s hard to address it because our entire system is tied up in “we are better if we buy more”, individually or from a country level in the tax revenue and the size of the economy, for example.” Embed Circularity/Sustainability into Core Strategy: “The most important thing I’ve learned in implementing and scaling sustainability concepts is to make sure that concept reinforces the organization’s core purpose of being. The more it reinforces it, the more security you develop that will scale without the right actors needed to be there. If the stakeholders say, ‘We will do this because it’s the right thing to do’, that’s a bad sign and they haven’t figured out other reason to do it other than moral or ethical imperative. And that will depend on that stakeholder being there and will probably not scale.” Prioritise Understanding Drivers of Behaviour & Solving Pain Points : “ Accept motivations and the way people and organizations are as the way chess pieces in a chessboard move. Like I mentioned, consumers are self-oriented in their decision-making. If you know the way the pieces move, you have more chances of winning instead of hoping for them to move in the way you’d like them to move.” 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 was heard during the bill discussion in Oireachtas on October 21st Circular Economy Bill – The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action On the 16th December 2021, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action published its recommendations for the Circular Economy Bill following pre-legislative scrutiny. The Committee invited a broad range of stakeholder’s to give written evidence (see Appendix 3) and verbal evidence on the General Scheme, which CIRCULÉIRE participated on 21st October  in Leinster House. “The Government’s ambition to transition to a circular economy and ambition to become a leader in Europe by 2030 is matched by the willingness of industry to engage in the transformation journey. Our members in CIRCULÉIRE welcome the development of a supportive and enabling environment to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Ireland ”, highlighted Dr. Geraldine Brennan during the session. According to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications , following consideration of the recommendations of the Committee, the Minister intends to proceed with the publication of the Bill early in 2022. 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 .

Circular Europe Days will take place on 17th and 18th of January during Dubai Expo Global Goals Week CIRCULÉIRE will be represented by its Industry Member TheZeroNet during the Circular Europe Days in Dubai. The event will take place on the 17th and 18th of January 2022 during the Dubai Expo Global Goals Week , which coincides with the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week . During the Circular Europe Days, the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform’s (EUCESP) Coordination Group members will showcase the work done by their Leadership Groups. TheZeroNet will join the Irish Pavilion showcasing how its technology enables circularity and providing an overview of the CIRCULÉIRE innovation network. The presentation will take place on January 18th, 11am to 3:30pm (Irish Time), and the public will have the opportunity to participate online by registering here . The Dubai Expo Global Goals Week aims to unite businesses worldwide and urge further action towards a sustainable and inclusive future. The event is an opportunity to display what Europe has to offer in the field of the circular economy and create an international space for front-running EU circular entrepreneurs. In addition to keynotes from around the world, there are multiple opportunities to network with circular leaders and entrepreneurs to explore collaboration opportunities – onsite during the Circular Economy Days (17th-18th) and virtually through the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)’s online matchmaking platform which will run from the 17th to the 22nd January. See the full agenda for the Irish Pavilion here: January 18th, 2022 – Circular Europe Day 2 11am to 1pm (GMT) – Matchmaking event. Register here. 1pm to 1:10pm – Ireland’s evolving circular economy policy landscape Video message from Government of Ireland (TBC) 1:10pm to 1:20pm – Ireland’s societal transition: Building circular economy communities Dr Sarah Miller, CEO, The Rediscovery Centre 1:20pm to 1:30pm – Scaling up circularity: The ZeroNet, a CIRCULÉIRE Industry Member Paul McSweeney,CEO – The ZeroNet 1:30pm to 1:40pm – Q&A with Sarah Miller and Paul McSweeney 1:40pm to 1:50pm – Closing remarks Ladeja Godina Košir, Circular Change Freek Van Eijk, Holland Circular Hotspot 1:50pm to 2pm – Closing message Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commission 2pm to 3:30pm – Closing reception with Irish folk music concert, Irish Pavilion About TheZeroNet The ZeroNet is the world's first cloud-based technology platform designed explicitly around the logistical requirements of the Circular Economy. This is arguably the most important sustainability movement in the world right now and one which is firmly linked to a zero-carbon, zero-waste, and resource-efficient future. 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 .

Five applications to the competitive 2022 Innovation Fund call were selected to receive grants for circular economy innovation projects. Updated on 27th June 2022: included information about the fifth project, C-SUP. CIRCULÉIRE is delighted to introduce the Innovation Fund Awardees for 2022. Following a very competitive round of submissions to the 2022 Innovation Fund call (which closed on 31st October 2021) and an international peer-review process the following four circular innovation projects have been awarded funding: Upcycled Insulation ( Cirtex ), Circular by Design ( DCCI ), Do More With Less ( Farrell Furniture ) MEDAL ( Offerre ), C-SUP ( Novelplast ). Now, these winners have the important mission of implementing the vanguard projects with the help of the grant given by CIRCULÉIRE’s platform. “Our 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. A key enabler of this is our ring-fenced innovation fund dedicated to catalysing and implementing circular economy innovation demonstration projects”, says Dr Geraldine Brennan, CIRCULÉIRE’s Lead and Head of Circular Economy at Irish Manufacturing Research. Check below for more details about 2022 CIRCULÉIRE’s Innovation Fund winner’s projects and click here to see all Innovation Fund Awardees from 2020 to 2022. Upcycled Insulation (2022) This 12-month project is led by CIRCULÉIRE Industry Member Cirtex in partnership with Interior Creations Ltd , Longford County Council , and Clare County Council . This project aims to address the issue of tonnes of mattresses, pillows, duvets, furniture, and post-production waste  like off-cuts end up being incinerated as Ireland has no answer to upcycling this end-of-life material. Cirtex Ltd is a new venture that can turn this soft padding material into insulation and other useful products which can be further upcycled when they reach their “End of Life”. Through this innovation project, the company will demonstrate, in collaboration with Clare and Longford Co. Councils, that these materials can be collected from the public in a clean and effective manner. “The grant from Circuleire was a phenomenal 'lift' to our start-up company. Our whole business model is focused on the circular economy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while providing economic benefits to all our stakeholders. What was once perceived as a waste problem has now been transformed into an upcycling solution”, Rick Earley, Cirtex’s CEO Circular by Design (2022) This 12-month project is led by CIRCULÉIRE Industry Member, the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) in partnership with National College of Art and Design (NCAD) . The global textiles and apparel industry is the joint third highest emitter of greenhouse gases globally and operates in an almost completely linear 'take-make-waste' system. To address this challenge, DCCI and the Creative Futures Academy (CFA) in NCAD have come together to design and launch ‘Circular By Design’, which will equip 7-10 Irish textiles and apparel businesses with the knowledge and skills needed to design materials, products and businesses for circularity “One of our aims is to support Ireland’s design sector to adopt innovative sustainable practices. The funding that has been awarded to us by CIRCULÉIRE will allow us, in partnership with NCAD, to design and deliver the Circular by Design programme. This first of its kind professional training programme will support textile and fashion designers, brands and manufacturers to make the transition to circular practices in every step of their design practice, value chain and business model”, Rosemary Steen, DCCI’s CEO Do more with Less (2022) This 12-month project is led by CIRCULÉIRE Founding Industry Member Farrel Furniture in partnership with Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT Letterfrack) and the Office of Public Works (OPW) to develop and implement a series of small-scale demonstrations of circularity within the public sector.  In the first stream of the project, obsolete office furniture, that would have been manufactured by Farrell in the mid-2000’s, will be taken back from the OPW, repaired or remanufactured, and then redistributed throughout the public sector. In the second stream, a series of classic chairs that are no longer manufactured will be studied and reverse engineered by GMIT to allow their repair and reuse. “On behalf of our consortia, we at Farrell are delighted to have been announced as one of the successful applicants of the 2022 innovation fund. This will enable us to extend the useful life of furniture and, we hope, inspire others in the industry, academia, and the public sector to rethink how we look at furniture”, Paul Farrell, joint CEO at Farrell Furniture MEDAL: MED Devices A new Life (2022) This 12-month project is led by CIRCULÉIRE Industry Member Offerre in partnership with Peregrine Technologies Ltd (also a CIRCULÉIRE Industry Member) and the University of Limerick . According to the consortia, several producers have discontinued take-back schemes of wearable medical devices because of cost reasons. This project expects to address consumer routines relating to disposal practices. The demonstrator model will assess automation solutions for cleaning and de-manufacturing and support the circular design of products and packaging. The system will provide a cloud-based platform allowing device consumers to interact with the producers of these devices.  “The CIRCULÉIRE innovation funding is most beneficial to accelerating the development of a regulated take-back system for used medical devices”, Dr John Carr, Managing Director at Offerre. C-SUP: Circularising Single-Use Plastic (2022) This is an 8-month project led by CIRCULÉIRE Industry Member, Novelplast Teoranta in partnership with NUI Galway , Technical University of the Shannon , Envetec Sustainability and the Connacht and the Ulster Regional Waste Office . This demonstration project seeks to speed up the circular evolution of Irish laboratories by demonstrating that single-use polypropylene (PP) labware could become a novel feedstock for Irish recyclers. “At Novelplast we are delighted to have been announced as a successful applicant to CIRCULÉIRE’s 2022 Innovation Fund. This project will enable laboratories across Ireland to substitute polypropylene tips made from fossil fuel, with ones made from polypropylene recycled in Ireland”, Neil Skeffington, CEO of Novelplast. 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 member participated at the Irish Pavilion during Dubai Expo Global Goals Week. Check the highlights. January was an important month with CIRCULÉIRE being represented by its Industry Member TheZeroNet in an international event: the Circular Europe Days in Dubai. Paul McSweeney, The ZeroNet’s CEO, delivered a speech about “Scaling up circularity”, introducing his company and CIRCULÉIRE’s work to the audience, which demonstrated its interest by the Q&A directed largely to him. “It was a brilliant opportunity to showcase our own work in developing and promoting the ZeroNet platform and we are extremely grateful to CIRCULÉIRE for giving us this great opportunity. The feedback and interest from many attendees have been universally positive", said McSweeney. The event took place on the 17th and 18th of January 2022 during the Dubai Expo Global Goals Week , which coincided with the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week . During the Circular Europe Days, the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform’s (EUCESP) Coordination Group members showed case the work done by their Leadership Groups. "Meeting with many of the members of the ECESP was an extraordinary experience. Showcasing the array of circular initiatives taking place in many partner countries was a terrific opportunity to understand the circular landscape - and challenges - that exist in accelerating the move to a circular economy in Europe”, added the ZeroNet CEO. Stepping into the global arena, the event showed Europe’s willingness to foster international cooperation. Five national European Pavilions —Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, Finland, and Poland —held high-level events on the opportunities and barriers to understanding successful European projects in the circular economy. The Circular Europe Days was open with a welcome speech by Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the European Commission. In his welcome speech in a video message , Timmermans said: “We must find a way to prosper together. This is precisely what the European Green Deal is about. The transition to the circular economy is at the heart of the European Green Deal to reach climate neutrality by 2050.” “Last year’s Circularity Gap Report showed that by doubling circularity we can shrink global greenhouse gas emissions by 39 per cent, and cut virgin resource use by 28 per cent in the next 10 years,” Timmermans added. “To get there, we need to profoundly change our production and consumption patterns and invest in the circular business models.” Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President for the European Commission, who delivered a welcome speech during the Circular Europe Days In Summary… This was an opportunity to network with many ECESP members: from the Netherlands, Slovenia, Norway, and Poland, for example. It was possible to gain an understanding of the circular economy landscape in partner countries. Explored synergies about how different partner projects could be leveraged in other EU nations. There was a joint statement from the EU delegation to “reflect their commitment to continue working together to harness the power of the circular economy” (see the complete statement in the first picture of this article). Did you miss out? No worries! We have you covered. If you want to learn more about the Circular Europe Days during the Dubai Expo, you can watch some presentations in the ECESP Circular Economy’s YouTube Channel here and read the Holland Circular Hotspot press release here . You can also check the findings of the Circularity Gap Report 2022, from Martijn Lopes Cardozo, Circle Economy CEO, presented at the Expo 2020 Dubai by clicking here . About TheZeroNet The ZeroNet is the world's first cloud-based technology platform designed explicitly around the logistical requirements of the Circular Economy. This is arguably the most important sustainability movement in the world right now and one which is firmly linked to a zero-carbon, zero-waste, and resource-efficient future. 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 .

Transition Year students learned about circularity through life-cycle analysis of a smartphone “Do you know what circular economy is?” followed by nods and curious eyes was how CIRCULÉIRE started its presentation as part of Engineers Week 2022. Later on during the workshop, students reflected on their smartphones and how they could redesign them considering the circular economy through a practical exercise using the principles of life-cycle analysis (LCA). LCA is a method used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product through its life cycle: extraction and processing of the raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, use, recycling, and disposal, for example. CIRCULÉIRE welcomed Transition Year students from St. Oliver’s Community College and Bush Post Primary School on the 2nd and 3rd of March. Furthermore, on March 9th, students from Clonaslee College also joined the activities at Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) Lab in Mullingar. Approximately 70 post-primary students (15-16 years old) and their respective teachers participated in the outreach programme. “We like to use smartphones as an example to talk about circular economy because usually young people are extremely connected to their device, but they don’t know or haven’t had the opportunity to consider the design and production processes before it comes to their hands or even what happens to their old phones when they buy a new one”, explains Dr Geraldine Brennan, CIRCULÉIRE’s Lead and IMR’s Head of Circular Economy. Students also had the chance to see 3D printing machines, collaborative robots, and experience virtual and augmented reality. “We really enjoyed the experience and some of our students chatting away about 3D printing and some of the robots on the bus on the way back to school. They gained a lot from the experience. It’s great to bring STEM to life and see its applications in person”, said James Madden, Science teacher at Clonaslee College. Outreach Activities CIRCULÉIRE in collaboration with IMR’s Outreach team have been working to reach out to students and talk about circular economy and its role in the transition towards a more sustainable world. Last year, students were introduced to the cutting-edge technologies that are being used in manufacturing. The group from Clonaslee College, for example, participated in an initiative during Science Week 2021, where they were invited to submit a video recording answering the question “ How could circular economy be implemented in your school?” . Due to COVID-19 restrictions, their opportunity to visit IMR’s Lab had to be delayed until March 9th 2022. “IMR’s outreach team aims to engage students from all backgrounds, in Manufacturing and STEM education programmes in order to increase awareness and improve knowledge of its role in our society”, says Isabel Meza, Outreach and Education Programme Lead. 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 .

We are looking for specialists in End of Waste, By-Products and Waste Licensing Pathfinders Deadline for applying is 27th April 2022 Click here for the scope of work and expected outputs Download the Excel Application Form Do you have a deep understanding of the Irish waste management and circular economy policy landscape, and a proven track record providing technical expertise to industry with successful End-of-Waste and By-Product applications and waste licensing compliance? Do you have demonstrated experience facilitating groups and successfully leading co-design and ideation workshops or events? If so, CIRCULÉIRE wants to hear from you. CIRCULÉIRE is requesting applications from suitably qualified ‘Expert Facilitators’ to lead its forthcoming Thematic Working Group on ‘End of Waste, By-products and Waste Licensing Pathfinders’ . Thematic Working Group (TWG) Process and Aims Each year for the duration of the programme, CIRCULÉIRE’s industry members vote on topics that they deem strategically important to enabling – or preventing - their transition to a circular economy. In 2022, End of Waste, By-Products and Waste Licensing was selected as the top priority topic for the network to run a Thematic Working Group. End-of-waste and by-product notifications are recognised as playing a key role in a circular economy. They do this by helping to establish a market for a wide range of secondary raw materials, improving resource management, encouraging symbiotic industrial practices, and preventing resources from being sent for disposal. By maintaining resource value within the economy, the successful application of end-of-waste and by-product status reduces the environmental impacts arising from waste disposal. Nevertheless, end-of-waste and by-product regulations are often poorly understood by certain sectors of Irish industry, which amongst other challenges, can result in poor engagement or unsuccessful applications. The aims of this TWG are thus as follows: Increase CIRCULÉIRE’s Industry Members’ knowledge and understanding of the EoW and By-products regulatory regime (particularly within the context of responsible innovation and circular economy); Clarify the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders within the wider regulatory regime , such as local authorities, the EPA, DAFM etc.; Co-produce high-quality thought leadership with input from the panel members and CIRCULÉIRE’s Industry Members aimed at advancing the Irish industry’s circular transition (proposing practical, actionable recommendations as appropriate); To design and deliver 2x Ideation Workshops where the working group identify a minimum of 5-10 innovations (both at industry-specific product and policy levels) that support a circular economy. Product innovations should be based on the nationally important waste or by-products clusters identified in advance by the Expert Facilitator and should demonstrate potential to reduce GHG and waste if diverted from disposal. For more details about the scope of work and expected outputs, please read this background document . Applicants must send this completed Excel Application Form to  circuleire@imr.ie by Wednesday, 27th of April (using the subject heading ‘Expert Facilitator application - ‘End of Waste, By-Products and Waste Licensing Pathfinders’). 2022 TWGs Indicative Dates Kicking off in late May 2022, this Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) will run until September (Q3-4), 2022 for a period of approximately 12- 16 weeks. All compliant tenders (please complete and submit accompanying Excel Application to aide evaluation) will be assessed against relevant knowledge and experience, and proposed approach to delivering the activities. This work has a maximum allowable budget of €20,000.00 ex. VAT. Indicative timeline for the Call for Proposal: Open questions from submitting parties closed 20th of April - find IMR's compiled Q&A document here Deadline for RFP submission to  circuleire@imr.ie : Wednesday, 27th of April (with completed Excel Sheet using subject heading ‘Expert Facilitator application - ‘End of Waste, By-products and Waste Licensing Pathfinders’) Interviews with shortlisted applicants: W/C 2nd May Communication of winning proposal(s): W/C 9th May Kick-Off Meeting with to Agree Timeline: W/C 16th May TWG commences: W/C 30th May IMR Contact Person: Sophie Reynolds, Circular Economy Technologist ( sophie.reynolds@imr.ie ). 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 Industry Representatives hold seats on the Steering Group alongside Strategic Partners We are delighted to announce CIRCULÉIRE’s 2022 Industry Representatives who took over from outgoing 2021 Representatives Austin Geraghty (Hovione), Elizabeth O’Reilly (WEEE Ireland) and Ian Ryan (Wyeth) on CIRCULÉIRE’s Steering Group as of March 30th to December 31st, 2022. As a public-private partnership, CIRCULÉIRE’s governance structure includes a Steering Group with IMR as secretary, permanent representation from its three strategic partners DECC, EPA and EIT Climate-KIC, as well as representatives from industry members who rotate annually. Network members are invited to put themselves forward for election or nominate a peer each year. Industry representatives play a crucial feedback role between CIRCULÉIRE’s 40 cross-sectoral Industry Members (who range from MNCs to SMEs to micro-enterprise) and the Strategic Partners - bringing industry’s perspectives to the table. A key focus of the 2022 Steering Group will be shaping the next phase of CIRCULÉIRE’s existence beyond its initial pilot phase running from 2020-2022. IMR, on behalf of CIRCULÉIRE, would like to extend our thanks to our outgoing 2021 Industry Representatives - Austin Geraghty (Hovione), Elizabeth O’Reilly (WEEE Ireland) and Ian Ryan (Wyeth) for their contributions to CIRCULÉIRE’s Steering Group over the last year and extend a very warm welcome to our four new incoming Industry Representatives. Meet our 2022 Industry Representatives and hear what they have to say about taking up their new roles: Fergus O’Sullivan , Plant Manager, Aryzta “CIRCULÉIRE supported us with circular economy workshops, establishing a baseline , and compiling carbon emission data. From my experience, I believe CIRCULÉIRE can help assist industry in Ireland to improve their environmental footprint and offer their expertise in carbon reporting and cost-saving projects”. Kevin Cronin , COO, Freefoam Plastics Ltd “I’m delighted to be one of the Industry Representatives for 2022. It’s an opportunity to learn more from the other members, support them with their endeavours, and, hopefully, help to shape the next phase of CIRCULÉIRE. Freefoam’s involvement with the platform has been hugely positive and we have learned a great deal from networking with like-minded people in other companies and across different industries”. Maria Couchman , Senior Market Advisor, Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) “I am delighted to represent the Design and Craft sector. We learn best through collaboration, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to share knowledge and help to progress circular manufacturing models that will benefit the wider industry and the environment through involvement with CIRCULÉIRE”. Neil Skeffington , CEO Novelplast “CIRCULÉIRE initiative is crucial to the progress of the circular economy in Ireland. Developing its role in the industry over the coming years is an exciting opportunity and one which we take seriously in Novelplast. Equally as important is to increase the membership numbers of CIRCULÉIRE, which will have an exponential effect on the efficacy of its role going forward”. 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 .

The event will take place on 25th and 26th May 2022, at RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin Note: Due to external circumstances, the 2022 National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference and Exhibition will now take place in RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin, not at Citywest Hotel as planned initially. CIRCULÉIRE is excited to be hosting a range of activities during the 2022 Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference and Exhibition taking place on the 25th and 26th of May 2022, at RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin. The 2022 Expo is free to attend, but you need to register: Register here for the 2022 Manufacturing Expo Join us to hear from our members/alumni of our Circular New Venture Programme, participate in a (free) Industry Stakeholder Workshop exploring the drivers and opportunities to embrace circularity; get a demo of our circular maturity self-assessment toolkit, interactive circular economy infographic and learn about how to develop a register of circular economy opportunities and circularity action plan from the CIRCULÉIRE delivery team. Check the agenda: Wednesday, 25th May 11:00 to 11:55 Circular Ventures: Drivers & Opportunities + Announcement of CIRCULÉIRE’s 2022 Circular Venture Cohort Panelists: Rick Earley, CEO, CirTex Vincent Farrelly, Founder, Niskus Biotec Sharon Barrington, General Manager, IFF Plastics 14:00 to 16:00 CIRCULÉIRE Industry Stakeholder Workshop: Supporting Industry to Embrace Circularity. This interactive workshop will unpack the enablers and barriers to Irish industry’s adoption of circularity. Registration details to follow. Register here for the Stakeholder Workshop 9:00 to 16:00 Visit IMR’s Exhibition Stand and learn about how CIRCULÉIRE can support your journey towards a circular business model through: demo of our circular maturity self-assessment (online) toolkit demo of our interactive circular economy (online) infographic overview of our circularity assessment and circular action plan offering Thursday, 26th May 10:00 to 14:00 CIRCULÉIRE Q2 (in-person) Network Meeting – Members Only 9:00 to 16:00 Visit IMR’s Exhibition Stand and learn about how CIRCULÉIRE can support your journey towards a circular business model through: demo of our circular maturity self-assessment (online) toolkit demo of our interactive circular economy (online) infographic overview of our circularity assessment and circular action plan offering 2022 Manufacturing & Supply Chain Awards - Closing Date 10th June 2022 CIRCULÉIRE are pleased to sponsor Ireland’s first “Circular Economy Leadership” award, a brand-new category at this year’s 2022 Manufacturing & Supply Chain Awards. The award seeks to recognize industry actors who are demonstrating sectoral leadership in transitioning their business or supply-chain(s) towards a circular economy model. Please note that the 2022 Manufacturing & Supply Chain Awards originally scheduled to coincide with the Manufacturing Expo have been postponed to later in the year – a new date and venue for the awards will be announced soon. However, rest assured that all the entries which have been submitted to date will still be valid. Please note that the application deadline has been extended to Friday 10th June 2022. Check also: Sustainable Manufacturer of the Year category . Read more here . 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 .