RESOURCE takeaways from the CCRI conference held in November
The 1st CCRI General Conference and 2nd Coordination and Support Workshop of the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (#CCRIeurope) was held on November 8-9, 2023, in the vibrant city of Brussels, while also offering an engaging online presence. Amidst this successful event, the Resource project, represented by one of its partners EBN, actively participated.
It was a place of dynamic discussions and collaborative efforts toward fostering circular economies in cities and regions across Europe as well as an inspiring platform that brought together innovative minds and stakeholders dedicated to advancing sustainability practices.
The discussions and workshops throughout the event developed pathways for effective coordination and support, empowering cities, and regions to embrace circular principles for a brighter, more sustainable future.
The conference featured multiple insights and discussions on:
- Driving Change: Benefits of Circular Economy
- Innovative Circular Systemic Solutions
- Mobilizing Key Stakeholders & Transforming Governance Models
- Financing Circular Systemic Solutions
- Coupling Circularity with Climate Action to Support the Green Transition
The workshops not only offered practical, hands-on training but also fostered valuable networking opportunities among CCRI partners, culminating in a dedicated session for making meaningful connections.
As an example, was the engaging and dynamic thematic working group focused on textiles. This session was aimed at inspiring participants and arming them with the tools to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities stemming from forthcoming EU legislation on textiles.
The event’s highlight was the insightful knowledge-sharing session, notably featuring the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam’s inspiring presentation on their innovative Textile strategy. Following that, an exploration into the endeavors of RREUSE – Reuse and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises expanded our understanding of the vast world of used clothing, bringing forth various socio-economic perspectives. The session wrapped up with a discussion involving the active participation of attendees.
EBN participated in the EU Industry Days 2023 to represent RESOURCE
EU Industry Days has brought together in Málaga (FYCMA – Trade Fairs and Congress Center) the leaders of the European industry to unlock the full potential of the Single Market, contribute to EU industrial policy, and foster innovation for a truly green, digital, and resilient EU industry.
RESOURCE project was represented by Bram Pauwels (CSO at EBN) at the three-day event. EBN and its pan-European innovation community of EU|BIC members set out to better support circular economy companies, startups, and SMEs to grow and get financed. As such, EBN was proud to promote RESOURCE and the impressive work done by the Government of Aragon in stimulating the growth of the circular economy in the region among the international audience of 1,800 registered participants from over 60+ countries.
EBN’s mission was to make innovation ecosystem stakeholders, institutions, and similar EU initiatives aware of the opportunities to invest in circular economy projects and develop innovative financing schemes to leverage private investment in Circular Economy (CE) projects.
RESOURCE was present at the on-site Matchmaking section of the event with flyers and the EBN representative.
Different matches were made with various stakeholders, ranging from entrepreneurship support organisations, regional development agencies, EU institutions and similar EU-funded projects on CE. EBN also took the opportunity to widen the awareness of RESOURCE together with ANCES (Asociación Nacional de CEEIs Españoles) that also participated in this event.
As a result, critical background information and studies were collected from EU Invest, and appointments are being followed up to arrange a presentation of RESOURCE in webinar and publication series (e.g. EU Clusters Talks, ReCreate dissemination materials).