Ecodesign as a Driver of Circular Economy 4.0 in the Baltic Sea Region

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Baltic Sea

Date of latest update: 2023-06-16

Description

Description (EN):

“The next big thing in design is circular design”. While this was 4 years ago when the regular EcoDesign Circle project was developed just an assumption today circular economy and (circular) design are widely discussed topics. The European Union and its Member States want to work towards a circular economy. Design plays a crucial role as fundament for it by reducing negative environmental impacts from the very beginning and enabling new business models. During the regular “EcoDesign Circle” project competences of designers and design centres were raised: The ecodesign methodology is comprehensive and directly applicable for the PRODUCT-level. But the regular project also revealed shortcomings: (1) More emphasis on SERVICES is needed that allows to establish necessary circular business models (e.g. carsharing). As services in a Circular Economy are closely linked to digital infrastructure (e.g. online platforms), opportunities for digital infrastructure need to be particularly considered. (2) In order to roll out our ecodesign offers we need more experts and trainers with “dual knowledge” both on design and circular economy / sustainability. (3) Policy and public need more awareness on ecodesign as it is an enabler for the transition from a linear to a circular economy. Therefore, this extension project “EcoDesign Circle 4.0” aims at increasing the capacity of designers and enterprises in developing SERVICE-based approaches for a circular economy. It produces the following main outputs: (1) Development and pilot of a “Ecodesign Toolset 4.0” for designing SERVICES that can be applied as “plugin module” for the created Ecodesign Learning Factory and Ecodesign Audit and Sprint consultancy offers from the regular project. (2) Provision of a “train the trainers package” which includes training events, a trainers' network and educational materials. These trainings will help to close the “dual knowledge” gap and will also consider the new “Ecodesign Toolset 4.0”. The extension project also aims at increasing awareness and know-how in public authorities on ecodesign as a core instrument in the transition to a circular economy. We want to attract new match funding resources for making ecodesign a key instrument in this process. For achieving this we develop a policy recommendation paper for policy decision makers by showcasing “design potentials” and outlining needs of supportive structures to push “sustainable design solutions”. All activities will be framed by communication measures based on a joint communication and marketing strategy that combines all outputs and experiences generated in the recent years. As customers of products and services are spread over borders, activities that foster a circular economy have to be international and require transnational cooperation. That’s why the partners of this extension project - including a Russian partner - are working together in order to create “the next big thing” - made in the BSR.

Achievements (EN):

Service and digitalisation in the spotlight: The EcoDesign Circle 4.0 project gathered design centres, design practitioners, research institutions and public authorities from Estonia, Finland, Germany, Poland, Russia and Sweden to apply methods and approaches to the development of circular business solutions in design. The main focus was on developing a service-minded approach and integrating digital technologies in circular business models. The project collected inspiring stories and business cases from different sectors to showcase concrete solutions. Thus, in clothing the partners introduced a digital platform as a service for material suppliers, sorters, recyclers and other users. While in electronics, the partner organisations created a platform for repair solutions for electrical devices. Find out more here. Training empowers to work sustainably: Besides, the project organised four transnational and two national train-the-trainers workshops for design agencies, service designers, innovation centers, SMEs and other experts from the design and sustainability fields. The focus of the training was on the development of a service approach, how to work sustainably and how to integrate digital technologies in processes. As regards the digital dimension in service offers development, the trainers referred to the emerging digital infrastructure such as web-based platforms, applications, internet of things, blockchain technologies, industry 4. 0. Besides, the focus of the trainings was adapted to the trainees´ needs. While design SMEs learned about the ecological aspects of design, the invited sustainability experts got a chance to better understand designers´ working methods. In addition, the training addressed even public authorities. It aimed to raise their awareness about the circular economy and how ecodesign can contribute to the transition from linear to a circular economy. A better understanding of ecodesign can trigger new funding schemes and resources for ecodesign start-ups. Transnational outreach matters: The material developed by the preceding project, specifically on audit-sprint approach for SMEs, was further transferred to such geographical areas as Germany and Russia. In Russia, the audit-sprint tool was applied in the wood processing industry and supported the ongoing national transformation to circular economy. In Germany, mutual learning was implemented through transnational pilots. A variety of stakeholders learnt - by observing or doing - how others applied a certain ecodesign approach and then adapted it to their own context in the next pilot. As an example, the team worked on a transnational pilot for a German enterprise in the shared mobility context with an Estonian-German trainer tandem. Besides, the project transferred best practices through sharing posts via social media, blogs and storytelling. As regards the storytelling, it comprised 36 interview-based cases as well as 8 success stories of the German Ecodesign Award. https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/ecodesign-circle-4-0/

Website: http://www.ecodesigncircle.eu

Delivered Outputs (EN): EcoDesign Service 4.0 Toolset Train-the-trainers package Pilots: Digital services for a Circular Economy “BSR EcoDesign Recommendations for Policy & Finance”

Thematic information

Clustering and economic cooperation

Specific Objective: ‘Non-technological innovation’: To advance the Baltic Sea Region performance in non-technological innovation based on increased capacity of innovation actors

Thematic Objective: (01) strengthening research, technological development and innovation by:

Investment Priority:

(01b) promoting business investment in R&I, developing links and synergies between enterprises, research and development centres and the higher education sector, in particular promoting investment in product and service development, technology transfer, social innovation, eco-innovation, public service applications, demand stimulation, networking, clusters and open innovation through smart specialisation, and supporting technological and applied research, pilot lines, early product validation actions, advanced manufacturing capabilities and first production, in particular in key enabling technologies and diffusion of general purpose technologies

Partners (8)

Lead Partner: Umweltbundesamt

Department: Section III 1.1 - General Aspects of Product-related Environmental Protection, Sustainable Consumption, Innovation Programme

Address: Woerlitzer Platz 1, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau, Germany

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en

Total budget: EUR 202 952.49

ERDF budget: EUR 152 214.36

Internationales Design Zentrum Berlin e.V. (IDZ)

Name: Internationales Design Zentrum Berlin e.V. (IDZ)

Address: Hagelberger Str. 52, 10965 Berlin, Germany

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.idz.de

Total budget: EUR 90 479.00

ERDF budget: EUR 67 859.25

Eesti Disainikeskus

Name: Eesti Disainikeskus

Address: Põhja puiestee 27A, 10415 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.disainikeskus.ee

Total budget: EUR 49 475.81

ERDF budget: EUR 42 054.43

Technische Universität Berlin

Name: Technische Universität Berlin

Department: Research Center for Microperipheric Technologies

Address: Straße des 17. Juni 135 , 10623 Berlin, Germany

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.tu-berlin.de

Total budget: EUR 105 065.00

ERDF budget: EUR 78 798.75

Suomen Taideteollisuusyhdistys - Konstflitföreningen i Finland ry / Design Forum Finland

Name: Suomen Taideteollisuusyhdistys - Konstflitföreningen i Finland ry / Design Forum Finland

Address: Unioninkatu 24, 00 130 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.designforum.fi

Total budget: EUR 84 500.00

ERDF budget: EUR 63 375.00

SVID, Stiftelsen Svensk Industridesign

Name: SVID, Stiftelsen Svensk Industridesign

Address: Svensksundsvägen 13, SE-111 49 Stockholm, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.svid.se

Total budget: EUR 84 600.00

ERDF budget: EUR 63 450.00

Pomorski Park Naukowo-Technologiczny Gdynia - jednostka budzetowa Gminy Miasta Gdyni

Name: Pomorski Park Naukowo-Technologiczny Gdynia - jednostka budzetowa Gminy Miasta Gdyni

Department: PPNT Gdynia | Design Centre

Address: Aleja Zwyciestwa 96/98, 81-451 Gdynia, Poland

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.ppnt.gdynia.pl

Total budget: EUR 53 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 45 050.00

ООО «Медина Арт»

Name: ООО «Медина Арт»

Address: Podvoyskogo street, 50-3-160, 193312 Saint Petersburg, Russia

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.medinaart.ru/eng/

Total budget: EUR 99 750.00

ENI budget: EUR 84 787.50

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Ecodesign as a Driver of Circular Economy 4.0 in the Baltic Sea Region

Project acronym: EcoDesign Circle 4.0

Project start date: 2019-08-01

Project end date: 2021-07-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 769 822.30

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 597 589.29

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 77.60%

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 512 801.79.
ENPI/ENI/NDICI: Amount, EUR 84 787.50.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

Ecodesign audit

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://circulardesign.tools/workshops/

Publication date: 2022-11-11

Document date: 2021-07-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Brochures / magazines / manuals

Speed up transition with circular design

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.ecodesigncircle.eu/

Publication date: 2022-11-13

Document date: 2021-05-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Presentations

Fairbnb

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Presentation

Data source: https://www.ecodesigncircle.eu/

Publication date: 2022-11-13

Document date: 2021-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Websites / webtools / webforums / cooperative platforms

Home - EcoDesign Circle

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Website / webtool / webforum / cooperative platform

Data source: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/ecodesign-circle-4-0/

Publication date: 2022-11-15

Document date: 2021-03-31

Languages: en

Attachment link: https://www.ecodesigncircle.eu/

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Baltic Sea

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-06-16

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

200 / 200 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

2 025 / 2 025 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.interreg-baltic.eu/home.html), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-30.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Ecodesign as a Driver of Circular Economy 4.0 in the Baltic Sea Region

Description

Thematic information

Partners (8)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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