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CIRCULÉIRE’s 2020 Thematic Working Group (TWG) Series is now live with our Circular Bioeconomy TWG kicking-off in mid-June chaired by IMR in collaboration with the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation. Our Industrial Symbiosis TWG will be launch in early July – in collaboration with International Synergies. Followed by our Circular Procurement TWG which will kick off in early August in collaboration with IDDEA.

The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2020 planned for Toronto was postponed by a year due to COVID-19 inspiring SITRA toorganise the first fully virtual event as part of the World Circular Economy Forum. WCEFonline will dive into why and how a circular economy can help reboot and build resilience in the economy. Sessions include presentations from the European Commission; World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBSCD), African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA), the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE) and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. See SITRA’s website to register for this must attend circular economy event of the year! Learn More

Green Enterprise: Innovation for a Circular Economy is an annual funding programme to support circular innovation projects demonstrating B2B and B2C circular solutions. The EPA are seeking applications aligned with their focus areas: Plastics; Construction & Demolition Waste; Food and Resources & Raw Materials (electrical & electronic equipment, textiles, furniture). This call closes on the 14th August 2020. Learn More

CIRCULÉIRE – The National Platform for Circular Manufacturing is the first national, cross-sectoral industry-led innovation network dedicated to accelerating the net-zero carbon circular economy in Ireland. IMR, CIRCULEIRE’s secretariat, would like to extend an invitation to interested organisations to join our 2020 Thematic Working Groups related to: Circular Bioeconomy, Industrial Symbiosis / Closed Loop Production, and Circular Procurement. Please note that the call for participation in CIRCULÉIRE’s 2020 Thematic Working Groups is now closed. Learn More

In this CIRCULÉIRE Policy Summary gain insights into: the evolution of the EU Circular Economy strategy from 2015-2020 and centrality to Europe’s COVID-19 recovery roadmap; the 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP 2.0) – new measures which seek to, by 2030, reduce the EU consumption footprint, double the EU’s circular material use rate while boosting economic growth; and the implications of CEAP 2.0 and circular opportunities for Ireland’s COVID-19 recovery. Learn More

The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action, the single biggest challenge facing humanity. The last four years were the four hottest on record, glaciers and ice sheets in polar and mountain regions are already melting faster than ever. We are hitting up against planetary boundaries and the urgency to scale up action has never been greater. We have a narrowing window of just over a decade (by 2030) to implement radical reductions (45-50%) in global greenhouse gas emissions to stay below 1.5°C. We only have one Planet Earth – so how can we take positive steps towards reconfiguring our economies and scale solutions for sustainable production and consumption? The European Commission’s European Green Deal and recently launched Circular Economy Action Plan are causes for optimism. Irish Manufacturing Research is hosting an information sharing webinar and a Quiz on Wednesday 22nd April from 10:00 to 10:45 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. The webinar will give an overview of the current state of the environment and provide information on sustainable development goals (SDGs), changing climate, air quality, water quality, biodiversity, soil health, and the Circular Economy. Learn More

The National Standard Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is currently working with the ISO Technical Committee 323 to develop an international standard to implement circularity. Standardization in the field of Circular Economy seeks to develop frameworks, guidance, supporting tools and requirements for the implementation of activities of all involved organizations, to maximize the contribution of circularity to Sustainable Development. David McCormack IMR’s Director of Sustainable Manufacturing and Programme Director of CIRCULÉIRE has been appointed as the Chair of NSAI’s National Mirror Committee of the ISO Technical Committee 323 as of the 13th April 2020. Taking a leadership role in this NSAI / ISO process enables, IMR, as the secretariat of CIRCULÉIRE, to ensure that Irish industry can feed in both the challenges and opportunities they face as they seek to embed circularity in their business models. Learn More

The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) supports Irish industry to grow their exports to world markets. As part of their online webinar series on Green Supply Chains, Romain Couture, Circular Economy Researcher at IMR, discussed the importance of engaging in circular business models and capitalising on the opportunities that circularity represents for Ireland’s exporting businesses. Learn More

Dr Geraldine Brennan, Irish Manufacturing Research’s Circular Economy Lead has been invited to contribute to The Mint Magazine’s Special Issue on the Circular Economy (Issue 12 – Dec 2019). The Mint is an online magazine, established as a charity in 2016, dedicated to Promoting Economic Pluralism (PEP) and opening up economics education, research and application to a broader range of perspectives. Take a look at Dr Brennan’s guest article “Zero is Circular: A circular economy is starting to roll towards zero carbon in Ireland” which explores the “circular innovation gap” in Ireland, Interface Flor’s being ahead of their time with the Evergreen Lease Model for carpeting and that successfully scaling circular models comes down to a combination of timing – underpinned by technological advances and shifts in public policy, coupled with evolving norms and consumer acceptance of novel value propositions. Learn More

Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) announced CIRCULÉIRE – The National Platform for Circular Manufacturing at the 2020 National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition at Citywest Convention Centre, Dublin which showcases cutting-edge industrial research and development and related technologies and solutions. IMR gave two key notes on the circular economy opportunity for Ireland: “Closing the Circular Innovation Gap in Ireland” on the Manufacturing Mainstage on 29/01/2010, delivered Dr Geraldine Brennan, and on “The Circular Economy: Turning a manufacturing challenge into an opportunity” at the Sustainability Summit on 30/01/2020 delivered by Romain Couture. Learn More