Circwaste – Towards Circular Economy

Solutions for the circular economy

Project duration

1.10.2016. – 31.12.2023

Source of funding

EU Life IP, Sitra, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Total funding

18 521 507 €

Circwaste – Towards Circular Economy is a seven-year project that receives its primary funding from the EU LIFE IP programme and consists of 19 subprojects. The project is coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The project seeks to find solutions for more efficient utilization of municipal and industrial waste, industrial by-products, construction waste and soils as well as surplus food.

Turku University of Applied Sciences participates in the following subprojects:

C2 Circular Economy Service Centre

Turku University of Applied Sciences is involved in the implementation of the following Support services for resource efficiency work packages:

Support service for public procurements

The work package promotes resource-efficient public procurements. The circular economy service centre serves both public and private actors nationwide, especially providing assistance in how the goals and criteria of circular economy can be benefited in public procurements. The support service for public procurements communicates about good circular economy procurements both nationally and internationally.

Support service for recognizing funding opportunities in circular economy

The circular economy service centre wants to inform actors within circular economy about ongoing funding opportunities. The support services collect funding calls and inform the actors about these.

Support services for industrial symbioses

The circular economy service centre monitors the development of Materiaalitori, the national waste and sidestream data platform, piloting it as well. Additionally, new forms for establishing industrial symbioses are searched.

Regional educational services for the use of tools

Turku University of Applied Sciences organizes training in the implementation of the tools created by the circular economy service centre. The trainings may be events, webinars, podcasts or publications, depending on what is needed.

Facilitating the creation of circular economy road maps on a regional and municipal scale

Updating the regional circular economy road maps, created in the pioneering municipalities, is now relevant. Turku University of Applied Sciences participates in the updating work by facilitating road map workshops according to the region’s wishes and needs.

C.2.7 Promotion of reused textile materials via public procurement criteria

Turku UAS wants to conduct a new activity in the Circwaste-project by focusing on the promotion of the use of recycled textile materials via public procurement criteria. For the procurers to include the criteria to the call of tenders, the dialogue between the procurers and markets is a prerequisite. Turku UAS will act as a facilitator and open and strengthen the dialogue between the public procurers and markets and include dialogue within the whole ecosystem of textile (recycling) companies. Cooperation will be promoted with Keino and Hankinta-Suomi, who both are forerunners within public procurements in Finland.

C. 2.8 KIELO – effortless waste material sorting for consumers

KIELO is a mobile application, which aims to promote recycling by providing waste sorting knowledge to consumers in a compact and understandable format. KIELO will be developed within the Circwaste project. Link to the promotion video: https://vimeo.com/685143695.

C.2.9 Resource efficiency and climate impacts of public art

To assess the carbon footprint of art, artists need tools for evaluating their own production. This need is emerging into planning of the art, as it may be a criterion for funding and public procurement. A proper carbon footprint study could help artists to see which processes and materials are the most emission intensive and how the climate impact could be reduced. The current challenge is that artists lack the expertise for emission calculations and how it relates to their work. For this reason, Turku UAS has developed an easy-to-use carbon diary for artists.

A3 New farm-sized biogas plants

The aim of the TUAS subproject is to support the establishment of farm-scale biogas plants on a specified region.

The subproject implements the following measures:
• engaging the interest groups
• training and individual support
• trial run on the substrates
• feasibility analyses
• communications

The subproject A3 ended 31.12.2020.