circle

More and more consumers want to see a transition by companies and municipalities to a more resource-efficient and circular economy.

The CIRCLE project was a transnational project between four leader areas in Sweden, Luxembourg and Finland for the exchange of experiences on circular economy and environmentally friendly solutions between small and medium-sized enterprises and organizations.

Together, they wanted to arrange various activities to inspire entrepreneurs and organizations to step outside the box and think new ways to make their operations more resource-efficient and circular.

The project included three study trips to Sweden, Luxembourg and Finland with visits to companies working with circular solutions, presentations and workshops on the topic. Each country also held local workshops on circular economy and sustainable entrepreneurship, most of which were digital due to the current pandemic.

In Sweden there was also a collaboration with Miljöbron Skåne, where companies received concrete help with their sustainability work from students from Skåne universities. The project manager also participated in a stakeholder dialogue with the goal of developing a regional Skåne action plan for circular economy. An initiative in collaboration between Hållbar Utveckling Skåne and Region Skåne.

Finally, a 40-page, English-language inspiration folder was produced with experiences and good examples from the project.

The project increased participants' knowledge of circular economy and resource management. All practical examples showed how companies in different countries have concretely taken on the challenge of streamlining resource use, working towards sustainability and strengthening their economic prospects. In an evaluation, all participants responded that they had gained new insights. Almost all of them said that they could use one or more of the ideas they had received in their own businesses.

In Sweden, many new contacts were made between companies and individuals and the participants were introduced to a number of different actors, locally and nationally, who provide support in transition processes. Through the collaboration with Miljöbron Skåne, a number of companies received concrete help with their sustainability work and were able to begin implementing new strategies and solutions in their continued work.

Read the inspiration folder by clicking on the image below.

CIRCLE won the award for best rural project in the Sustainability & Environment category at the Skåne Leader Gala 2023.

The jury's motivation: The CIRCLE project has, by working with local companies nationally and internationally, shown that we face the same challenges and how we can jointly and locally try to solve them. Through the exchange of experience and learning examples about resource efficiency and innovations, the project has shown that small businesses can contribute to making society's functions increasingly sustainable and integrated into an increasingly circular economy.

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LEADER Southeast Skåne: A transition by companies and municipalities to a circular economy is what is required to meet today's climate challenges and is also desired by an increasing number of consumers. The project's efforts are contributing to more companies in southeast Skåne switching to a more circular economy.

Skåne Ace: A transnational project where sustainability is a central concept. The project gives local entrepreneurs the opportunity to exchange experiences about the circular economy with other entrepreneurs both locally and internationally and to gain ideas and knowledge about what can be done in the transition work for a more sustainable business. Sustainability is a strong concept in EU2020 and this project contributes to spreading knowledge about sustainability at the local level. The initiative fits well into Skåne's Ess strategy.