Up2Circ Academy
The concept of circular economy has so many facets. No matter if you are just curious what might be in it for your company or if you already have a concrete idea for a transition project in mind – we would like to invite you discover all the opportunities! With Up2Circ-Academy we aim to combine customised advisory services with open access to relevant expertise and knowledge.
Our customised advisory services follow a client-centric approach to identify the most promising circular innovation opportunities based on the needs of every individual SME. In our circularity assessment we capture specific information about your company’s economic background and sustainability measures implemented so far. This is completed with a feedback meeting, where Up2Circ-advisors give in-depth recommendations on opportunities for transition towards circular economy, focussing on concrete achievable measures suitable within the specific context of your company. Your Up2Circ-advisor will support you to develop a detailed action plan. Currently during our pilot run, Up2Circ customised advisory services are only available for SMEs from the 7 partner regions. From January 2024 on we will do our best to connect SMEs from all over Europe to Up2Circ multipliers from their region for customised advisory.
Already available now with open access is our online learning platform: If you want to understand how you can transition towards a circular economy, the Up2Circ Academy is for you. We have prepared 4 e-learning modules on:
In the introductory module you will learn about the concepts of the circular economy and about circular business models, their types and how to adopt them. We will discuss the opportunities and barriers in the transition to a more circular business model and provide many examples and case studies.
Circular business models do not operate in isolation. In the next module entitled CE strategies and social innovation, we will show how processes are designed to respect the environment and limited resources. The main strategies will be identified based on a circular economy approach and according to the ‘9Rs’ (refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, recover). The modules’ exceptionality lies in the methodological connection of social innovation and circular economy. At the end, you will be aware of your own companies’ consequences on the ecological and social environment. You will be able to identify crucial access points for a smooth transformation towards a more circular and social way of running a business.
Did you know that about 80% of the environmental footprint of a product is already determined during design phase? We need to rethink product design in a way that includes considering the environmental impact of products throughout their whole life-cycle and extends their lifetime. The objective of the next learning module is therefore to provide companies with efficient know-how on how to design circular products.
The topic of the last module is Transformation into circular processing. In its lessons, you will find an overview of the different methods and technologies that can enable companies to transform themselves towards circularity, enhance their processes and therefore unlock productivity, innovation and sustainability. The first section is dedicated to circular processes and different implementation approaches. In the second section, you will learn about the role that technologies can play as enablers of circularity and the best available technologies for circularity.