A garden party and conference to celebrate circularity… the Irish way

An ECESP delegation attended the Circularity Communicated Conference 2026 in Dublin on 30 September, along with the Circular Economy Garden Party hosted by ECESP Coordination Group the Rediscovery Centre the day before.

The conference is the first to be organised by the community-based circular.ie project. This initiative brings the circular economy closer to people by means of tips and tricks, practical information and local-level events. Communication is key, and the conference explored how they do it.

TAIEX EIR peer 2 peer tool: call for applications!

Public authorities face considerable challenges in fields such as the circular economy, waste management, green public procurement and eco-design. Advice from someone who knows what they are talking about can sometimes be really helpful.

The TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER programme is set up to facilitate just this type of assistance. It organises workshops where experts talk about what works in their administration and study visits enable administration staff to see how another Member State's administration tackles the same problems.

Advancing the circular city transition – C3 free advisory programmes: Call for applications

Led by the European Investment Bank and co-funded by the European Commission as part of the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative, the Circular City Centre - C3 offers EU cities and regions a practical opportunity to turn circular economy ambition into real strategies, impactful projects and quicker pathways to financing and implementation

Does your city or region need help turning circular ambitions into action? Then apply by 13 November!

A LIFE project designing a technology for reusing water in zoos

We are all aware of the need to use water sparingly. Still, some facilities need a lot of it – including zoos. This LIFE project is developing a way for zoos to reuse water safely.

Nine EU-funded projects focusing on making the textiles industry more circular

This CORDIS Results Pack shows how the EU is funding research and innovation to create a sustainable, climate-neutral and circular textile sector.

It showcases nine Horizon research projects focused on optimising resource use and minimising waste across the entire textile production and consumption cycle, from bio-based textile fibres to non-woven fabrics made of mycelium fibres!

OCEANZYME project: enzyme-based recycling of plastic waste found in deep-sea environments

Marine waste in deep-sea environments degrades sharply, making mechanical recycling difficult. The OCEANZYME project is investigating new enzyme-based recycling solutions. It aims to give value to marine litter collected by fishers and explore just how the resulting products can be used in sectors such as fisheries and aquaculture.

Circularity made easy: From consumer awareness to better everyday offers

Circular living should not depend on individual heroism. This workshop on 27 October will explore how businesses, policymakers and consumer organisations can make circular options simpler, more affordable and more attractive – shifting the focus from changing consumers to changing the systems and offers around them.

Join people from retail, consumer protection and regional transition initiatives to discuss how the better choice can become the easiest choice.

Just transition and wellbeing in Europe's circular economy

This workshop on 3 December will explore how Europe can accelerate a circular economy that is environmentally sustainable, socially just and centred on people’s wellbeing.

Through perspectives from policy, business, research and civil society, participants will discuss how circular economy initiatives can deliver environmental, social and economic benefits, and how different actors can ensure that no one is left behind in the transition.

Global Bioeconomy Summit 2026 

The Global Bioeconomy Summit 2026 will bring together leaders from policy, science, industry and civil society to explore how the bioeconomy can be scaled as a force for change. Taking place in Dublin on 20-21 October, it will highlight how bio-based solutions address pressing global crises, from food and energy security to health, biodiversity loss and climate resilience.

Don't miss the plenary session on Bioeconomy and multi-dimensional innovation – from discovery to scale, which will look at the guiding principles of bioeconomy innovation: circularity, employment, inclusion, nature- and climate-positive supply chains and the utilisation of sustainably available biomass.

Ship recycling lab: Transformation through innovation

Current methods of dealing with end-of-life ships are, to say the least, sub optimal. They cause injury and death to underpaid workers and harm the environment.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform is working to change this. During this in-person event on 14-15 October, participants will showcase and exchange ideas for good practices and strategies for ship demolition, design, waste management and material recovery.

Speeding up the circular transition of SMEs: Improving cooperation of support organisations

This interactive webinar on 26 October will bring together organisations that play a key role in supporting SMEs across Europe.

It will explore how support organisations can strengthen collaboration, share good practices, build synergies and enhance the impact of their services to accelerate SMEs' transition towards circular business models.

Residues to resources: Innovating high-value solutions from agri-food side-streams

What if agri-food by-products could help tackle plastic pollution, support food security and create new revenue streams for farmers? 

On 27-28 October, the AgriLoop project's final event will explore how agricultural and food processing side-streams can be transformed into high-value, sustainable solutions for the European Union and China.

re-VISION: Circular Cities Conference 2026 - Shaping urban transformation for resource resilience

What do circular cities need to really make an impact? What ideas can get us out of the endless discussion loop and into action? And how do big visions turn into real commitment?

This event organised by Berlin's Zero Waste Agency on 26 November will be looking to find answers to these questions!

Research and innovation projects supporting the Circular Economy Act - Focus area: waste electric and electronic equipment and recovery of critical raw materials

This report by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation is one of five looking at how R&I projects can contribute to the Circular Economy Act. They each have a different focus, from WEEE to extended producer responsibility, and this item has links to the others in the series. This report considers ways to foster the ideal conditions for secondary resource markets and increase the uptake of secondary raw materials across the EU.

Circularity Communicated, Moments that matter - Insights 2026

This report is part of the overarching project circular.ie and was presented during the inaugural conference 'Circularity Communicated' in Dublin, on 30 September.

It seeks to identify not only what the public knows about the circular economy, but also how awareness translates into understanding, trust, participation and behavioural change.

Sorting for Circularity: Project REWEAR  

Project REWEAR investigates rewear as a global practice of circularity.

This study by Circle Economy provides new data illustrating the multiple situations and tensions of rewear innovation and ecosystems. It looks at the state of play of rewear in Europe, Ghana and Pakistan, and examines the EU policies shaping used textile flows.

Capacity to recycle ships in the EU: Assessing state of play and future opportunities

With thousands of European-owned ships expected to reach the end of their lives in the coming years, the EU has an opportunity to strengthen its recycling industry, create jobs, recover valuable steel and reduce pollution. The report by NGO Shipbreaking Platform calls for a ban on beaching, stronger rules to hold shipowners accountable, and investment in safe recycling facilities in Europe.

Loopami: local communities for giving, lending and exchanging objects

Loopami is a Milan-based platform which creates local communities of people interested in sharing and reusing items. It's still in the testing phase, but the initiative reduces consumption and waste while also forging closer ties between neighbours. 

Association for Farmers Rights Defence (AFRD): making the most of agricultural residues

The AFRD in Georgia is working with farmers, researchers, innovators, SMEs and local communities to develop circular value chains. It works with different sources of agricultural biomass, including crop residues, pruning materials, livestock manure, and fruit and vegetable processing waste. These materials can be converted into biochar, compost, organic fertilisers, renewable energy, biodegradable products and other bio-based materials.

SYNCRETIX: helping organisations factor in circular principles   

Polish company SYNCRETIX assists organisations with designing and implementing environmental, social and governance changes, circular economy solutions and resilience strategies.

Their approach integrates circular economy principles across the entire lifecycle of products, buildings and urban systems while strengthening climate resilience, resource efficiency and long-term sustainability.

Action programme for Germany's National Circular Economy Strategy    

In June 2026, the German federal government adopted an action programme to accelerate the circular transition. Key points include a platform for finding partners for projects and mobilising private capital, giving recycled products priority in public procurement, and a new funding programme which will support innovative production processes, CRM recovery and digital applications from the end of 2026.

Funding: Calls for projects and proposals  

Here, you can find various calls for proposals and projects for which funding is available. The calls are published in our Financing section and will be removed once the deadline has passed.

For ease of reference, we will provide a list with brief descriptions and deadlines here!  

New Circularity Index (NCI)

The New Circularity Index scheme is a verification framework devised by Italian company ICMQ S.p.A. Società Benefit.

It is designed to measure and certify the circularity performance of products throughout their lifecycle. It assesses materials, energy, water and waste, evaluating the share of circular materials, renewable energy, recycled water and waste sent for recycling compared with the total resources used in production.

Circular public procurement: European Investment Bank guidance note   

This guidance note supports the integration of circular economy principles into procurement practices. 

It provides practical tools and examples covering everything from early planning and market engagement to tendering, contract management and performance monitoring.

From ambition to impact: Designing effective support measures for circular businesses. A policy guide for cities and regions

This guide from the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative provides practical guidance, steps and tools for cities and regions interested in designing, implementing and continuously improving effective support measures, using a systemic and ecosystem-based approach.

BECOME project: circular economy training materials

Erasmus+ project BECOME (Boosting Circular Economy Expertise through Learning Communities) has produced an educator's manual for teaching the circular economy and a set of worksheets that professionals can use to learn more about how the circular economy can be factored into their own working environment.

Sustainable packaging design in a circular economy

Interested in sustainable packaging design? This Massive Open Online Course will explain the strategies, principles and challenges.

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