In the CCC project kick-off event in Riga the six demo cities involved in the project – Aarhus, Gdynia, Kiel, Riga, Tallinn and Turku – presented their initial plans for activities during the project.
Bulky waste as a resource
In Gdynia the project is implemented by two partners – the Design Centre which represents the municipality and the association “Pomorskie in the European Union”.
Within the project the Design Centre plans to create a strategy and pilot a waste management program in Gdynia. This will be done by organizing a series of workshops and training sessions addressed at the design and business sector, and by organizing some educational activities involving the inhabitants of Gdynia.
The final goal of the project in Gdynia is to update the existing website for bulky waste management or to create a new website if it is necessary. Every phase of the project will be based on data collected from local research and listening to the experience of Gdynia’s citizens. The „givers” and „takers” of bulky waste will be mapped and effective cooperation between the public and business sectors will be initiated.
“Together with partners from the Baltic Sea Region, we will support and inspire each other in our pursuit of waste reduction, including bulky waste. Each one of us has a big role to play,” says the CCC project manager at Design Centre Natalia Kawczynska.
Testing CE business models in the Circular Economy Carnival in Turku
Turku’s project plan consists of the incubator process created by Humak University of Applied Sciences, the Circular Economy Carnival created by Valonia/Regional Council of Southwest Finland and the co-creation arena led by the city of Turku.
The incubator will bring together experience industry businesses and artists to create new circular economy business models by using creative methods. The Circular Economy Carnival works as a platform for testing the business ideas and making circular economy visible for the residents through activities such as surplus food dinners, flea markets, goods exchange, repair services, shared use solutions, art exhibitions in the spirit of circular economy etc. The CE carnival is planned and implemented in cooperation with local residents, resident associations, entrepreneurs, schools, civil society actors and other stakeholders.
Turku’s pilots will be steered by the CCC co-creation arena which will bring together the key circular economy, culture, and business stakeholders in Turku for a regular dialogue. The arena will be integrated with the Circular Turku Roadmap and the Climate Team, which focus on promoting circular economy in Turku in the long-term.
CCC project adding momentum to Kiel’s circularity initiatives
As the first certified Zero Waste City of Germany, Kiel is currently working on a comprehensive transformation of the local society to become sustainable through a respectful treatment of valuable resources. With more than 70 initiatives in Kiel currently working on circularity there is a huge potential to reach a positive tipping point – leading to an established system of urban mining. In this context the CCC project is a great chance for Kiel to support the creative and cultural sectors and industries (CCSI) to become major actors within this process.
The three local project partners – Heinrich Böll Foundation Schleswig-Holstein, Anschar GmbH and Zero Waste Kiel e.V. – have set themselves the goal of implementing several projects that support the CCSI-driven circular economy. As a first step, a steering group consisting of the above-mentioned partners, local authorities and identified stakeholders will be set up to help develop a joint strategy for the circular economy in Kiel.
Further the project partners will help to disseminate their knowledge on citizen’s engagement as well as strategy development among the international CCC project community through the conduction of two labs. It is planned to engage citizens of Kiel in two action labs in their local neighborhoods to encourage circular lifestyles.
To strengthen the business sector three projects will be implemented and replicated in 2025 and 2026: a circular catalyst, a circular sandbox and a circular stage. All of them will provide actors with relevant information for creating a circular start-up, assist with the implementation as well as inform the public about circularity within the creative sector.
As a last step, Kiel will organize and host a national conference on circular economy within the creative and cultural sector and industries in 2025.
Engaging Riga citizens in creating a “circular garden”
The Riga Energy Agency, representing Riga municipality in the project, is developing a long-term circular economy strategy for the city, to which the CCC project will contribute.
Withing the project there will be activities engaging the citizens, as well as the business support organizations and creative businesses. Riga citizens will be involved in the creation of a garden, based on principles of Circular Economy, by the municipality library in the remote suburb of Bolderāja. Riga business support specialists will have the opportunity to acquire new knowledge about the development of circular business models and business incubator programs, while representatives of creative industries will be able to meet on Business Days and get feedback on their business ideas from the perspective of circular economy principles.
Aarhus in the transition to circular economy
The City of Aarhus is committed to transitioning to a circular economy, aiming to curtail consumption, streamline material flows, and minimize waste. The municipality recognizes the urgent need for a paradigm shift in consumption patterns at both city and community levels.
As an initial step, the city acknowledged the necessity of adopting sustainable practices within its administrative functions. Consequently, an interdepartmental Circular Economy team was established in 2022. This internal team is dedicated to fostering a culture of prevention, challenging conventional administrative norms, and promoting innovative, interdisciplinary thinking.
In CCC specifically, Aarhus will draw on experiences from the internal circular economy network as a model of interdisciplinary collaboration on circular economy. It will be applied at the community level targeting textiles, recycling, and establishing a more cohesive and holistic approach to the right to repair, just transition and industry practices. This will be the setting of a local co-creation arena with authorities, industry clusters, NGO’s and citizens, and local CCSI actors.
Aarhus is committed to expanding this model in collaboration with Baltic Sea partners and the local partner Lifestyle and Design Cluster, promoting innovation and sustainability on a broader scale. One of the project milestones that Lifestyle and Design Cluster is looking forward to is the creation of a new green incubator with young entrepreneurs working with circular economy.
Tallin Creative Incubator training companies to become more sustainable
As one of six demo cities, there are multiple activities planned by the Tallinn Creative Incubator within the project of the Creative Circular Cities.
Within the CCC project several workshops and trainings for companies will take place, for example, on the development of sustainable business models, lifetime of products and packaging, industrial waste sharing, recycling of industrial waste, circular services etc. Also, there will be mentoring, best practice and case study sharing sessions and networking events to encourage entrepreneurs to start co-operation. Furthermore, a considerable amount of sustainable material samples will be collected and categorized in the Library of Sustainable Materials. In addition to that, there will be a comprehensive and informative exhibition about sustainable lifestyle.
“Circular Creative Cities” is funded by the EU’s Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme to promote circular transition at local level by involving the culture & creative sectors and industries.