Innovative services and products for the circular economy
The event was a great opportunity to get in contact with the similar projects of the circular sector, to share experiences and identify synergies. The discussion brought a topic on how circular economy can be applied in different sectors.The projects presented in the panel discussion, apart from CIRCUSOL, were Cinderela, Houseful, and CarE-Service. The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, EASME, which oversees the CIRCUSOL project, organized the event. Another aim of the workshop of the H2020 projects was to showcase progress and raise awareness among policy DGs and Agencies which were represented by DG RTD, DG ENV, DG GROW, DG ENER, and DG MOVE. CIRCUSOL coordinator from VITO, Tom Rommens, spoke in a panel discussion on innovative solutions for circular services and products with a focus on buildings and mobility. Tom Rommens emphasised the need for the certification, qualification to gain the trust of the customers. The engagement of the local communities is alpha & omega for the projects. The social, economic and environmental impact must be taken into account in the Horizon 2020 projects. There are new business models that can be developed and not just recycling. Ecodesign, standardization and certification are key. The CIRCUSOL partners estimate that up to 50% of the PV waste can be diverted from the recycling path to the repair and reuse path. CIRCUSOL wants to demonstrate that with the PSS business models, we can give decommissioned PV panels a second life through reuse, refurbishing or remanufacturing, in addition to recycling. By doing so, we can boost the circular economy in Europe. CIRCUSOL wants to formalize the recycling, repair/refurbish and reuse segment in the PV value chains with adapted standards for PV use. This should underpin a PSS in the PV and the batteries sector to enable also the implementation of Circular Business Models. Follow CIRCUSOL on Twitter (twitter.com/circusol) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/circusolproject/) for more information.