What do toothbrushes, PU foam cans and old beverage cartons have in common? They are three out of the nine best practice examples of the circular economy presented by the European project MOVECO in its new brochure.

Augsburg, Germany, November 30th, 2017 – The English brochure entitled “Your trash is my treasure” shows products and business models that are already successfully putting the circular economy into practice. They serve as models for companies and encourage them to engage with the topic themselves: closing material cycles, avoiding waste, using secondary raw materials, protecting resources – while at the same time saving money or developing new business ideas.

Think in cycles – from the linear to the circular economy

In the traditional, linear economy (“throwaway economy”), products are usually incinerated or dumped in a landfill after use. As a result, the resources and materials in those products are lost. The circular economy, in contrast, aims at closing material cycles – starting already with product development. Products are needed that can be easily re-used, shared, repaired and recycled in an environmentally friendly way. For example, coffee can be turned into pens and old fabric into new bags. Reutilizing used things is becoming trendy: it preserves resources in the long term and helps prevent waste.

“The best practice examples in the MOVEO brochure show the benefits of thinking circularly. Closing material cycles is central to a sustainable future on our planet,” says Grit Ackermann, coordinator of the MOVECO project. “The examples are a small selection only – the project publishes more on its website. MOVECO also provides stakeholders from politics, business and society with accompanying materials about implementing the circular economy as a toolbox.”

The brochure is available online at http://dtp.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/moveco/section/best-practice

Further publications of the project will follow shortly, concerning, for example, the toolbox or additional information on the concepts developed.

The European project MOVECO aims to promote the circular economy in the Danube region

Funded in the framework of the European Union's Interreg Danube Transnational Programme, MOVECO is a project that raises awareness of the circular economy among companies, research institutions, public authorities, economic development institutions and citizens. Since December 2016, twelve project partners and four strategic partners from ten countries have been working together to promote knowledge about the circular economy and to improve the framework conditions for circular products and business models in the Danube region. The project is coordinated by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Further information

http://dtp.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/moveco/section/best-practice

Press contact for the brochure (English)
Elisabeth Beer
Phone: +49 821 455798-0
Email: info@umweltcluster.net
Trägerverein Umwelttechnologie-Cluster e.V.
Am Mittleren Moos 48
86167 Augsburg
Germany

Project communication office (English)
Rosina Lohmeyer
Tel.: +49 89 9901 888 174
Email: moveco@bayfor.org
Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR) GmbH
Prinzregentenstraße 52
80538 Munich
Germany

(Photo credit: MOVECO project)