Welcome to our 2nd CHEERS4EU newsletter

Our European Circular Hub Roadtrip continues to the Asturias ParadiseHub4Circularity in Spain, where we had a study visit end of January. Read more about our learnings in this newsletter.  

Further there were stakeholder meetings in each of our partner regions, the one from Coimbra, Portugal, is highlighted in this newsletter. This semester there was also an extra study visit of Skive, Denmark to the Chemelot Circular Hub in the Netherlands. And last but not least we are preparing our next study visit to Helsinki, where we will visit the Ämmässuo Eco-Industrial Centre. 

A quick reminder, why are we doing this project? Because we believe circular cooperation should start in the region! Working together in your region on resource - and waste management accelerates the circular transition.  

Worldwide situation 

With fossil fuels decreasing every day and minerals and metals getting more scarce, we need to change our regional production industry as well as our industrial & city waste management.  

First steps of CHEERS4EU 

 All project partners have been working hard on analysing their Circular Hub and talking with their stakeholders where to go together and what next step is needed. 

This semester we’ve focussed on the Multihelix cooperation of a Circular Hub. We noticed it is not so easy to get the right people at the table, to get access to knowledge, access to funding, access to the right businesses….and even more challenging, to get real commitment of these people. 

Achievements  

For example, in Finland, the project has facilitated the launch of regular joint meetings between different stakeholders for the first time. These meetings have contributed to improved collaboration and provided circular economy actors with opportunities to connect. The stakeholder meetings have enhanced communication and brought added value to all project partners.  

Invest in regional relations 

We therefore learned how essential the governance structures and personal relations between people in a region are to work together on regional circularity goals.  

Investing in relations is key. Our tips: more one-on-one inspiring coffee moments, meetings in new environments, doing sports together, and make use of (yellow) ‘connectors’, people who love to make connections. 

Join our European Circular Hub Road Trip 

Got curious for more of our tips? Or want to share a story? Please read further in our newsletter and contact us.

Alone you go faster, together you go further!