Initiatives and Case Studies
WEEE Ireland membership with CIRCULÉIRE
CIRCULÉIRE is a public-private partnership dedicated to driving large scale systemic innovation that shows the business and societal values of embracing circularity in Ireland and accelerates the transition towards a zero-carbon circular economy. Irish Manufacturing Research, in collaboration with strategic partners; the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EIT Climate-KIC and 25 Founding Industry Members including WEEE Ireland, soft launched CIRCULÉIRE – the National Platform for Circular Manufacturing as a pilot initiative at the end of January 2020.
WEEE Ireland Initiative / WEEE Ireland & Partners / Other / Recover / Recycle / Rethink / Reuse
Summary
Between 2022 and 2024, DECC has awarded further funding on an annual basis to continue to support the industry to de-risk, de-mystify and deliver circular economy innovation and to take Irish industry on a journey from linear to circular business models through knowledge sharing, capacity building, baselining, auditing, business case development, thematic working groups, sectoral guides and deep demonstration innovation projects.
CIRCULÉIRE is engaged in collaboration with actors from across the Irish innovation ecosystem – government; MNCs; SMEs, solution providers, academia, NGOs and social enterprises. WEEE Ireland is a founding member CIRCULÉIRE and has taken a lead role in the e-waste and second life enabler clusters since the platform was established and advises members on Circular Economy innovation for the Electrical and Battery Sector. In 2020 –2022, CIRCULÉIRE deployed €1.5m in innovation funding. Circular innovation projects which WEEE Ireland has led with CIRCULÉIRE support and funding include:
- White Goods Repair Skillset for a Circular Economy (CESI Project), run in partnership with the White Goods Association and FIT.
- Long Life Lithium Batteries (LLLB) ) Centre of Excellence run in partnership with KMK Metals recycling and Wisetek.
CIRCULÉIRE provides support to members in their transition to a circular economy through their Thematic Working Groups (TWG). Each year for the duration of the programme, CIRCULÉIRE’s industry members vote on topics that they deem strategically important to enabling – or preventing – their transition to a circular economy. To date, they have covered the topics of circular bioeconomy, industrial symbiosis, procurement, packaging, plastics, design, finance, end-of-waste, by-products & waste licensing, Product Life-cycle Thinking & Sustainable Product Regulation, Digitalisation & Digital Product Passport and Measuring Circularity. In 2024, the focus has been on Re-Manufacturing strategies.
To date; CIRCULÉIRE has delivered nine Good Practice Sectoral Guides including the Circular ICT / EEE Good Practice Sectoral Guide. These are resources that provide information, guidance, and best practice examples in a particular industry or sector. They are essential reading for both industry and policy stakeholders who are invested in the progression of a circular economy in Ireland.
CIRCULÉIRE also pioneers excellence in circular innovation through their Circular Venture Programme; a programme supporting late-stage circular entrepreneurs who are demonstrating or enabling circular models to impact Ireland’s consumer behaviour, the economy, and accelerate the national transition to a circular economy.
A total of 26 new ventures have been supported to between 2020 and 2024.
For More Information:
To find out more, visit www.circuleire.ie
Or contact the WEEE Ireland team at info@weeeireland.ie.