Moveco 2.59

Our current modes of consumption and production follow a linear economy: produce - use - dispose. Resources are extracted and processed into products. After using the products, they are disposed on landfills or incinerated. Typically, at the end of their life cycles, products and valuable resources comprised therein are lost from material cycles.

The future belongs to a Circular Economy, aiming at manufacturing products, which, after their use phase, can be easily recycled or reused. This can be achieved through intelligent product design and innovative business models.

Benefits associated with Circular Economy are:

- Protection of resources and the environment by improving resource efficiency and reducing waste;
- Economic growth and innovation: Boosting competitiveness by reducing production costs and ensuring supply security by minimising the dependence of imports of raw materials;
- Social benefits by creation of new jobs through development of new business models, products and services.

The Circular Economy Strategy, adopted by the European Commission, aims at "closing the loop" of product life cycles through greater recycling and re-use, to bring benefits for society, environment and economy. Closing the loop of materials streams poses many challenges to research and innovation: Increasing durability, reparability and recyclability of products (Extended Producer Responsibility), improving waste management and resource efficiency in industrial sectors, fostering industrial symbiosis and remanufacturing.

MOVECO responds to this challenge and sets its objective to improve the framework conditions and policy instruments for eco innovation and the transition to a Circular Economy, fostering smart and sustainable growth and reducing disparities among the regions in the Danube Region.

MOVECO - Mobilising Institutional Learning for Better Exploitation of Research and Innovation for the Circular Economy

MOVECO is a project co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA).

More information available under: www.interreg-danube.eu/moveco