Project introduction ---

TREASoURcE – Boosting circularity and initiating systemic change

Artikkelikuva: Project introduction

TREASoURcE aimed to initiate systemic change by developing systemic circular economy solutions in cities and regions for currently underutilised or unused plastic waste, end-of-life electric vehicle batteries and bio-based waste and side streams.

Objective

Implementing systemic circular economy solutions together with companies, societies (including citizens, consumers, communities and regional actors) and experts significantly increased product and material circulation in the Nordic and Baltic Sea Regions. 

TREASoURcE (Territorial and regional demonstrations of systemic solutions of key value chains and their replication to deploy circular economy) was part of the European Union’s Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) that seeks to support the implementation of local and regional circular economy solutions.

Duration, partners and funding

  • Project duration: 1.6.2022–31.5.2025
  • Coordinator: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
  • Consortium: The consortium consists of 17 partners from seven European countries
  • Partners: The partner organisations included four research and technology organisations or universities: VTT, SINTEF, SDU, TalTech; seven cities and regions: Forum Virium Helsinki, EcoFellows Ltd, Business Tampere, Viken County Council, Fredrikstad kommune, City of Tallinn, Tartu City; a rural and primary producers’ union MTK; two small and medium size enterprises: GreenDelta, CLIC Innovation; and three industrial partners: Topsoe, Green Ideas Group and ECO STOR
  • Funding: EUR 10 million, of which Forum Virium Helsinki’s share was EUR 636 250

The role of Forum Virium Helsinki

Forum Virium Helsinki led the replication and transferable practices and is responsible for compiling the Replication Handbook and developing the Enlightened Consumer concept as the results of the project. 

Benefits for Helsinki

TREASoURcE brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including businesses, decision makers, consumers and local communities, to innovate collaboratively and cross-sectorally in order to overcome the challenges related to geography or formation of value chains.

Different types of stakeholder engagement demonstrations were tested and replicated to improve sorting and quality of raw materials and to enhance the uptake of circular products on the market. These demos included concrete cooperative actions, such as workshops for consumers and industry actors. 

The results were the demonstrated and replicable environmental, social, economic and political impacts of the systemic circular economy solutions (Circular plastics, batteries, and bio-based side and waste streams) in the Nordics. The project brought new implementation methods for the circular economy needs in the cities. 

Main results

  • The TREASoURce Replication Handbook brings together the project’s key innovations, lessons learned, and use cases.
  • Recycling Master is a set of six short learning sessions about everyday recycling. The course introduces different types of waste and shows how they should be sorted and recycled. With the help of short videos, examples, and tasks, learners gain practical skills for making responsible recycling choices in daily life.

Channels

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