Recycling Business Models – RBM

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295311

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS: existing completed examples

Project title

Recycling Business Models – RBM

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Description

The project RBM is based on the opportunities for companies the Circular Economy perspective can bring. Great opportunities are arising due to new consumer demands, environmental regulatory pressures, and innovation challenges. Indeed, new business models within this concept are beginning to deliver success and impact in terms of driving competitive benefits. Creating enterprises around sustainable models can improve both their environmental impact and competitiveness. 

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Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

Which or fund(s)? Provide the name of the programme(s)/fund(s), the strand/action line as relevant and the year.

Has your project won an EU prize?

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When was your project implemented?

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Please provide a summary of your project

An eco- industrial park is an area where businesses work together to optimize the use of resources. Waste from one company provides the raw material or energy for another. This synergy between industries fosters economic benefits while contributing to sustainable development. The main purpose of the project Recycling Business Models – RBM was indeed to investigate and analyse the possibility to transform traditional science and technology parks in more sustainable areas, to establish the basis of models of Eco science and technology parks. The principal objective of the project was indeed to create a methodology and a specific strategy to impulse especially the creation of new business opportunities for SMEs and the creation of new companies, based on the revalorisation of the wastes, equipment and its reincorporation in the life cycle of the companies located in science and technology parks. More than 80% of the companies located within technology park in Europe are SMEs, which create the majority of new jobs in the economy of these countries. The development and improvement of ecosystem of innovation support to SMEs is indeed crucial for the scale up of the companies and the creation of new jobs, including the recruiting of talent. RBM was based specifically on the opportunities for SMEs and companies the Circular Economy (CE) perspective can bring. New business models within this concept are beginning to deliver success and impact in terms of driving competitive benefits. Creating enterprises around sustainable models can improve both their environmental impact and competitiveness. Great opportunities are arising due to new consumer demands, environmental regulatory pressures and innovation challenges, and early SMEs adopters are likely to enter the market and attract investment so the project will investigate on the establishment of new strategies for the design and delivery of more adequate innovation support programmes for SMEs within the field of CE.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability (including circularity) and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

The actions foreseen in the project envisaged the creation of several tools that allow to define a specific methodology and strategy to promote the creation of new business opportunities for SMEs and the creation of new companies, based on the revaluation of waste, equipment, and their reinstatements in the life cycle of companies located in science and technology parks. Three main products have been designed within the framework of RBM, namely:

• Handbook about Circular Economy Good Practices in Science and Technology Parks (infrastructures, waste management, awareness campaigns, national and international projects, business initiatives and strategic plans)
• Handbook about Circular Economy Opportunities for SMEs and companies
• Manual about the state of circular economy among SMEs in science and technology parks and suggestions for circular economy loops

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

The key objectives of the RBM project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality was to improve the collaboration between the partners and provide an efficient method of collaborative work. In this contest, the project applied the TWINNING+ peer-to-peer learning methodology. This method allows project partners to receive practical feedback and advice from each other, and allowed to discuss and establish new strategies for the design and delivery of more adequate innovation support programs for SMEs within the circular economy field, based on the principle of 'twinning+' methodology.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (equal opportunities, public participation, citizen engagement, co-design, universal design, accessibility, affordability, etc.) and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

First of all, principle of non-discrimination which emphasizes that opportunities in education, employment, advancement, benefits and resource distribution, and other areas were freely available to all citizens irrespective of their age, race, sex, religion, political association, ethnic origin, or any other individual or group characteristic unrelated to ability, performance, and qualification. Equal participation in the project (both in project activities and in the dissemination and demo activities) were encouraged along the whole project life-cycle.

 

In addition, it is worth mentioning that the three partners who participated in the project, the Technology Park of Andalucia, the Science and Technology Park of Alentejo and Johanneberg Science Park, are all active members within their local and regional innovation ecosystem. In this sense, strategic actors from each ecosystem such as universities, chambers of commerce, associations, public institutions, and many more, were invited to participate in the activities foreseen, and were actively involved in the initiative.

 

And finally it is worth mentioning that the RBM project counted with a very small budget, but was able to reach very interesting results du to the high commitments of its partners and collaborative entities.

Please explain how these three dimensions have been combined in your project.
Please highlight how this approach can be exemplary

The New European Bauhaus is about our daily lives, focusing on better living together in more beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive places. It is about bridging global challenges with local solutions to achieve our climate targets and support a broader transformation on the ground. Sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion are indeed three inseparable core values that the project RBM intended to follow.

The main objective of the Project Recycling Business Models (RBM) was to investigate and analyze the possibility of transforming traditional science and technology parks into more sustainable areas, to establish the basis for eco-science models and technology parks, including the creation of circular maps of companies within science and technology parks.

The actual Society is living complex times, and once again, the strategic imperative of transformation is essential, to prepare a sustained competitiveness base for the global circular economy. Science and technology parks are perfect ecosystems to drive a true commitment with the future that is based on innovation, creativity, as central factors to increase the ability to generate sustainable solutions. The role of the Technopolis in this commitment includes to bring together strategic actors such as governments, universities, business communities and citizens who, together, work to consolidate new perspectives. Parks want to foster a new paradigm of sustainable environments by becoming true areas of participatory modernity.

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

The project RBM is indeed perfectly in line with the category “Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking”, as it focused on investigating how to transform traditional science and technology parks in more sustainable areas, and to establish the basis of models of Eco science and technology parks.

 

During the implementation of the project, it has been perceived that most science and technology parks are still at an early stage about adopting a circular economy strategy within their strategies. Parks aware of the importance of this new approach are focusing mainly on awareness campaigns for their target audiences, as well as the design and implementation of national and international projects with pilot initiatives to test circular economy applications that can be implemented in Technopolis. The most advanced parks in the field of industrial symbiosis have designed strategic plans and are beginning to implement initiatives related to waste and infrastructure management. It is interesting to mention that several companies located in science and technology parks are independently running circular economy initiatives.

Please explain how citizens and civil society were involved in the in the design and/or implementation of the project.
Please also explain the benefits that derived from their involvement.

The RBM project designed a implemented a set of activities to reach a wider impact on the society. Indeed, the activities and main results of the project were promoted in different means such as:

• National and international networks (Cordis, the Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain, the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation and the newsletter from the Delegation of the Regional Government of Andalucía in Brussels)
• 14 Online and written Press releases were published
• Organization and participation in several national and international events such as the European Meeting on Science, Technology & Innovation – Transfiere, and the Urban Intelligence and Sustainability Event Greencities
• Publication of frequent news in the social medias of the partners

 

The involvement in the RBM project of different actors from the society implies directly on the results of the initiative, and brings a new and practical vision which was without doubt essential to focus correctly the objectives foreseen.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addressed by providing local solutions

More than 80% of the companies located within technology park in Europe are SMEs, which create the majority of new jobs in the economy of these countries. The development and improvement of ecosystem of innovation support to SMEs is indeed crucial for the scale up of the companies and the creation of new jobs, including the recruiting of talent.

RBM is based specifically on the opportunities for SMEs and companies the Circular Economy (CE) perspective can bring. New business models within this concept are beginning to deliver success and impact in terms of driving competitive benefits. Creating enterprises around sustainable models can improve both their environmental impact and competitiveness.

Great opportunities are arising due to new consumer demands, environmental regulatory pressures and innovation challenges, and early SMEs adopters are likely to enter the market and attract investment so the project will investigate on the establishment of new strategies for the design and delivery of more adequate innovation support programmes for SMEs within the field of CE.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project as compared to mainstream practices in the field of the project.

As highlighted by the Executive Vice President Worldwide Sales for Cisco, the Circular Economy offers a profound transformational opportunity, which represents the interests of both the global community as well as the next generation. Transitioning towards a regenerative model will stimulate economic activity in the areas of product innovation, remanufacturing, and refurbishment, and in turn generate employment. However, organizations must now question their ability to flex and adapt, to innovate and develop new business models that exploit the way the market is moving. In today’s increasingly complex, interdependent, and interconnected era, technology will play a critical role in helping us understand and manage our vital resources in order to build a genuinely sustainable economy.

The main objective of the Project Recycling Business Models (RBM) was indeed to investigate and analyze the possibility of transforming traditional science and technology parks into more sustainable areas, to establish the basis for eco-science models and technology parks, including the creation of circular maps of companies within science and technology parks.

As a follow-up of the project, the Technology Park of Andalucia is actually participating in the project eCityMálaga, a public-private collaborative economy initiative that will be developed in the Technopolis with the objective to create an urban benchmark for sustainability and circularity applied to energy, transport, building and resources.

For more information about eCityMálaga, please click here: https://www.endesa.com/en/projects/all-projects/circular-economy/ecity/ecitymalaga.

Please explain to the potential of transferring the projects’ results or learnings to other interested parties and contexts.
Please provide clear documentation, communication of methodology and principles in this context.

According to the results obtained during the interviews performed in the action 1 and 2 of the project, Science and Technology Parks (STP’s) seems to be well situated to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, since they often occupy roles as property managers, community leaders and networking hubs for areas and clusters of firms. The process to carry out the transition from current economic science and technology models to models of a more sustainable nature is complex and needs to make progress in several areas, both at internal level, within the science and technology parks themself, and at the Technopolis level, together with their members. Next you will find a series of steps that can be launched, as an example:

 

• First, the decision to move forward circular economy or at least to study the possibility to move, must be taken by the executives of the science and technology parks based on a detailed analysis.
• A search for local/regional/other good and relevant examples of companies and/or organisations that are practising circular economy that can serve as inspiration and knowledge resources for the work in the STP
• Creation of a circular economy working group with representative from start-ups and companies, public institutions, university and the science and technology park which meet regularly to discuss about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the implementation of circular economy measures in the park and to rethink the actual business models
• Establishment of “SMART” indicators and targets for the circular economy activities (“SMART”: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound)
• Establishment of a roadmap/handbook of means for the Technopolis and within the park
• At transversal level, design and implementation of an awareness and promotion campaign

 

Find more information in the handbook about the State of Circular Economy Among SMEs in Science and Technology Parks and Suggestions.

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