- The World Circular Economy Forum is a global circular economy forum, which hosts parallel events throughout the year.
- The event is a benchmark for the circular economy in the fashion and textile industry at the European level.
- The Next Textile Generation EU cluster hosts the four COSME circular fashion projects fostering cooperation
On Wednesday, December 15th, the CircularInnoBooster project will participate in an event in the framework of the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF), the conference co-organised by the Canadian government in collaboration with the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. The aim of this forum is to present the main global circular economy solutions and to try to impose this model for the year 2050. To this end, they are holding parallel events throughout the year 2021.
The fashion and textile industry, as the second most polluting industry in the world, requires a rapid transformation in order to reverse its environmental impact. The circular economy is presented as a necessary model to achieve climate neutrality. The European Union is participating in this transformation through regulatory policies, recommendations, campaigns and financing tools such as the Next Generation EU funds or those proposed by EISMEA under the COSME programme, including CircularInnoBooster and its accelerator CirCoAX.
The COSME programme of the European Union not only co-funds CircularInnoBooster,But also Three other projects with the potential to transform the sector. These projects, S4Fashion, Fashion for Change and SmallButPerfect are part of the ecosystem of projects that contribute to circular fashion, promoting sustainable models and fostering transnational cooperation.
To give continuity and greater resonance to the actions, the 4 projects are brought together in the NextextileGeneration cluster created by the Finnova Foundation, a member of the CircularInnoBooster consortium. Through the online event Nextextile EU: transforming the textile and fashion industries into a circular economy model, with the participation of Natalia Martínez Páramo from the European Commission, the importance of European funding tools to develop projects that are part of this new green and digital Europe will be emphasized.
Throughout the virtual meeting it will be possible to create synergies, discuss cutting-edge issues in the sector, provide a space for interaction with the speakers in the rooms and promote active participation through the slido platform.
Registration is open through the following link.
About WCEF
The annual World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) showcases the world’s leading circular economy solutions with the participation of business leaders, policy makers and experts from around the world.
Circular economy approaches can help businesses seize new opportunities and gain a competitive advantage, as well as contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
About COSME
COSME is the programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises by the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME).
This programme assists SMEs to develop their business models, to receive funds, and to internationalise. This scheme also supports public administrations to enhance the entrepreneurial environment and to facilitate the economic growth of the EU. During the funding period of 2014-2020, this programme allocated €2.3 billion to support SMEs.
About CircularInnoBooster and the accelerator CirCoAX
CircularInnoBooster Fashion and Textile (F&T) is a project funded by the Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) of the European Union. With a duration of 2 years, it has a budget of 1,128,000 euros, 75% co-financed by the European Commission. The project is made up of an international consortium led by the European Institute of Design (IED), together with Texfor, Circulab, Finnova, and The Circular Project with HumanNation. Its objective is to replace the linear model of the conventional fashion and textile industry with circular, regenerative and sustainable companies. To this end, it is launching a unique business support plan through its CirCoAX accelerator.
CirCoAX selects 30 transnational partnerships, each led by an SME, to scale innovative proposals that have a direct impact on the adoption of sustainability and circularity approaches and practices in the fashion and textile sectors. To this end, it offers selected applicants €12,000 in funding, mentoring, visibility, networking, and the possibility of accessing further European funding.
About IED
Istituto Europeo di Design is an academic institution working in education, training, and the research of fashion, design, visual communication, and management. IED has offices in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Milan, Rome and five other cities) and Brazil (São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro). IED works in several EU and COSME countries through collaborations and arrangements with institutions, business support organisations, teachers, experts, and mentors. IED has an extensive network of connections in the fashion and textile sector (F&T).
About Finnova Foundation
Finnova is a foundation working to promote and develop innovation and entrepreneurship across the EU. Headquartered in Brussels, it works through collaborations and partnerships across all EU countries. Finnova’s experience in communicating and disseminating European projects is coupled with an extensive and grounded experience in creating businesses and programmes to support enterprises, such as accelerators, incubators, and the selection and organisation of ceremonies and events.
About Texfor
Texfor is a leading textile association in Spain with roughly 400 members. Founded in 2010 and based in Catalonia, Texfor brings together enterprises from the textile value chain, i.e. from weaving to fabrics as well as accessories, textile finishing, printing, and dyeing for the dressmaking industry, textiles for households, and technical and industrial applications. Texfor has an extensive expertise as it has worked in relevant expert committees at an EU level: university and professional training, developing financial capacities, cross-cutting collaboration, fostering RDI, specialised services, and leadership in sustainability focused on the circular economy.
About Circulab
Circulab is a laboratory and design studio specialising in developing transformation methods, tools and programmes to help enterprises adopt circular and sustainable business models.
Circulab has designed several tools to implement a circular business model in enterprises. It works in 23 countries – 9 out of them in the EU – and it supports projects via 60 independent entrepreneurial consultants. It applies circular methodologies and tools.
About The Circular Project co-designed with HumanNation
TCP (The Circular Project) favours and promotes a circular and sustainable fashion in different areas, offering the fashion industry a communication strategy based on a cross-cutting and systemic approach of the circular economy. TCP combines social, ethical, environmental, and economic aspects, and has a strong presence as well as connections in the sustainable fashion world.
TCP has promoted the Circular Sustainable Fashion Week Madrid, a one-of-a-kind event, and also serves as HQ for the Spanish Association for the Sustainability, Innovation and Circularity in the Fashion Industry. TCP is also ambassador of Sannas (Triple Bottom Line Business Association) and has collaborated with a wide array of Spanish, European, and Latin American institutions and enterprises.
The Circular Project works with HumanNation to co-design and develop CirCoAX. HumanNation is a consultancy enterprise specialising in the development of transformative and disruptive ecosystems of innovation and companies for the ‘new economy’. It is based on the fourth economic sector, the systemic thinking, and co-creation. It raises awareness in organisations and ecosystems to respect the planetary boundaries and the social fabric, creating resilient local economies with a global perspective.
