Analysis of Zero Waste and Circular Economy Sector in Europe

Erasmus+ project on Education for Zero Waste and Circular Economy started at the end of 2018 to fill a gap in Vocational Education and Training, create a new training course focusing on Waste minimization and Circular Economy, and develop interdisciplinary skills needed for new jobs in the area. The international consortium of ten partners from nine European countries intends to produce an interactive platform, comprising a Knowledge Hub, an Online Course and a Diagnosis Tool. The internal opportunities part is addressing the level of integration of circular economy objectives into the core business strategy; key materials of concern, and actions implemented towards circular economy. The external opportunities section is dealing with the identification of partners from the value chains, synergies and co-creation of solutions for circular economy. One of the first activities of the consortium is to analyse the state-of-the-art in zero waste and circular economy in partner countries. Statistical information regarding the sector in each country was collected together with the description of the existing situation regarding zero waste and circular economy activities in each partner country, and a potential development of the sector in future. The employment situation is regarded along with experiences, qualifications and skills needed for trainees that already work or intend to work in the sector. An overview of the existing training in waste and circular economy is carried out including educational methods, types of training organizations, duration of activities, teachers’ and trainers’ qualifications. Basic information on the existing curricula and certification processes is reviewed and compared to enable improvements in partner countries. A special section is devoted to good practices. Also, links and references have been collected for each partner state. The project is expected to have significant impact on individual participants, their organisations, target groups and relevant stakeholders. Dissemination and diffusion of project results will comprise target groups inside and outside the partnership. The outside target audience will be informed at local, regional, national, EU and global level.