CoP #8: Circular Economy & Repair Hubs Deep Dive – International Urban and Regional Cooperation

This Deep Dive webinar on the “Adapting the REPair PERspective (REPper) project Towards a Network of Repair Hubs” was organised as part of CoP #8 Circular Economy Urban Centres’ Urban Cooperation Action Plan (U-CAP) activities. Mr. Marino Cavallo, Head of the Department Research, Innovation and Management of EU Projects, Bologna Metropolitan City (CoP Coordinator), welcomed participants and introduced the project’s aim to strengthen the repair economy through supporting repair skills and changing business models.

Key Takeaways from the Webinar

European Repair Culture Collaboration Planning

Professor Francesco Silvestri, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, presented the theoretical framework and policy context, highlighting European Union directives on circular economy and the new Right to Repair Directive. He outlined the project’s focus on behavioural economics and policymaking to encourage product repair over replacement, and discussed the business models of three types of repair hubs: sectoral, horizontal, and awareness hubs. The presentation included details on European waste statistics and legal frameworks, including the Right to Repair Directive that needs to be transposed into national laws by July 2024.

The book is inspired to get eco-efficiency through both a new design and a new way of using products and processes. It includes: 1) Reduce material and energy consumption (less input for the same output), 2) Rethink the use of products, avoiding downtime as much as possible (resorting to sharing and leasing), and 3) Replace, implying obtaining a similar function from a different product or service, with less environmental impact. The challenges with the REPper European Project are not restricted to exploring the wide horizons of the repair sector and promoting the effectiveness of a systemic and cross-sectoral approach in the use of products. REPper aims to contribute to triggering cultural changes in the attitudes and habits of the community of business and consumers through nudging and behavioural strategies. Download here

New Taipei Carbon Neutrality Initiatives

Mr. Min-Ching Tsai, Chief of the Low Carbon Community Development Centre, Environmental Protection Department, New Taipei City, presented their efforts toward carbon neutrality, including the implementation of AI-powered robot sorting machines and school certification programs across 301 out of 358 schools. They invited other member cities in this CoP to share how they have been promoting circular economy practices effectively across schools and campuses. Dr. Shri Dadi Ram Dhakal, Engineer and Mr. Tsewang Bhutia, Assistant Municipal Engineer from Gangtok Municipality, shared examples of how New Taipei City Government could encourage vertical farming of organic microgreens and paper production from recycled waste paper in schools and across campuses as potential carbon sequestration initiatives.

Repair Culture Training Programs

Professor Luca Lambertini, CIOFS Vocational Training Centre, presented on capacity building skills and training courses aimed at promoting repair culture with students such as training paths for small appliance repair, textile repair, and bicycle repair, which attracted 119 adult participants. The training focused on teaching methods for sharing repair skills and included collaborative knowledge sharing among participants with varying skill levels. He also discussed their Reparation Hub located in their VET centre (CIOFS), which hosts awareness activities and continues to promote repair skills development through collaboration with local institutions and organisations, local stakeholders, including volunteer associations and small enterprises. He explained that while students can do internships with repair-focused companies, finding employment in repair activities remains challenging due to the limited size and nature of these businesses. The CoP Coordinator added that they are developing new internship opportunities through an Erasmus project, including partnerships with Dismeco (visit here) and multi-utility enterprises, as well as associations representing craftsmen, industries, and cooperatives.

Gangtok Circular Economy Initiatives

The Gangtok Municipality team presented their circular economy initiatives, focusing on waste reduction and recycling efforts in Sikkim. Mr. Tsewang Bhutia shared details about their plastic ban policies, schools’ green programmes, eco-clubs, and a new educational foundation called Catalytic Charter Educational Foundation that teaches students about waste management through experiential learning. Dr. Shri Dadi Ram Dhakal emphasised that while Gangtok has made progress in waste reduction, it lacks facilities for reuse and repair, particularly for electronics and multi-layer packaging, and requested support from the CoP members to assist them in establishing repair centres in their city to reduce carbon emissions from long-distance waste transportation. The study visit hosted by Bologna Metropolitan City from 23 to 27 May would be able to provide more know-how after site visits and learning the know-how.

Circular Economy Planning for U-CAP activities

At the end of the webinar, the CoP Coordinator focused on planning future activities related to repair and circular economy initiatives. The group agreed to schedule the second deep dive webinar on Circular Economy Strategies and System Barriers for April 29th at 9:00 AM Central European Time, hosted by Riga. This will be led by Ms. Anna Ance Rusova Lūse, Circular Economy Expert, Riga City Municipality Agency “Riga Energy Agency”. Additionally, Marino proposed organizing a CoP meeting after that to discuss consumer engagement and provide updates on the Bologna Repair Festival, followed by a second phase in July to address additional topics.

Participants Profiles

We would like to thank the following city government officials in this CoP for their participation and contributions:

Bologna Metropolitan City (CoP Coordinator)

Mr. Marino Cavallo, Head of the Department Research, Innovation and Management of EU Projects

Prof. Francesco Silvestri, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Prof. Luca Lambertini, CIOFS Vocational Training Centre

Riga

Ms. Anna Ance Rusova Lūse, Circular Economy Expert

Ms. Leva Kalnina, International Project Manager

Sofia

Ms. Petya Dimitrova, Chief Expert, Digitization, Innovation and Investment Unit

Ms. Sofiya Yovcheva , Junior Expert, Digitization, Innovation and Investment Unit

New Taipei

Ms. Katie Liu, Outreach & Research, International Affairs Division, Secretariat

Ms. Shelley Lu, Section Head, International Affairs Division, Secretariat

Ms. Wendy Chang, Officer, International Affairs Division, Secretariat

Mr. Hung-Yi, Liu, Technical Specialist, Department of Environmental Protection

Mr. Min-Ching Tsai, Chief of the Low Carbon Community Development Centre, Environmental Protection Department.

Gangtok

Dr. Shri Dadi Ram Dhakal, Engineer

Mr. Tsewang Bhutia, Assistant Municipal Engineer

Seberang Perai

Ms. Rachel Teh, City Councillor

Mr. Chew Eng Seng, Head of Education & Promotion Environment Unit

The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation for Asia-Australasia’s Circular Economy Cluster currently has five (5) Communities of Practice (CoP) consisting of 24 cities from 11 countries/territories.

For more information, you can email the Cluster | CoP Manager jchang@iurc.eu and IURC Helpdesk Team helpdesk@iurc.eu

CoP #5 Team 1: Smart Circular Cities

EU: Debrecen, Sofia

AA: Iskandar Malaysia, Pimpri Chinchwad, Cuttack, Jabalpur

CoP #5 Team 2: Smart Circular Cities

EU: Madrid, Granada

AA: Beijing, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou

CoP #6: Circular Carbon Economy – Research & Innovation

EU: Trier, Bremen

AA: Chennai, Cuttack, Jabalpur

CoP #7: Food Policy & Circular Food Solutions

EU: Milan, Vicenza, Košice

AA: Seberang Perai, Melaka, Kuala Lumpur (observer), Zhengzhou

CoP #8: Circular Economy Urban Centres

EU: Bologna, Riga, Sofia

AA: New Taipei, Gangtok, Seberang Perai