The first CIRC4Life OIC took place in Cracow, Poland, on 12-15.11.2018. and was organised by Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland) together with the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas (Poland). It gathered 80 circular economy experts from 17 countries with a diverse multi-disciplinary and cultural background such as policy-makers, co-creation experts, academics and representatives from industry  and civil society (including consumer organisations), following the quadruple helix approach. 

 

The OIC was a concept development exercise, aimed to better understand the needs and main challenges of developing circular economy business models in all stages and in four industry sectors (domestic and industrial LED lighting, recycled tablets, micro-farming and meat production). The goal was to produce concrete solutions and feasible concepts for business models dealing with challenges in the demonstration activities based on: 

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1. Co-creation of products and services for the given four case industries  

2. Collaborative reuse and recycling  

3. Sustainable consumption  

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During the camp, initial ideas were introduced by the partners responsible for the CEBMs and demonstrators. Participants then worked in the business model or industry specific work groups, which interacted throughout the OIC. All CEBMs groups interacted with all the groups of demonstrators by industry sector (4 CEBM groups and 4 industrial sectors) to determine how they could be further developed to make a novel contribution to the circular economy. 

 

Diverse co-creation methods were used in a series of facilitated sessions to support and stimulate teamwork. Inspiring social events helped recharge, stimulate creativity and networking between participants.

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The results of the camps can be divided into the three CEBMs that CIRC4Life created, which are:    

1. Co-Creation and end-user engagement;  

2. Reuse and Recycling;  

3. Sustainable Consumption.  

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1. Co-creation and end-user engagement: There is a need to engage customers and collect their feedback to ensure that they are at the centre of co-creation by using participatory methods such as end-user workshops. 

2. Reuse and Recycling: There is a need  to create partnerships around green procurement and second hand markets (e.g. c2c, Amazon for used products), and new business models for reuse. In addition, recycling logistics should be addressed in the business model development. 

3. Sustainable Consumption: Understanding sustainable consumer profiles is crucial. Communicating positive messages to customers was considered very important. Consumption should be reduced at all levels, especially meat consumption. In addition, concerns were raised on the value of eco-points for end-users, how they can use them, how they will be certified, calculated and how they will evolve with time. The need to use the Living Labs methodology to assess user’s behaviour linked to eco-points, was also highlighted.

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The results of this first OIC served as a basis for the integration of the development of the new CIRC4Life business models. 

 

For more information about the open innovation camp in CRACOW, please check the paper Innovation Camp (OIC) – A Tool For Solving Complex Problems Rapidly, written by Laurea University of Applied Sciences here: