Across Europe, many circular economy solutions struggle to move beyond isolated pilots and into real-world deployment at scale. New approaches are needed that combine technical feasibility, market relevance and citizen engagement, while remaining adaptable to local contexts.
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TREASoURcE addressed circular economy challenges across energy, plastics and biobased side streams, combining technical solutions with stakeholder and citizen engagement.
The EU-funded TREASoURcE project provides evidence that systemic, citizen-engaged circular economy solutions can be developed, tested and prepared for replication across regions. Using a common regional approach, the project combined real-life demonstrations, cross-value chain collaboration and early consideration of transferability to translate circular economy concepts into practical solutions in the fields of energy, materials and bioeconomy.
At the core of the work was a strong emphasis on stakeholder and value chain demonstrations, bringing together producers, material processors, users and public authorities to test solutions in real operating environments. This enabled validation of technical feasibility, assessment of market relevance and identification of key barriers and enablers for wider uptake.
“Stakeholder and key value chain demonstrations were essential for translating TREASoURcE concepts into practice. They ensured that solutions were tested in real-life settings and developed collaboratively across sectors and regions, supporting both feasibility and scalability,” says Jan Bakke from Østfold County Council.
One application area focused on second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries for stationary energy storage. Three battery energy storage system pilots were set up and tested in Finland and Norway, demonstrating how repurposed EV batteries can support peak shaving and local energy management in public and commercial buildings. The pilots showed that economic and operational performance strongly depends on local conditions, such as electricity demand profiles, billing systems and regulatory frameworks, highlighting the importance of context-specific implementation.
In parallel, the project addressed persistent plastics recycling challenges by demonstrating how mechanical and chemical recycling can function in a complementary manner. Focusing on difficult-to-recycle plastic waste streams, TREASoURcE showed how chemical recycling, including catalytic pyrolysis followed by catalytic hydrotreatment, can convert mixed plastic waste into valuable chemical feedstocks while significantly reducing contaminants. The results illustrate the system-complementary role of advanced recycling solutions where conventional recycling alone is insufficient.
A third application area focused on biobased side streams from agriculture and the broader bioeconomy. Through a dedicated digital marketplace and models for local bioeconomy development and rural–urban symbiosis, side stream producers were connected with processors, municipalities, and users across rural and urban contexts. Together, these approaches enabled higher-value utilisation of biobased materials, reduced waste and strengthened regional implementation of circular economy solutions.
Replication and transferability were embedded from the outset through context-specific implementation and stakeholder engagement. Stakeholders across Europe were engaged through workshops, webinars, focus groups and targeted exchanges with public authorities and industry associations, with a particular focus on the Baltic Sea region. Practice-based lessons and transferability insights are compiled in the publicly available Replication Handbook.
“We see the next steps focusing on embedding these solutions directly into operational practices of cities, regions, companies, and service providers. There is a growing interest from municipalities and businesses seeking practical circular economy solutions, which creates a strong foundation for deployment and scaling beyond the project’s lifetime,” says Ugur Kaya from VTT.
Looking beyond the project timeframe, TREASoURcE has left behind concrete tools, demonstrations and implementation models to support continued regional uptake of circular economy solutions. Citizen engagement remains a core enabling element through participatory pilots, co-creation activities and behaviour-change-oriented approaches. Digital platforms, circular-economy-smart procurement guidance and tested collaboration models between public authorities, industry, service providers and citizens provide a practical foundation for deployment across sectors and regions.
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