The conference was opened by Davide Delaiti, TREASoURcE Project Officer, who highlighted how the project responds to current EU challenges and stands out within the CCRI landscape as a locally driven, inclusive, and cross-sectoral initiative.
This perspective was echoed in the keynote by Lucie Blondel from the European Commission, who described TREASoURcE as: “Broad in scope, yet tangible in results.”
The words captured the project’s strong practitioner community and its role in combining technology, governance, and stakeholder collaboration. As she noted, the central challenge ahead is clear: scaling circular solutions.
Putting People at the Centre of Circular Change
The morning sessions focused on stakeholder engagement and collaboration models for real-world impact. A key message was that successful circular economy initiatives depend on people.
As Jelizaveta Krenjova from Tallinn University of Technology put it: “Circular economy is fundamentally about people.”
Yet engaging stakeholders remains challenging. Awareness alone is often not enough: many people care about the environment but lack the time or motivation to prioritise it. Speakers emphasised the importance of small, practical actions: micro-interventions that make circularity part of everyday life rather than requiring major lifestyle changes.
Storytelling also emerged as a powerful tool. Making circular solutions relevant to different socio-economic groups requires tailored communication and an understanding of how people live and what motivates them.
Tugce Tugran (ACR+) highlighted the importance of co-creation: “From cities to citizens, co-creation is key – a common mistake is to involve stakeholders too late in the process.”
The takeaway was clear: circular economy solutions succeed when stakeholders are involved early, and when their different perspectives and motivations are understood and respected.
Enabling Conditions: Policy, Markets and Digitalisation
Discussions on enabling conditions highlighted a shifting landscape. While sustainability and growth were previously the main drivers, security and geopolitics are now increasingly shaping priorities.
Several challenges remain. Companies still rely heavily on global supply chains, even as regional solutions gain importance. At the same time, digitalisation was identified as a key enabler, but one that must be aligned with circular economy goals.
Participants emphasised that both local and global levels matter. Local policies and public procurement can drive demand and help overcome the so-called “valley of death” for circular solutions. At the same time, harmonised EU markets and international value chain cooperation are essential for scaling.
As Stefan Sipka from the European Policy Centre noted, TREASoURcE itself plays an important role in informing EU policymaking.
Key Insights from Thematic Sessions
Batteries: The market is evolving rapidly with growing electrification. While policy supports recycling, second-life applications still face technical and regulatory challenges. The upcoming battery passport (from 2027) will improve transparency and traceability.
Plastics: Scaling circular plastics requires demand for recycled materials and full value chain involvement. Public procurement plays a key role, while challenges remain in chemical recycling and sorting technologies.
Bio-based streams: Stronger rural–urban collaboration, aligned policies, and digital marketplaces can turn bio-based side streams into viable local value chains and support replication across regions.
Engaging Citizens: From Awareness to Action
The conference concluded with a plenary session on best practices for engaging citizens in the circular economy.
Examples included online training programmes, local repair workshops, and reuse initiatives such as toy swaps across cities from Norway to Finland. These initiatives demonstrated that citizen engagement is not only possible but can be highly successful when designed in an accessible and practical way.
All of these concepts received strong positive feedback, with participants expressing interest in scaling and replicating them further.
From Innovation to Deployment
The TREASoURcE Final Conference showcased the project’s achievements and impact. Participants explored the latest results in circular solutions for plastics, batteries, and bio-based streams, discovered digital tools and business models, and connected with innovators and stakeholders across Europe.
The overall message of the day was clear: TREASoURcE has successfully developed functional circular concepts and created a strong foundation for moving from innovation and pilot projects to real-scale deployment and market uptake.
Watch the videos form the conference
20.4.2026 | Kaisa Seppänen (CLIC Innovation), kaisa.seppanen@clicinnovation.fi
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