New podcast "The Münsterland has a cycle. Do you too?": Listening instead of throwing away
Network meetings bring specific challenges to light and organise new dates
Bringing together stakeholders from business, science and institutions, initiating regional cooperation and reducing dependencies for companies and the region in the long term: the ERDF-funded project "Circular Economy Region Münsterland" has set itself ambitious goals. Since March, five focus groups have been working on relevant topics and challenges as well as their solutions in order to advance the circular economy in Münsterland. The project is being led by Münsterland e.V.. The partners are FH Münster, HWK Münster and IHK Nord Westfalen. Following the first steps, the next dates for the focus groups have been set.
"We already realised at the kick-off meetings in the individual focus groups that there is an enormous need for dialogue. At the same time, there is also a willingness to actively work on solutions to implement the circular economy in an effective and economically sustainable way, both within the company and at regional level. Whether legal issues, technological potential or new business models: A great deal of expertise is already available in the region. We bring them together and make them usable," says project manager Sebastian Schürmann. Companies and specialised stakeholders are meeting in five focus groups on the topics of plastics, mechanical engineering, mineral building materials, batteries and biogenic residues and have produced initial results.
Plastics focus group: During the exchange, it became clear that new cooperation models are needed to better deal with fluctuating material availability as well as the economic viability and acceptance of recycled plastic. It was also discussed that legal requirements are slowing down a rapid transformation.
Focus group on mineral building materials: Three key topics were identified: public procurement, the use of recycled materials and new value chains. Targeted meetings with municipal and economic stakeholders will follow in the coming months.
Mechanical engineering focus group: The discussion in the group showed that the circular economy is still not very visible in the industry. This is mainly due to high cost pressure and international competition. The focus is now shifting to circular economy strategies in the area of vehicle construction and end-of-life vehicles outside of the passenger car sector.
Focus group on batteries: It became clear that there is great potential for new business models, such as in the area of remanufacturing or reuse. As a cross-cutting issue, the topic of batteries also has an impact on many other economic and material cycles.
Focus group on biogenic residues: The participants centred on the question of how and where biogenic residues in the Münsterland region can be meaningfully returned to cycles in the future - for example by upcycling them into raw materials for the chemical or pharmaceutical industry, by using them to generate energy or by recycling them. The desire for practical framework conditions was particularly clear: The realisation of many projects is hampered less by technical feasibility than by bureaucratic hurdles.
In order to build on the results of the first rounds, the project will continue its series of events in the coming weeks and months. The next dates at a glance:
- Plastics focus group | 12 June | Topic: Cooperation and business models | IHK Nord Westfalen, Münster
- Focus group onmineral building materials | 1 July | Opportunities for public procurement | Construction and Energy Demo Centre of HWK Münster, Münster
There will also be a free one-day workshop in which companies will systematically analyse value chains, identify value losses and develop circular approaches for products and business models.
- Free workshop "Circularity Sprint" | 17 June | Developing new circular approaches | Handwerkskammer Bildungszentrum Münster
All dates, content and registration options can be found at go.muensterland.com/kwrnetzwerktreffen.
About the project
The ERDF-funded project "Circular Economy Region Münsterland" aims to promote the circular economy in the region and make it visible. The joint project brings together stakeholders, pools existing strengths and establishes and expands a comprehensive network of expertise. Companies that want to implement the circular economy are to be supported by the competence network and enabled to switch to circular business models. The aim is to close regional loops and raise awareness of the topic.
In addition, circular economy guides have been set up at all project partners. They help with questions about the transformation, provide assistance with further information and bring interested parties together with the right contact persons, experts and networks. The guides can be found at go.muensterland.com/kreislaufwirtschaft.
The project is funded by the European Union and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the ERDF call for proposals "Regio.NRW". The project is led by Münsterland e.V., which works together with the following project partners: FH Münster, HWK Münster and IHK Nord Westfalen.
