Meet the Partners

The CircEUlar consortium brings together internationally renowned scientists from across Europe that have unique interdisciplinary expertise and knowledge that is needed to comprehensively assess the contribution of circular economy strategies to achieve net-zero GHG emissions in Europe and globally by 2050. It is composed of 10 consortium partners and 2 associated partners from a total of 8 countries, including Austria (2), Germany (3), Italy (2), the Netherlands (1), Norway (1), Portugal (1), Switzerland (1) and the UK (1).

Consortium Members

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA, AT) - Coordinator

 

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Energy, Climate, and Environment Program) provides evidence-based, scientific roadmaps for feasible systems transformations that simultaneously meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ambitious climate change mitigation targets.
The role in CircEUlar

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an international research institute that advances systems analysis and applies its research methods to identify policy solutions to reduce human footprints, enhance the resilience of natural and socioeconomic systems, and help achieve the sustainable development goals. IIASA is the CircEUlar Project Coordinator and substantively contributes to the research agenda with the development of circular economy driven net-zero GHG pathways based on integrated assessment modeling.

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU, AT)
The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), is a leading research institution on sustainability concerns, aiming to generate the knowledge base and possible implementation paths which supports the necessary transformation towards a more sustainable and climate-neutral society. Research at BOKU covers systems knowledge, inter- and transdisciplinary, as well as implementation-oriented work. The Institute of Social Ecology which directly participates in CircEUlar, is internationally renowned for its interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on the biophysical interactions between social and natural systems in the context of sustainable resource use, the circular economy, global environmental change, climate change mitigation and sustainable development.
The role in CircEUlar

The Institute of Social Ecology at BOKU is the global pioneer for economy-wide, biophysical assessments of the circular economy, covering resource use, material stocks of buildings, infrastructure and machinery, and the resulting waste and GHG emissions. In CircEUlar, it aims to substantially progress dynamic modelling, as well as novel data streams and methods for advanced circularity assessments covering stock-flow dynamics, supply chain interactions, and spatially explicit circular economy strategies, showing trade-offs, synergies and potentials for climate change mitigation.

Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC, IT)
Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (Sustainable Earth Modelling Economics Division) analyses the transition to sustainability, helping identify and evaluate low carbon, sustainable strategies. The approach used is multidisciplinary, with strong use of quantitative methods based on data science, integrated modeling and experimental and behavioral economics.
The role in CircEUlar

CMCC is leader of the activity regarding Circular Provision of Goods and Services (WP3). It is responsible for identifying circular approaches and business practices of circularity that ultimately achieve climate mitigation and developing an online tool that collects supply-side successfull strategies to help firms to identify the best practises for the circular provision of goods and services. CMCC is also responsible for generating a taxonomy of 3D printing technologies and quantify their potential impacts on materials, energy, and GHG emissions. Finally, CMCC conducts a large-scale field experiment to test the effectiveness of the use of a social infomation program to reduce unsorted waste and increase sorted waste.

Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München (LMU, DE)
Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München (Department of Geography-Research and Teaching Unit “Human-Environment Relations”) engages in cutting-edge research on sustainability transformations in coupled human-environment-systems. Its research integrates scientific expertise on, first, risks and responses regarding the effects of environmental and climate change as well as, second, opportunities and barriers regarding the mitigation of future environmental degradation and global warming.
The role in CircEUlar

LMU leads the development of a culturally sensitive and context specific social scientific investigation of the barriers and enablers of circular consumption practices across Europe.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU, NO)
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Department of Energy and Process Engineering) is an international driving force within education and research on the total energy chain from resource to customer. We work on how to produce energy which can be used by man and machine in a sustainable way, taking into consideration health, climate changes and available resources. It is one of the largest departments at the Faculty of Engineering
University of Groningen (RUG, NL)
The University of Groningen (Department of Environmental Psychology) focuses on environmental behaviour in different domains, including energy, travel and transport, waste handling, and food consumption. The Environmental Psychology Group conducts research in around the globe, and is involved in many international research projects. A wide range of research methods is being used, including qualitative interviews, questionnaire studies, longitudinal studies, field experiments and lab experiments
The role in CircEUlar

The University of Groningen’s main role in the CircEUlar project is to study what psychological factors determine whether individuals engage in different circular behaviours, e.g., circular consumption behaviours regarding car use, living spaces, and home appliances, and circular citizenship behaviours through which individuals can urge other actors to support a transformation to a CE.

T6 Ecosystems (T6, IT)
T6 Ecosystems srl is a consulting and research SME with extensive experience in participating and co-ordinating national and international research and innovation projects, with a specific focus on European Research Framework Programmes.
The role in CircEUlar

T6 is responsible for the work package on stakeholder and policy engagement as well as for the coordination of the communication and dissemination.

Technische Universität Berlin (TUB, DE)
The Technische Universität Berlin (Sustainability Economics of Human Settlements) aims to foster research on urbanization and global environmental change, taking an interdisciplinary perspective combining economics, engineering and geography. In teaching, it strives to educate leaders in sustainable urban planning and urban economists who want to make a difference.
Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC, DE)
The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (Working Group on Land Use, infrastructure and Transport) investigates the dynamics of urbanization, transport systems, ground rents and alternative land use options. The research focus is on the relevance of path dependencies of spatial infrastructures for climate change mitigation and sustainability. On this basis, the group examines policy options of climate protection in spatial agglomerations at the urban, national and international level.
Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (INEGI, PT)
INEGI – Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is a Research and Technology Organisation (RTO), founded in 1986, focused on research and technology-based innovation activities, technology transfer, consulting and technological services, oriented to the development of industry and economy in general. A non-profit, private and recognised as a public utility entity.

The role in CircEUlar

INEGI joined as a widening partner with a view at bringing a new integrated modelling perspective to analysing and quantifying potential interdependencies between mobility and building and household services under the materials-energy-GHG nexus. This will help assessing how specific circular economy strategies may bring about cross-sectoral benefits and widened impacts.

Associated Partners

Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA, CH)
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Technology and Society) aims to create and transfer knowledge supporting the transition to a more sustainable society by analysing novel materials & emerging technology applications with a focus on associated material & energy stocks and flows, evaluating them with regard to environment constraints and societal needs, and by providing guidance for designing more sustainable materials, technologies and socio-technical systems.
The role in CircEUlar

Empa investigates the potential of repurposing current fossil infrastructure for the energy transition, and assesses resource consumption of transition pathways in regard to planetary boundaries.

University of Oxford (UOXF, UK)
The University of Oxford (Environmental Change Institute) was established in 1991 to organize and promote interdisciplinary research on the nature, causes and impact of environmental change and to contribute to the development of management strategies for coping with future environmental change.
The role in CircEUlar

The Oxford team is mainly researching digitalisation as a potential enabler of circular economy strategies in both households and firms. Examples include provenance and sorting systems for bulk materials, and building information models for new construction.