The EU Bioeconomy Strategy sees cities becoming major circular bioeconomy hubs, where biowaste is a feedstock for safe and sustainable bio-based products. This 6-part webinar series will explore the current state of the art in Europe along the value chain – from collection to valorisation – and discuss business and policy issues relevant for the development of urban bioeconomies across Europe.
The series is co-organised by HOOP, SCALIBUR, ValueWaste and WaysTUP! and is a partner event of EU Green Week 2021.
5 MAY | 12:00-13:30 CEST
1. Selective collection of urban biowaste
Soon to be a requirement across the EU, separate collection of urban biowaste is a prerequisite for the implementation of urban bioeconomy. In this webinar technical experts and municipal representatives will discuss common pitfalls and good practices for collecting a high quality organic fraction.
Speakers
ITENE – Biowaste collection strategies
City of Lund – Selective collection of biowaste in Lund
Murcia City Council – Involvement of Murcia in Circular Economy Projects
Ferrovial – Selective collection of urban biowaste in Murcia
19 MAY | 12:00-13:30 CEST
2. Stakeholder engagement & citizen awareness
Updating an entire (bio)waste value chain requires the buy-in and long-term commitment of all stakeholders involved. This webinar will focus on strategies for engaging these stakeholders, changing mindsets and behaviour, and establishing local leadership.
Speakers
Theodoros Gkiourkas
Project Manager at the Bioeconomy and Environment Cluster Western Macedonia (CluBE)
BIR – Citizen engagement & awareness in Bergen
CSCP – stakeholder engagement & citizen awareness in the biowaste value chain
CluBE – Stakeholder Engagement in Kozani and the Region of Western Macedonia
IMEC-smit, VUB – Behaviour change for the bioeconomy
26 MAY | 12:00-13:30 CEST
3. Technologies for urban biowaste and wastewater valorisation
A whole host of innovative processes are currently under development to valorise the Organic Fraction of Municipal Waste (OFMSW) and Urban Wastewater Sludge (UWWS) into added-value products. This webinar will highlight some of the most promising technologies currently emerging from EU-funded research projects.
Speakers
Konstantinos Komnitsas
Professor at the School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete (TUC)
PERSEO Biotechnology – Development and Engineering of Biotechnological Processes for Waste Valorization
Aqualia – Converting wastewater treatment plants into biofactories
CENER – Circular Urban Biorefinery Concept
CETENMA – The HOOP project
TUC – Utilisation of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plant as agricultural product – Biochar production
Unibio – Scalable technology that provides protein in large quantities with a small footprint
10 JUNE | 12:00-13:30 CEST
4. New business models
Prevailing business models are overwhelmingly linear and do not often consider the benefits of circularity, which can be hard to quantify. This webinar will share and discuss existing and successful innovative circular economy business models for urban circular bioeconomy.
Speakers
RdA Climate Solutions – How do investors see innovative circular projects?
DRAXIS – New circular business models
BIR – New business models in the Bergen region
16 JUNE | 12:00-13:30 CEST
5. Safety and acceptance of biobased products
Creating new products from (bio)waste naturally raises some questions related to safety. And are consumers ready to embrace products made from waste? These topics will the be subject of our fifth webinar, where experts will discuss the most pressing issues and strategies to overcome them.
Speakers
GAIKER – Methods for assessing safety of bio-based products
Novamont – Safety and acceptance of biobased products case studies
SAVONIA – Methods for evaluating social acceptance
30 JUNE | 12:00-13:30 CEST
6. Policy influence
Circular economy (and bioeconomy) are central to the European Green Deal. But still a number of regulatory issues hamper the deployment of innovative solutions, slowing the uptake of urban bioeconomy. This webinar will discuss the most pressing issues, with testimonies from business and government.
Speakers
Policy Officer – Urban and regional circular bioeconomy, waste, energy and climate at European Commission DG Research & Innovation
Director of Promotion and Information, Valdemingomez Technology Park, Madrid City Council
European Commission DG RTD – Circular Economy policies and upcoming R&I initiatives
EUBIA – Circular policies for changing the biowaste systems (ROOTS)
Madrid City Council – Madrid circular economy ambition and questions for policy
ESPP – The European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform and the Urban Circular Bioeconomy Policy
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