During the first year of the CircleUp project, NTNU hosted three insightful workshops aimed at developing an underlying comprehensive conceptual and theoretical framework for the project. These virtual workshops brought together all CircleUp project partners and other interested organisations, fostering a collaborative environment for in-depth discussions. The first two workshops focused on identifying key behaviours, barriers, drivers, and interventions essential for transitioning to a circular economy at the household level. The third workshop focused mainly on the involvement and input of stakeholders. This blog post summarises the key discussions and takeaways from these workshops.

Workshop 1:

The first virtual workshop, which took place on April 22nd, focused on gathering initial input to develop a general conceptual framework. This workshop provided an opportunity to discuss circular economy practices at the household level. Participants identified key circular economy behaviours that are easy for households to implement across different consumption stages, ranging from reducing waste to sharing products. These practices covered various aspects of circular economy practices within the context of food, packaging, textiles, and electronics. The participants also examined the key drivers that can motivate consumers towards circularity and identified potential barriers that could hinder the adoption of these practices. Additionally, they explored effective interventions to promote these circular economy practices.

NTNU prepared materials to facilitate the workshop. Prior to the workshop, a survey was conducted to gather essential input from the different project partners, and the collected responses were instrumental in guiding the workshop’s direction and focus. Participants were divided into breakout rooms on Teams for group work sessions using the Miro board, a digital workspace that enhances team collaboration and productivity by allowing users to brainstorm while using sticky notes. Group work 1 was focused on food and packaging, while group work 2 focused on electronics and textiles. After the group work sessions, a summary of the main learnings from the breakout rooms was presented in a plenary session. With a successful start to the workshop series, we looked forward to continuing the dialogue and collaboration on the conceptual framework development of the project.

Workshop 2:

Based on a literature study conducted at the beginning of the CircleUp project, we decided to adopt the stage model of self-regulated behavioural change (SSBC) created by Bamberg (2013) for developing and evaluating tailored interventions within the project. This model was chosen for its provided evidence across different environmental domains and its effectiveness in developing and evaluating tailored interventions aimed at changing people’s environmental behaviour. The second workshop of the series, held on September 3rd, was dedicated to explaining this model to our partners and advancing the conceptual framework that had already been explored in the first workshop. We delved deeply into the SSBC model, making sure that all participants had a thorough understanding of its stages and applications.

The primary activity of the second workshop was to match different interventions to the different stages of the SSBC model. Given the limited time available, we decided to focus on one main behaviour per domain, targeting food, textiles, packages and electronics. To facilitate discussions and brainstorming, the group was divided into smaller groups in breakout rooms, each focusing on one of these domains. Through intensive discussions, we realized that many of the developed interventions and strategies could be applied across different stages of the SSBC model. This insight led us to extend the conceptual framework to include not only our previously specified circular economy practices but also more general circular behaviours. This approach creates an adaptable framework that can be applied to a wider range of circular economy behaviours.

After the workshop, NTNU started to visualize the developed framework. The visual model includes now multiple layers: general motivations to contribute to circular economy, the four domain-specific stages of the SSBC model, each with its drivers and barriers. Interventions are categorized as information, commitment, feedback or other types. We also identified the drivers and barriers. Furthermore, the model illustrates how the different interventions will be provided through the project (e.g., through the social game, counselling, system dynamics model, or other channels). Furthermore, behaviours are prioritized according to the R-hierarchy (also known as the R-strategies) from reduce, via reuse, and finally recycle. The next step is to refine the conceptual framework to ensure it is accessible and user-friendly for the general public.

Workshop 3:

On November 4th, we hosted the third CircleUp, which was dedicated to engaging stakeholders to gather input on the CircleUp project and circular economy practices at the household level. The workshop was specifically designed for stakeholders interested in promoting circular economy practices at the household level. Our project partners played a crucial role in preparing a list of relevant organisations, ensuring that we reached out to a diverse group. The workshop brought together a variety of 15 stakeholders who shared their views and experiences, enriching the discussion with a wide range of perspectives. The workshop also included dedicated time for input and questions, fostering an interactive and safe environment. We also provided updates on our project’s progress and innovations and highlighted the importance of the social game as part of the intervention in CircleUp.

In the second part of the workshop, the conceptual framework was further redefined. The external stakeholders and project partners were divided into breakout rooms, where they engaged in collaborative discussions using Miro boards. In the boards, participants had to think about additional circular economy practices on both individual and group level. Furthermore, households need access to knowledge and information to adopt the circular economy practices. Therefore, an additional goal in the Miro board was to think about this information and the sources giving this information. Participants came up with different types of sources such as blogs, existing maps, social media accounts etc., that could help households understand and implement circular economy practices. To help us improve our project, we sent out a short questionnaire after the workshop, asking stakeholders for feedback on what worked and what could be improved.

The insights gained from the series of the NTNU workshops will be invaluable in the further development of the project. Our conceptual framework remains a work in progress, continuously evolving based on ongoing input and collaboration!