Partners

The project will be managed by Riga Technical University, a public higher education institution with vast experience as a coordinator and partner in over 500 EU and internationally funded research projects over the last five years. The Institute of Energy Systems and Environment (IESE) is the leading scientific institution in Latvia in environmental engineering, climate change technologies, waste management, and CE. IESE is strong in developing System Dynamics policymaking simulation tools in various domains where socio-technical transitions are studied in multidisciplinary teams, incl. CE, national energy and climate, and bioeconomy at micro and macro levels. IESE researchers are experienced in applying Interactive Learning Environments to knowledge building in household transition projects in CE and energy fields. The project team will employ the latest research knowledge about smart technologies and solutions from various monitoring projects. 

Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) is a local regional government in the South-East UK and is responsible for public sector services in the county including waste management and sustainability initiatives. OCC will be responsible for household interventions in the UK. OCC has published a “Resource and Waste Strategy” which outlines ambitious targets including recycling over 70% of household waste by 2030 and landfilling no more than 3% of household waste. Central to the strategy is working closely with local residents to encourage people to think about the products that they buy and how materials can be reused, recycled and composted. OCC also supports local CE initiatives such as “libraries of things” and repair cafes.  

Dissemination of the project results through various networks and channels will be ensured by Earthwatch which is experienced in communicating project results. Earthwatch is a non-profit, independent research-organisation delivering a unique citizen-science model, empowering individuals and organisations to contribute to research on environmental challenges. Earthwatch coordinated the European project “MICS” and is a partner in various EU H2020 and Horizon Europe projects, such as (CHEERS, ILIAD, BENCHMARKS and RURALITIES). Based on its research, Earthwatch also produces practical, evidence-based recommendations for consumers and policymakers. For example, as part of the Plastic Rivers projects the top ten most common plastic items found in rivers were identified and for each item the most “impactful” action was promoted. 

NOVA School of Science and Technology University Lisbon is a public higher education institution with a mission to serve society through knowledge and education. CENSE, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, is one of NOVA’s R&D units at the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering of NOVA School of Science and Technology focusing on the interaction between human and ecological systems, to promote sustainable development. CENSE has participated in several EU-funded projects related to efficient material use and has a vast experience in the use of the SD modelling approach for sustainable material use simulations 

The advisory to pilot households in Latvia will be provided by the Latvian Rural Forum (LRF) which aims to promote sustainable development of Latvian rural territories by strengthening rural territories to create a place where contented people live, able to meet their economic and social needs in the place of their residence. LRF unites almost 90 organizations from all regions of Latvia. Core activities of LRF include promoting local initiatives and cooperation, creating cooperation tools with government, municipalities, NGOs, businesses and other institutions and promoting of sustainable development of Latvian rural territories.  LRF focuses on local democracies, smart villages, sustainable action, local food chains, and energy communities.

Naturvernforbundet (Friends of the Earth Norway) will be responsible for the recruitment and implementation of the Norwegian pilot households. Naturvernforbundet is Norway’s oldest non-profit environmental organization with more than 36.000 members organized in more than 100 local teams. They are an active voice in the Norwegian environmental debate and specialize in local action with a strong connection to local communities. They also focus on changing Norwegian lifestyles by many campaigns targeting Norwegian citizens.  We will work especially with the local team in Bergen, Norway’s second largest city. 

Prosperkolleg e.V. (Prosperkolleg) is a non-profit association in Bottrop, Germany, which acts as a research, transfer and further education institution. It also conducts application-oriented research on digitalisation and sustainability issues. Moreover, young people and educational institutions are supported through the development of interdisciplinary and forward-looking training and continuing education programs. Since 2019, Prosperkolleg has been partner in the Prosperkolleg project, which is an important basis for CIRCLEUP. 

Verbraucherzentrale NRW (VZ NRW) is the non-profit consumer advice center in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia that will provide the material efficiency advisors in Germany and share experience from several sustainability projects. The organisation's main task is to inform and advise consumers on their rights and protect them against unfair business practices and pave the way to enforce consumer rights. The organisation also works to promote sustainable consumption practices and educate consumers on how to make more informed choices. An important basis for CIRCLEUP are the experiences and competencies gained in other sustainability projects with consumers, particularly in the KlimaAlltag (Climate Everyday Life) project, in which more than 80 households in the city of Cologne committed to reduce CO2 emissions from their everyday activities. Members of the households received advice from climate consultants from the VZ NRW for six months. 

Hochschule Ruhr West (HRW) is a public university of applied sciences run by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, founded in 2009. A particular research focus is on interdisciplinary sustainability transition research in the fields of climate protection, energy systems and CE.  The HRW team members have co-ordinated and contributed to several national, European and international application-oriented sustainability transition research projects with a focus on energy and environmental issues, from pilot projects to policy studies and evaluations. Since 2019, HRW has been co-ordinating the Prosperkolleg project (www.prosperkolleg.de), which has been investigating the transition towards a CE in the Emscher-Lippe region in the Ruhr area. 

The psychological knowledge base of the project will be ensured by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) which is an experienced partner currently participating in more than 250 EU funded projects (both as coordinator and participant) and host to 28 ERC grants. NTNU is represented by the research group for “Citizens, Environment, and Safety (CES)” at the Department of Psychology. The research focus of the group is understanding and modelling the interplay of psychological, structural, regulatory and economic drivers and barriers of pro-environmental behaviours (e.g., food choices, energy use, investment behaviours, mobility, waste disposal, etc.). Of special relevance for this proposal, CES is involved in the HEU funded project CIRCOMOD, which explores the climate mitigation potential of CE practices.