Up2Circ

✏️🔄 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫.

The decisions made at the drawing board determine how long it lasts, whether it can be repaired or refurbished, and how much value can be retained after its first use.

The most interesting circular businesses are not waiting until the end of a product’s life to think about sustainability.
They are designing differently from the start.

The Up2Circ case stories offer some great examples:

👜 𝐂𝐈𝐑𝐂𝐋𝐓𝐑 𝐛𝐲 Melina Bucher (The Vegan Goodlife)
Luxury leather goods redesigned around biobased materials, digital manufacturing and replaceable components. With material waste targeted below 5%, the modular approach opens opportunities not only for better material efficiency, but also for repair, replacement of individual components and longer product use.

🪑 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐲 Athanasios Babalis design studio
A modular chair designed to adapt from age 5 to 85+. Instead of treating the product as something that eventually needs to be replaced, its components can be removed, serviced and replaced with a target lifetime of 40+ years.

💡 Kinotehnik – 𝐑𝐞𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
LED lighting fixtures redesigned around refurbishment, component reuse and integration of circular practices into routine maintenance. With 75% of mechanical parts and 100% of electronic components identified as reusable, the approach shows how extending product life can reduce material use, logistics and emissions while creating new value through maintenance and refurbishment.

🧪 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚 – The Smart Lollipop 🍭
A medical device for collecting saliva samples, redesigned around safe reuse, reconditioning and more sustainable use cycles. By exploring take-back, cleaning, sterilisation and reconditioning processes, the project could reduce waste by 92% and CO₂ emissions by 28.6% per unit, while opening the door to a more circular model for medical devices.

🏗️ 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐂𝐄𝐝 𝐛𝐲 siebold/hamburg messebau
Exhibition stands redesigned around circular design, reusable elements and smarter material and logistics choices. By developing a zero-emission booth prototype, creating an inventory of reusable furniture and prefabricated elements, and exploring on-site furniture rental, the project reduced CO₂ emissions by 90% and waste by 94% compared with previous practice.
The result is not just a more sustainable exhibition stand, but a new circular business offer built around product life extension, reuse and more efficient resource management.

🔗 Explore the success stories behind this circular business model 👉 https://up2circ.eu/case-stories/?jsf=jet-engine&meta=ss_circular-strategy!is_custom_checkbox:circular-product-design

studio_belize | Xtramarine | Indresmat | Proudd Circular Workwear

𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.
Hear from the people making it happen.

Across the Up2Circ community, companies are sharing how circular economy projects are helping them rethink products, processes, materials and even entire business models.

And the message coming through the testimonials is powerful:

👉 Circularity can drive innovation.
👉 It can open new markets and opportunities.
👉 It can reduce waste and resource use.
👉 And most importantly - it can create real business impact.

From recycling and reusing materials to developing new products, improving production processes and exploring circular business models, these stories show that the transition to a circular economy is already happening.

Behind every successful project is a company willing to ask:

💡 What if we did things differently?
💡 What resources are we wasting?
💡 How can circularity become part of our competitive advantage?

🔗 Check out all the interviews with Up2Circ beneficiaries 👉 https://up2circ.eu/category/success-stories/interviews/

Close the loop.
Open up a world of new possibilities.

🤔 How can we connect the dots?

Join our “𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐬” webinar for an interactive exchange between innovation and business advisors, EU-funded initiatives, clusters, regional development organisations, training and technology providers, financing actors, public authorities and SME support networks.

Together, we will explore how to:
🔹 Make existing tools and resources easier to discover and reuse
🔹 Connect complementary expertise, initiatives and support schemes
🔹 Build clearer support pathways for SMEs navigating their circular transition

We will also showcase key outcomes from the Up2Circ project, including:
📌 The Up2Circ methodology and tools
📌 The Up2Circ SME support pathway
📌 The relaunched Up2Circ Academy
📌 Inspiring video stories from SMEs
📌 “How to Perform Better” guide

💡 The goal is to connect the people and initiatives that can make those resources work better together.
📅 14:00–15:30 CET
🎯 For organisations supporting SME competitiveness, innovation and sustainability

🤝 An opportunity to exchange, connect and identify new possibilities for cooperation. Your organisation may have the expertise, funding, technology, network or support that another SME - or another support organisation - needs.

This webinar is part of 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔. Discover other interesting events taking place throughout the Circular Week 👉https://www.circularweek.com/events-agenda

Let’s connect the dots.
🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 👉https://up2circ.eu/webinar-registration-speeding-up-the-circular-transition-of-smes/

Selling a product is not the only way to create value from it.

More and more companies are exploring a different approach:
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐚𝐬-𝐚-𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 - shifting from selling products to providing access, functionality or outcomes.

The idea is simple: instead of a product being sold once and potentially becoming waste at the end of its first use, the company stays connected to it for longer. That can mean rental, subscription, pay-per-use, take-back, refurbishment, maintenance or reuse.

Looking at the Up2Circ projects, we can already see very different companies using this model:

🔧 JG Group Sp z o.o. developed vending machines for CNC cutting tools that can dispense tools and receive used ones back for regeneration or recycling. The model connects product access with return, regeneration and resource recovery. The project reported a 20% reduction in material use compared with previous years.

♻️ Felfil is moving from selling plastic recycling equipment towards a rental-based model. Its “Felfil As a Service” project aims to make recycling equipment more accessible while shifting the focus from ownership to access and longer utilisation.

🎨 Bim Trading Ltd is testing a “Paint-as-a-Service Lite” model in which professional contractors are incentivised to return leftover paint and empty buckets. Paint waste can then be processed into a pigment-rich secondary raw material, while HDPE buckets can be cleaned and reused for 10+ cycles.

⚡ elementarhy takes Product-as-a-Service into the green hydrogen sector. Its MEA-as-a-Service concept for electrolyzers combines supply with maintenance, take-back, refurbishment and recycling. Instead of treating a used Membrane Electrode Assembly as waste, the company aims to extend its lifetime, reuse components and recover valuable materials such as iridium.

🗑️ NANDO (Re-Learn) is applying Product-as-a-Service to urban waste management. The solution provides data and monitoring to help municipalities and waste operators better understand collection, contamination and bin utilisation - turning technology into an ongoing service rather than simply a product sale.

The value is moving from the ownership of a product to the service and outcome that the product enables.
And that creates interesting opportunities:
💡 recurring revenue
🔄 longer product lifecycles
🔧 stronger incentives for maintenance and repair
♻️ easier recovery and reuse
📊 better understanding of how products are actually used
🤝 longer-term customer relationships
🌱 lower resource consumption and waste

🔗 Explore the success stories behind this circular business model 👉 https://lnkd.in/dcpgs4PX

Enterprise Europe Network Enterprise Europe Network Italia Enterprise Europe Network Polska Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus

♻️ Extending the life cycle of textiles and reducing their environmental impact

As part of the Up2Circ project, we are proud to spotlight Ikone Textiles personnalisés, a French specialised in B2B textile customisation.

Based in Sorgues, in the region, IKONE provides textile printing and embroidery solutions for companies, public organisations, brands, events and clubs.

With its circular project, IKONE aims to develop a circular service dedicated to the end-of-life of customised professional textiles. Rather than considering the sale of a garment as the end of the customer relationship, IKONE wants to support textiles throughout their entire life cycle.

🚀 The project creates value on several levels:

✅ For customers: it provides a practical solution for managing the end-of-life of professional textiles, while generating environmental data to support ESG reporting, VSME requirements, responsible procurement and tender processes.

✅ For IKONE: it creates a new service offering, strengthens customer relationships and provides an opportunity to differentiate itself in the B2B customised textile market.

✅ For the environment: the project aims to extend the lifespan of textiles through repair and reuse, while improving the recovery of textiles that can no longer be used.

🎧 Read the full interview with Plat, CSR Manager at IKONE: : https://up2circ.eu/ikone-renew-extend-the-life-cycle-of-textiles-and-limit-the-environmental-impacts/

Circular Exhibition Stand Prototype Complete! 🌍

We are happy to share a video about our beneficiary siebold/hamburg messebau, as part of the EU-funded Up2Circ project!
They successfully developed a near emission-free, circular exhibition stand prototype! 🎉 An important signal in a field where lots of waste is generated.

From foldable graphic walls to reusable systems and digital previews, we’ve rethought every detail to reduce material use, transport impact, and CO₂ emissions. 🌱 The feedback from customers and partners was overwhelmingly positive!
The percentage of recycled materials♻️used in the trade show booth was increased from 24% to 95%!
The amount of CO2e emitted in connection with the trade show booth was reduced by 90%. A fantastic result that shows: it pays to take a critical look at your own processes.

siebold/hamburg messebau has been using this prototype for two years now and continues to improve it. The goal: to generate as little waste as possible and reuse as much material as possible!

In the video, the core-team describes the internal process and their motivation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaOaHcm_QgU

Siebold: Circular and Zero Emission Trade Show Booths This project explores how circular economy principles can transform...

🔁 The most valuable product might be the one we don’t replace.

A repaired handbag.
A refurbished smartphone.
A window designed to last.
Fresh produce given a few more days.
A returned product finding a new home.

A closer look at the Up2Circ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 case stories reveals a clear pattern: companies across diverse industries are demonstrating that extending product life can go beyond environmental benefits - it can also open up new business opportunities, create additional value for customers, and support more circular business models.

🥬 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢-𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝: Agreenet is extending the shelf life of fresh produce with PìFresc®, while DeFood is using a digital marketplace to redirect quality-rejected produce toward new buyers and applications.

👜 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧: EMBAWO is exploring a Circular Hub where handbags can be repaired, regenerated, redesigned and given a second life - with customers involved in the process.

🪑 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Athanasios Babalis design studio is developing a modular, ergonomic solid-wood chair that adapts as people grow - from age 5 to 85. Instead of replacing the chair as needs change, its modular design allows it to evolve with the user, extending both its life and value.

📡 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬: tsenso GmbH is turning temperature sensors from single-use devices into a reusable service. Instead of retailers discarding sensors after delivery, they are collected, checked and reused. A simple shift from selling devices to keeping them in circulation, reducing e-waste while lowering the cost per use.

🛋️ 𝐄-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞: toern is looking at how returned home & living products can move directly to another customer instead of travelling through conventional return flows.

🔗𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 - 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟑𝐃-𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 👉https://up2circ.eu/case-stories/?jsf=jet-engine&meta=ss_circular-strategy!is_custom_checkbox:product-life-extension

The Up2Circ case stories show how 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 is opening the door to new circular business models - built around repair, refurbishment, reuse, regeneration and smarter circulation.

Biova Project | Ninety France | Redopapers | Felfil | JUNKLE |

🔄 A circular supply chain starts long before a product becomes waste.

At Up2Circ, we’ve been exploring the success stories of companies putting 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 into practice - and they show that circularity is fundamentally about changing the way value flows.

Look at what is happening across Europe:

🍇 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐲-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬.
Planet Of The Grapes is transforming locally sourced grape marc into biomaterials for the fashion industry, shortening supply chains while replacing more resource-intensive materials.

📱 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬.
Ninety France is developing a local refurbishment chain for screens, chassis, motherboards and cameras - reducing dependence on new imported components while creating skilled jobs.

🍎 𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞.
DeFood’s WasteNot AgroMarket connects producers with buyers and processors, using digitalisation to make second-grade agricultural products easier to trade.

🌾 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐲-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠.
PROSERVATION is developing RECOU, a cushioning material made from grain waste that can replace environmentally harmful packaging materials. Its Up2Circ project also explored more durable and reusable moulds, with the potential to increase their lifespan from around 50–100 cycles to up to 1,000 - significantly reducing material consumption.

🍞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭.
Biova Project is turning industrial bread crusts and off-cuts into functional flour, creating a closed loop that can reduce food waste and dependence on virgin raw materials.

What connects these very different businesses?
They don't optimise the existing supply chain.
They rethink the supply chain itself.

They ask:
→ Where can we replace virgin resources?
→ Where can we keep materials and products in circulation?
→ Which “waste” streams could become someone else's inputs?
→ How can digital tools connect supply and demand?
→ How can we build shorter, more resilient and more local value chains?

These Up2Circ success stories show that the transition is already happening across food, electronics, fashion, manufacturing and beyond.

🔗 Discover the stories of and get inspired by how they are making supply chains more circular and creating lasting impact 👉 https://up2circ.eu/case-stories/?jsf=jet-engine&meta=ss_circular-strategy!is_custom_checkbox:circular-supply-chain

studio_belize | Alhomna Systems

♻️ Waste can be more than something to dispose of. It can be the starting point for new value.

At Up2Circ, we’re proud to present the success stories of our beneficiaries working with the 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 & 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 business model - companies turning circular challenges into new opportunities.

Their solutions show how:
🔄 Food surplus can become valuable ingredients
🔄 Used materials can be recovered, regenerated and given a new life
🔄 Digital solutions can make collection and recycling more efficient
🔄 Challenging waste streams can become inputs for new products

Different industries. Different technologies. Different approaches.

But one shared mindset:
See waste differently.
Because a waste stream can become a resource.
A disposal cost can become a business opportunity.
And recovery and recycling can create new value.

These Up2Circ success stories show that circular innovation is already happening - across industries and across Europe.

🔗 Discover the stories of our beneficiaries and get inspired by how they are turning waste into value 👉https://up2circ.eu/case-stories/?jsf=jet-engine&meta=ss_circular-strategy!is_custom_checkbox:recovery-and-recycling

10 YEARS. ONE GLOBAL VISION. THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE FASHION

In 2026, Global Sustainable Fashion Week ( ) celebrates its 10th Anniversary - bringing together fashion, sustainability, technology, business and academia.

Heritage meets High-Tech Innovation - from craftsmanship and circular fashion to AI, Digital Product Passports, cybersecurity and digital fashion.

🤝 Online B2B Matchmaking: 14–16 September
📍 On-site Programme: 16–18 September

Connect. Collaborate. Innovate. Shape the next decade of fashion.

🔗 More info & registration: https://www.b2match.com/e/10th-jubilee-global-sustainable-fashion

The event is organized by the National Fashion League Hungary Association in partnership with the Enterprise Europe Network and HEPA Magyar Exportfejlesztési Ügynökség

Enterprise Europe Network Magyarország