The project
Consorzio ZAI is part of the project "ECOLE - ECO industrial park network for the Alpine Regions Leveraging smart and Circular Economy", of which it is also the lead partner. The project is co-financed by the Interreg Alpine Space Program 2021-2027.
The objective of the project
ECOLE will help to solve the problems that Industrial Parks (IPs) face in order to become integrated circular Eco-Industrial Parks (IEPs), namely to introduce the principles of the circular economy at all levels. This challenge particularly affects industries, but also infrastructure providers, public authorities, sectoral agencies, business support organisations, managing and providing services to industrial parks (energy, waste/sewage collection, development and support) in the Alpine region.
Indeed, the industrial parks of the Alpine area are affected on the one hand by the increase of energy costs and on the other by the lack of specific knowledge on the integration of the circular economy approach in the value chain.
To change this, cooperation is key because only a systemic change will accelerate the transition towards a circular and resource-efficient industry in the Alps. For this reason, working together with industries, infrastructure providers, public authorities, sectoral agencies and universities, ECOLE will provide industrial zones with an integrated approach to the circular economy.
To achieve this, a common approach will be used, and a transnational systemic thinking model will be established which will co-design action plans to implement the tools collected in the pilot sites. Finally, policies and strategies will be developed to accelerate the adoption of circular economy principles at the transnational level.
Partner
Consortium ZAI (Italy), COSELAG (Italy), Development Agency of Sora (Slovenia), Regional Development Agency of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Energy and Innovation center of Weiz (Austria), Wirtschaftsagentur Burgenland (Austria), Landshut University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Italian-German Chamber of Commerce (Germany), Grenoble-Alps Metropole (France), Polymeris (France), Lombardy Foundation for the Environment (Italy), TUM International GmbH (Germany).
Duration
36 months: November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2025