CirculaR Economy strategy FRAMEwork for sustainable SMEs Erasmus Project

Project Title

CirculaR Economy strategy FRAMEwork for sustainable SMEs

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

Climate change and environmental destruction are a threat to Europe and the world. Circular Economy (CE) has been identified as one of the key priorities that requires attention and actions for all organisations, regardless their size. In comparison to larger corporations, SMEs have smaller capacity and less availability of knowledge and financial resources. This makes it more difficult for them to change their operations, product design, or the sourcing of raw materials. Consequently, since SMEs & micro-enterprises represent the dominant form of business organization in Europe (around 99%), the transition to a green economy without their participation could hardly be achieved.
The REFRAME project will create a CE Transition Framework specifically for small and medium businesses in construction, manufacturing and crafts industry, to help them become friendlier to the environment. It will provide the EU construction & manufacturing SMEs and micro-enterprises’ employees and future employees with practical knowledge on implementing CE transition in their business. A ‘sizable, growing and active’ REFRAME on-line community will be created, with main objective the Up-to-date insight in Circular Economy, the exchange of know-how and good practices among the participants and the successful implementation of a CE transition for all SMEs and mixro-enterprises.
Under the REFRAME, there will be developed:
1) an Interactive Self-Rate Tool (IO1) for effectively assessing the current status of a company in relation to Circular Economy (CE) principles and strategies.
2) a Circular Economy Course (IO2) that it will provide a curriculum adopted to the needs of construction and manufacturing SMEs and micro-enterprises
3) an Implementation Framework (IO3) that will provide a systematic methodology for the target groups to implement a successful and advantageous CE transition
4) the REFRAME iLearn Tool (IO4), which will be an Open Educational Resource and will include all the above.
The target-groups of the project are divided into main and secondary.
Main target-groups:
1) Construction, crafts and manufacturing SMEs’ owners/managers/personnel with up to 100 employees & micro-enterprises
2) (future) employees of manufacturing SMEs (Unskilled, Adept, Skilled)
3) VET centres/trainers/consultants
4) experts that support companies with CE processes (internally or externally)

Other target-groups (secondary):
manufacturing SMEs associations, university/college students, municipalities and cities

The target groups and the participants will be involved at every stage of the project implementation in order to assure that their needs are always adequately and fully addressed, since they will benefit directly from the project outcomes.

The REFRAME partnership is composed by 6 partners from 5 EU countries, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Bulgaria and Hungary. They will all give an added value to the transfer of the project’s products, thanks to their experience in Circular Economy, the Environment protection, in training sector, in digital technologies and in international cooperation.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 269165 Eur

Project Coordinator

NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS – NTUA & Country: EL

Project Partners

• TOURNIS SYMVOULEFTIKI EE
• PCX COMPUTERS & INFORMATION SYSTEMS LTD
• CSONGRAD COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
• CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY VRATSA SDRUZHENIE
• INSTITUTO DE SOLDADURA E QUALIDADE