Towards a Circular Economy: Generating a New Professional Profile in Household Appliance Sector Erasmus Project

Project Title

Towards a Circular Economy: Generating a New Professional Profile in Household Appliance Sector

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Energy and resources; Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship)

Project Summary

For a long time, our economy system has been ‘linear’. Linear economy extracts raw materials from the environment, expends enormous quantities of fossil fuel energy shipping, processes these raw materials and elaborates useful products, producing after its use tones of waste. Every year in the EU, nearly 15 tonnes of materials are used per person, while each EU citizen generates, on average, more than 4.5 tonnes of waste annually, almost half of which is disposed of in land fill sites.

To ensure that in the future there are enough raw materials for food, shelter, heating and other necessities, our economy must become circular. The circular economy works by keeping raw materials and products in productive loops for as long as possible. The Circular economy offers an opportunity to reinvent our economy, making it more sustainable and competitive. This will bring benefits for European businesses, industries, and citizens alike.

Household appliance sector is one of the biggest sector in Europe contributing to the European GDP in 54 billion Euros per year but at the same time, it produces around 9 million tones of discarded equipment each year and 3.2 million tones of the discarded equipment is treated each year under the WEEE Directive (Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment) and other waste legislation.

For the European manufacturers of household appliances, the Circular Economy represents closing the loop of an industrial development grounded on innovation and competitiveness, in line with the process and product innovation oriented to eco-sustainability and environmental responsibility.

In this context, Economic actors, such as businesses and consumers, are key in driving this process. Local, regional and national authorities are enabling the transition, but the EU also has a fundamental role to play in supporting it.

The European Commission in order to encourage the transition towards a Circular Economy, adopted a Circular Economy Package, which includes measures like: revise legislative proposals on waste; reduce of food waste; boost the separate collection; extend the product service life that includes the obligation of recyclability and repair of household appliances;.. to boost global competitiveness, foster sustainable economic growth and generate new jobs.

The transition to a circular economy will require a qualified workforce with specific and sometimes new skills, and opportunities for employment and social dialogue. If the right skills at all levels must be developed, they will have to be assumed by the education and training systems. Europe has to anticipate needs and encourage the development of skills and other measures to support job creation in the green economy (Document “New Skills Agenda for Europe”).

In this sense, CIR-ECO – Towards a Circular Economy: Generating a New Professional Profile in Household Appliance Sector project will work to identify, describe and develop the Professional Profile that will be needed to become the Circular Economy a reality in Household Appliance Sector (repairing, refurbishing and recycling discarded equipment).

The aims of CIR-ECO – Towards a Circular Economy: Generating a New Professional Profile in Household Appliance Sector are:
– the identification, definition and description of the Professional Profile of workers that will participate in the repairing, refurbishing and recycling of discarded equipment (washing machines,..) in order to reduce the use of raw materials, minimize the generation of waste, increase the use of the products, etc… in the new transition towards the Circular Economy.
– the description and development of the Training Curriculum and training modules included in the New Professional Profile in Household Appliance Sector within the Circular Economy but not covered by the formal Educational System developed in the participant countries.
– Create a Learning Virtual Environment with the training materials developed to facilitate the access to the target group.

The direct target group is:
– Unemployed people who want to insert in the labour market
– Workers that need to re orientate their careers to get a stable job
– Workers within companies of Household Appliance Sector that change its economic system from lineal to circular.
– VET students

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 169982 Eur

Project Coordinator

ASOCIACION CLUSTER DE INDUSTRIAS DEMEDIO AMBIENTE DE EUSKADI & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Vormelek vzw
• FONDO FORMACION EUSKADI SLL
• Syntra West vzw
• INSTITUTO DE SOLDADURA E QUALIDADE
• GOSPODARSKA ZBORNICA SLOVENIJE