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A new £3.7m project will help public service organisations in south Wales work collaboratively to develop new regional service solutions to existing circular economy challenges.
Funded by the Welsh Government and the European Social Fund, the Circular Economy Innovation Communities (CEIC) project is a collaboration between Swansea University and Cardiff Metropolitan University.
The fully-funded 10-month CEIC programme is available to public services and third sector organisations in the Cardiff Capital Region and Swansea Bay City Region and will help managers to develop new service solutions and deliver circular economy benefits for their organisations and the regions.
Implementing circular economy thinking into public services will help reduce carbon footprint and is part of the solution to the global climate emergency, where products and services are designed to maximise their value and minimise waste.
CEIC, which runs until the end of 2023, will bring together public service organisations within the Swansea Bay and Cardiff Capital regions to collaborate within a programme that comprises of workshops, site visits, action learning and peer engagement. The programme will enable managers to co-create new products or services and to implement changes with the support of experts at Swansea and Cardiff Metropolitan Universities.
Gary Walpole, Director of the CEIC programme, said: “I’m really excited about the funding as the CEIC programme is an excellent opportunity for public service managers to work together in an integrated proven programme to deliver change that reduces carbon footprint and enhances productivity. The public service managers will support each other in an innovation community of practice that utilises their knowledge and existing promising practices in order to for them to leverage their organisational economies to co-create service solutions that reduces materials and resources.”
Counsel General and Minister for European Transition, Jeremy Miles said: “This investment will prove a significant boost to the circular economy in south Wales, benefitting both public services and the third sector in many ways.
“This programme will bring organisations together to find innovative solutions to the unique challenges they face, supporting learners for future generations at their respective universities.”