Social innovation and acceptance of circular systemic solutions

While many businesses and European initiatives are continuously developing circular systemic solutions for boosting and reinforcing circular economy principles across Europe, their deployment and uptake among consumers and wider social groups need to be addressed in order to achieve overall success and appropriate social acceptance. One of the main reasons behind slow progress in this transition is the fact that circular business models usually take place on a micro-level (individual firms), which limits their ability to realise the systemic implementation of circular economy principles that often span across firms, other stakeholders, or even entire cities and regions.

This online workshop will explore these challenges from two perspectives: the creation of solutions and business models on one side, and their deployment and uptake on the other. After hearing from the CCRI Coordination Support Office about why social innovation is an important feature to consider, the CSSboost project – which has a strong social innovation aspect – will present its own approach and solutions. 

The workshop will also bring together relevant projects and initiatives that have identified this challenge in their approaches, as well as cities and regions that have successfully implemented enabling social innovation actions.

The event will be organised through two dedicated panel discussions. This inclusive and dynamic format will allow the audience to interact with the owners of good practices and success stories, drawing inspiration from their experiences. The choice of pilot and fellow cities, as well as researchers and practitioners in the field, will be carefully addressed in order to maximise the expected outcomes of the workshop.