Every year on 5 June, World Environment Day reminds us of the urgent need to address major environmental challenges. In 2026, this day focuses on climate change and the need to accelerate collective action capable of transforming the way we produce, consume and manage resources.
In this context, the circular economy is becoming a key tool for reducing pressure on natural resources, decreasing environmental impacts and creating new opportunities for local value creation. For this transition to be effective, cities and regions play a fundamental role: they are the places where challenges are concentrated, but also where practical solutions can be designed and implemented, adapted to local realities and capable of delivering direct benefits to citizens.
This is the perspective behind the European project CCRI Knowledge Hub, coordinated by Kveloce and funded by Horizon Europe. The project aims to expand the impact of the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) by strengthening the network of stakeholders involved and leveraging the knowledge already generated around the implementation of circular economy solutions in European cities and regions.
To achieve this, CCRI Knowledge Hub acts as a knowledge centre that facilitates access to practical and systematised information, provides mentoring tailored to the needs of territories and promotes awareness-raising activities to make the circular economy more accessible, attractive and applicable. The project brings together 11 partners from 6 EU countries and focuses on four main dimensions: public engagement, innovation and technology, business models and financial support, and impact assessment.
As part of its capacity-building activities, CCRI Knowledge Hub is organising a series of webinars throughout June and July focusing on the different challenges faced by European cities and regions when implementing circular economy solutions. These sessions aim to facilitate knowledge exchange, share practical experiences and provide support to territories working towards their circular transition.
As part of this series, Kveloce, in collaboration with CETENMA, is organising the webinar “Bio-waste, Organics, and Territorial Bioeconomy: From Collection Quality to Valorisation”, which will take place online and in English on 1 July, from 11:00 to 13:00 CET. The session is aimed at cities, regions and stakeholders interested in improving organic waste management and integrating it into territorial circular economy strategies.
During the webinar, participants will explore the role of the organic fraction of municipal waste within territorial bioeconomy systems, with particular attention to the connection between the quality of separate collection systems and subsequent valorisation opportunities. The session will begin with a technical introduction to urban organic waste management, including pathways such as composting, biogas production and nutrient recovery, as well as tools and lessons learned from European and regional initiatives.
The programme will also feature good practices from cities, regions and European projects already working on the valorisation of organic waste. These include the case of Arezzo, which has implemented a coordinated urban strategy combining home composting campaigns, separate collection and waste treatment; the Valencia pilot of the WaysTUP! project, focused on transforming urban biowaste into bio-based products such as bioplastics, bioethanol and proteins; experiences related to the production of biogas and fertilisers from organic waste; and the case of Päijät-Häme/Lahti (Finland), where a mobile biorefinery recovers materials from agricultural, industrial and municipal waste streams to produce PHA biopolymers and fertilisers.
In addition, the webinar will include an interactive capacity-building session, moderated by Kveloce, aimed at identifying barriers and enabling factors for the implementation of organic waste and bioeconomy strategies at territorial level. This space will connect the technical content and case studies presented with the real needs of cities, regions and stakeholders working towards circular economy models.
For Kveloce, coordinating the CCRI Knowledge Hub means helping ensure that the knowledge generated around the circular economy reaches those who can apply it on the ground: public administrations, cities, regions, technical organisations, civil society organisations and other actors involved in the circular transition.
In line with the global call to take action on climate change, this webinar is also an invitation to continue sharing practical solutions, experiences and lessons learned so that organic waste ceases to be a persistent challenge and becomes a genuine opportunity to promote more circular, sustainable and resilient territories.
