Authors: Zbigniew Przygodzki and Justyna Trippner-Hrabi
Frontsh1p project emphasizes that an equally important challenge, alongside creating innovations that support circularity, is to develop an effective model for implementing circular economy strategies at the regional level. We discovered that a top-down approach to circular policy implementation is ineffective in regions with a high degree of market and governance failure in resource and raw material management, including waste. Therefore, the project’s success is attributed to the creation of a new adaptive methodology for implementing a circular economy at the local level (within a municipality or other smaller territorial social cooperatives). In Frontsh1p we have developed a new Circular Governance Model called “CircuPuncture” (Frontsh1p, Raport D2.6, 2024). CircuPuncture promotes a resource-based approach to development, involving the preparation of resource management strategies, based on Resource missions, innovation, targeted interventions in places of unclosed resource loops, and community involvement.
The CircuPuncture Model combines the advantages of strategic management with the flexibility of operational management. The model is based on:
- Integrated interpersonal and collective communication tools supported by information and communication technologies
- A punctual, selective, and staged way of implementing projects when it is difficult to initiate and implement a holistic vision of territory development
- Coordinating and integrating multi-agency, dispersed sectoral, and cross-sectoral activities/projects
- Bottom-up action initiated by individuals/stakeholders aware of the conditions and needs of implementing a circular economy
- Mechanisms of coexistence of social, economic, and environmental spheres based on market rules and shared value systems
The Circupuncture model through Resource Missions strengthens circular systemic solutions (CSS) in selected 4 areas of desired innovations: wood packaging, food and feed, water and nutrients, plastic and rubber. The technological CSS aims to be resource-efficient, deal with climate change and reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
Resource Missions are critical areas of innovation needs, i.e. areas of necessary improvement and systemic innovation in the form of Circular Systemic Solution. Circular Systemic Solutions are sets of innovations (technological, productive, process, market, social, organisational, ecological design, and marketing) dedicated to particular types of resources. We can see the logic of the CircuPuncture Model in the wind scheme (Fig. 1) For the selection of Resource Missions we can use tool: 4NO Filter (Fig. 2).
Idea of the CicuPuncture Model
Criteria for 4NO filter
Circular Challenges (CC) are set in the Resource Missions. Nevertheless, they can be interdependent. In other words, implementing one of the Circular Challenges in a Mission may affect the implementation status of other Missions. At the same time, the CCs are reports of specific innovation needs – implementing individual CCs may require necessary systemic innovations in the form of Circular Systemic Solutions (CSSN1-n). CCs can be both simple and complex projects. Challenges can be infrastructure, organisational, as well as social projects.
Two tools will be useful when setting Circular Challenges:
- Regional Stakeholder Activity Convergence Compass
- Benchmarking of resource use directions
The CircuPuncture Model is designed to address the challenges of transitioning from a linear to a circular economy, particularly in territories where anticipating the conditions of the circular economy is difficult due to delays in adapting to megatrends, dispersed development potentials, and severe market and government failures. The adaptive mode of the model allows for a “small steps” approach, where in-point solutions are tested, revised, and implemented continuously in a sandbox format, enabling their promotion, diffusion, and replication in other areas.
This model is implemented in an association of local and territorial governments in the Lodzkie Region and the town of Parzęczew. CircuPuncture is universal methods and has been replicated in Portugal, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands.
