Responsible industry leading the sustainable development on the example of industry clusters connecting circular economy

The Regional Council of Lapland in cooperation with the European Commission, Digipolis and City of Kemi, Finland, is organising a conference dedicated to “Responsible Industry Leading the Sustainable Development on the example of Industry Clusters Connecting Circular Economy”.

Around 130 representatives of local, regional, national and European public authorities together with industry and civil society stakeholders will share their experiences and provide insights into future cluster policies related to circular economy. The focus will be on trends, interregional and cross-sectoral collaboration as well as funding opportunities. The first day will evolve around discussions on cluster policy and Joint Cluster Initiatives in the context of circular economy. There will also be time for reflections by the participants. The participants will also have a chance to experience the value chain of the mining industry (“from the mine to the harbour”) during a field trip to the Arctic Industry Ecosystem on the second day.

The conference aims to display how clusters have already been used to push for regional ecosystems transition towards circular economy and what can be done in the future. Notably, the main objective is to demonstrate how green tech clusters in Europe (more than 250 already registered under the European Cluster Collaboration platform) can support the implementation of the new European Green Deal. In addition, the event will discuss how the future Joint Cluster Initiatives proposed under the Single Market programme (2021-2027) will support the strategic connection of European ecosystems and SMEs’ uptake of resource efficient solutions. In this context, the outcomes of the Circular Economy and Cluster Conference will feed into the discussion at the EU Cluster Conference 2020 planned to take place in Berlin 9-12 November 2020 under German EU Presidency.

Find more information on the conference here. Take part of the agenda here.