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Roll out Systemic Change to evolve the Furniture Industry towards CE through the Implementation of innovative Circular Business Models, Material & Design Strategies, and the Digital Product Passport

Project description

Reinventing Europe’s furniture for sustainability

The European furniture industry is struggling with rising costs for raw materials and energy, which is hurting profits. At the same time, inflation is causing a drop in consumer demand. Although many companies are interested in becoming more sustainable, new EU regulations are making it harder to implement changes. In this context, the EU-funded R-evolve project focuses on developing solutions for furniture design and business models that prioritise sustainability. With the support of an experienced team of industry associations, companies and research organisations the project will test these solutions through nine pilot projects. It will also create training materials to help companies adopt new practices and foster a community for knowledge sharing in the furniture sector.

Objective

The European Furniture Industry grapples with challenges such as rising raw material costs, escalating energy expenses, and declining demand due to inflation. Despite stakeholder interest in circular design and sustainability, the adoption of the ESPR introduces additional hurdles. R-evolve aims to systematically support the industry's transition, emphasizing CE-oriented Product-System Innovations, including CE-oriented Business Models, circular material and product design strategies, and the use of the Digital Product Passport (DPP).
The consortium ensures broad industry involvement, with over a third of partners being European, national, and regional furniture associations with good connections to the industry. Other partners are seven furniture sector companies (four being SMEs) and seven research organisations.
Recognizing the diversity of the European Furniture Industry, R-evolve will collaborate with stakeholders to develop Product-System Innovations. Private consumers and (public) procurers will actively participate. The developed Product-System Innovations, along with innovative solutions to support their implementation, are tested in nine pilots. Their sustainability impact will be assessed. To catalyze a broader industry transition, R-evolve creates training materials based on the developed Product-System Innovations and the results of the piloting. In a large-scale implementation, 50 companies will use the training materials and the support of the project consortium to implement CE-oriented Business Models, circular material and design strategies, and DPP-systems that suit their framework conditions best.
Additionally, R-evolve will convene relevant stakeholders, initiating a Community of Practice for a circular furniture industry. This collaborative effort aims to foster knowledge exchange and further advance sustainability within the sector.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL6-2024-CIRCBIO-01

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Coordinator

INTERDISZIPLINARES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUR TECHNIK, ARBEIT UND KULTUR
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 382 125,00
Address
Schloegelgasse 2
8010 Graz
Austria

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Region
Südösterreich Steiermark Graz
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 382 125,00

Participants (22)

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