Nowadays, the profusion of documents and initiatives that use Circular Economy as a theme has contributed to the dissemination of its importance, but, paradoxically, also to the trivialisation of the concept and to some blur and confusion of its effective meaning and scope.
Bridging the three pillars of sustainable development (economic, environmental and social), the concept of Circular Economy, as opposed to the Linear Economy, refers to a comprehensive view of optimising the life cycle of materials, products and services, within a framework that aims at preserving human, social and natural capital. Circular Economy thus focuses on the concept of “closing loops” throughout the value chain of a product, material or service, and its value chain phases (conception and design, production, distribution, use and disposal).
With regard to Centro’s Regional Agenda for the Circular Economy, and aligned with the participatory process that characterised its development, the identified priority axes / domains seek, as far as possible, to frame the potential of developing actions and projects that aim at promoting Circular Economy in the Centro region, and that result from the meetings and the collaborative dynamics of the platforms / working groups of Centro’s RIS3. Thus, the defined priority axes / domains correspond to a criterion of operability and capacity for commitment from the region with its main stakeholders and institutions. They cover policy areas that are within the reach and scope of CCDR Centro and the entities associated with the operationalisation of the Agenda.
