Advancing circular economy through research
The EU’s Green Deal aims to address the urgency of sustainable resource use and reduce environmental impact amid rising consumption and waste. Traditional linear economic models have led to resource depletion and pollution. One solution is the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, which aims to transform the economy into one that emphasises recycling, efficiency, and sustainability. However, achieving these goals requires an increase in expertise and research in circular economy practices. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ECOSPHERE project will offer postdoctoral fellowships focused on sustainable product design and resource efficiency. Coordinated by Yildiz Technical University and Dokuz Eylul University, the programme covers research areas such as eco-design, energy, water management, and more.
Objective
One of the main building blocks under the Green Deal policy is the “Circular Economy Action Plan” focusing on sustainable resource use, design and production for a circular economy, with the aim to ensure transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring economic growth while improving the well-being and health of citizens and future generations.Increasing the number of expert researchers and key profiles in the field of circular economy within the scope of the EU Green Deal is of great importance for the fulfilment of the determined policy objectives. ECO-SPHERE is a COFUND postdoctoral programme focusing on circular economy for sustainable product design and resource efficiency offering 24 postdoctoral fellowships of 24-months length in diligently designated research areas on eco-design, energy, water/wastewater, material recovery, waste management, economic policy, climate change, sustainability, and business models. ECO-SPHERE is coordinated by the Department of Environmental Engineering at Yildiz Technical University in collaboration with Dokuz Eylul University. The 5-year programme will be executed in a broad range of research areas incorporating circular economy weighing European Union Circular Economy Action Plan, European Green Deal, United Nations SDGs, and Paris Agreement. Circular economy studies for resource and energy-intensive sectors will be carried out in order to ensure sustainable development together with all stakeholders, in which People, Planet and Profit are handled in an integrated manner. ECO-SPHERE will concentrate on industries with high circularity potential such as electronics and information technology, automotive, packaging, plastics, textiles, construction, food, water, and energy. Moreover, ECO-SPHERE will have a human-centric approach and focus on empowering consumers and providing them with cost-saving opportunities, making circularity work for people and cities.