‘Let’s talk about achievements’ was the heading of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme Conference 2019, which brought together more than 300 participants from 13 countries over two-days (9-10 April) in Lübeck, Germany.

The goal of the conference was to share and learn from the achievements of projects co-funded by the 300 million euros invested by Intereg Baltic Sea Region with the aim of making the region more innovative, more accessible, and more sustainable.

Circular PP was one of five projects pitching their achievements a parallel session on circular economy. The pitch focused on how public procurement can push a green, circular transition by using their buying power in a more circular way.  Interest in circular economy was very high at the Conference, and around 50 people attended the session (meaning more chairs had to be fetched!). After the pitch, a panel session was held, in which all the panelists agreed that circular procurement was a very hot and interesting topic. There was particular interest from the audience in hearing and learning about the project’s output, and about the good co-operation between partners with different levels of experience in circular procurement, ranging from lots of experience, through to some experience or even partners who are at the very beginning of their circular journey.

The key take-home message from the conference was that collaboration leads to a more innovative, accessible, and sustainable Baltic Sea Region. This is a message familiar to the Circular PP project, which brings together 11 partners from seven countries, each bringing their own knowledge and understanding of what circular procurement can achieve, and helping to put that into practice in three pilot cities/regions.

For more information on Circular PP activities, visit the project website.

Photo credit: scholty1970 (on pixabay.com)