As part of its plans to move to a circular economy, Europe is re-evaluating its relationship with waste. The EU-funded PPI4Waste project is inviting public procurers and others interested in innovative waste solutions to work together to make the transition to better waste management a reality. An Interest Group and Purchasing Community dedicated to waste are being launched today at the project’s Procurement Foresight Workshop in Brussels (Belgium).

The Interest Group is an online gathering open to all stakeholders interested in waste management. It will provide useful information and peer to peer exchange for municipal waste management experts, procurers, policy makers, and suppliers. The Purchasing Community provides an exclusive opportunity to procurers who are involved in the procurement of waste management solutions in the public sector. Group members will be given the chance to improve their knowledge of the innovative solutions available on the market and take part in webinars, face-to-face meetings and trainings with other procurers.

“Finding innovative solutions to waste management issues is a vital part of achieving the type of sustainable, resource-efficient Europe that we want to see in the future. Through the establishment of these groups, PPI4Waste will make the topic more accessible to procurers, and ensure that each region of Europe is equipped with the best knowledge and tools to fully embrace innovation in the sector," said Philipp Tepper of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, coordinator of the Interest Group and Purchasing Community. Both groups will use the Procurement Forum, a dedicated online networking space, to facilitate exchange.

For more information, visit the PPI4Waste website.