The project “Circular spaces” is a collaborative initiative aimed at uniting makerspaces, SMEs, start-ups, artists, suppliers, and other stakeholders to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The project promotes sustainable material use, circular production methods, and eco-friendly innovation. At its core is the Circular spaces digital platform, an all-in-one toolkit designed to provide users with practical tools, training, and resources for adopting circular principles. Users can access a Training program, take a Circular Maturity test, and Circularity labels for both products and makerspaces. The platform also facilitates networking and collaboration through features like forums, product publication, and the ability to post gig jobs.
The platform empowers users to enhance their sustainability practices, drive innovation,and contribute to a more circular future. By using the platform, makerspaces cantransform their operations, access training, showcase their achievements, and connectwith like-minded stakeholders in the region.
This initiative is supported by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme 2021-2027,reflecting a shared ambition for a resilient and circular future in the Baltic Sea Region andbeyond.
The Circular Spaces platform is designed to empower makerspaces, makers, SMEs, start-ups,suppliers, and other stakeholders to share and implement sustainable practices. This tool aims tooptimize approaches to circularity and sustainability. Its primary purpose is to support users inadopting circular economy principles while providing a platform for networking and collaboration.
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For technical support, you can contact our customer support team via email at circular.spaces@vhtp.lv. Our team is ready to assist you with any questions or issues related to the platform, including account access, functionality, and general guidance.
The Circular Spaces platform offers various functions to support makerspaces, makers, SMEs, start-ups, suppliers, and other stakeholders. These functions include:
1. Training program: A structured learning initiative to help users adopt circular economy principles.
2. Circular Maturity Test: A tool to assess an organization’s progress and readiness in implementing circular practices.
3. Guidelines for makerspaces: Practical instructions on how to align makerspaces with circular economy principles.
4. Product publication with Circularity labels: The ability to publish and showcase products with circularity labels, promoting transparency and sustainability.
5. Circularity label for makerspaces: After completing the test and achieving a specific result, the circularity label is awarded and added to the makerspace's profile.
Additionally, the platform offers even more features, such as access to a forum, the ability to publish information about your makerspace, post gig jobs, and more, all designed to enhance collaboration between makerspaces, makers and other.
The training program consists of 9 interconnected topics, each complementing the others. Everytopic begins with methodological notes that serve as a guiding resource for trainers, supporting them in the preparation and organization of training activities. Additionally, presentations are provided as core training materials, which can be customized to meet the specific needs of different target groups.
The training program is designed to empower makerspaces and their users – including makers, SMEs, artists, and others – with the knowledge, skills, and inspiration needed to incorporate circular economy principles into their projects. The program aims to foster a community of innovators dedicated to both creativity and environmental responsibility. The Training program can be accessed here.
Yes, the training program has been developed as part of the “Circular Spaces” project. It is completely free of charge and available to anyone interested in using it, making it accessible to a wide range of users committed to adopting circular economy principles.
The Circular Maturity test was developed to give platform users the opportunity to assess their experience and knowledge of sustainable products and services. The test is tailored to five distinct user groups, including makerspaces, makers, SMEs, suppliers, and other stakeholders, ensuring a customized assessment experience for each group. The Circular Maturity test can be accessed here.
The test results are saved automatically if the user is logged in while taking the test. To view your results, go to the “Circular Maturity Test” section, where you will see the user group for which the test was taken, along with the results, including points received and recommendations for improvement. Users can re-take the test as many times as needed to track their progress and improve their circular maturity.
To receive a Circularity Label, a makerspace must first create a makerspace profile in “Makerspaces” section. The profile must be created through the user profile that will be used to take the test. After completing the test and achieving a specific point count, the system will automatically grant the makerspace a Circularity Label. There are three levels of Circularity Labels: 1 leaf (Basic Level), 2 leaves (Intermediate Level), and 3 leaves (Advanced Level). It is possible to receive a lower-level label initially, with the option to improve it later by retaking the test and achieving a higher score.
Earning a Circularity label demonstrates your commitment to sustainability, enhances your visibility on the platform, and attracts eco-conscious collaborators and customers. It serves as a mark of credibility, showing that your makerspace aligns with circular economy principles, which can open up new opportunities for partnerships, funding, and community engagement.
To publish a product, log in and navigate to the “Profile” section located in the upper-right corner. Go to “My Products” and click “Add New Product”. Follow the steps to provide details such as the product title, category, description, colors, and photos. Make sure to add Circularity labels in the first step to inform others that your product follows circular economy principles.
Circularity labels identify and highlight the sustainable features of a product. There are 5 Circularity labels that indicate specific circular economy principles applied to a product:
1. Recycled or recyclable: Created to be recyclable or created from materials recovered from waste that would otherwise have been discarded. The materials have been processed and repurposed to form new products. The products can be made totally or partially from the recycled materials.
2. Upcycled: Useless or unwanted items transformed into new products perceived to be of greater value and quality. Upcycling is also known as creative reuse.
3. Biodegradable or compostable: Can naturally decompose into non-toxic elements in the environment.
4. Refurbished or remanufactured: Restored to a like-new condition for extended use.
5. Designed for durability or longevity: Built to last, reducing the need for frequent replacement. These labels help users easily identify products that support sustainability and circular economy principles.
If you are not familiar with these terms, there is an info icon next to each Circularity label thatprovides a quick reminder.
The guideline “Transformation into Circular Makerspaces: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide for Makerspaces” outlines 10 key aspects or must-haves that makerspaces should follow to successfully transition into circular makerspaces. These aspects provide practical steps and actionable advice to support the shift toward more sustainable and circular operations.
Implementing all aspects outlined in the guide is not mandatory but recommended. Each makerspace can adapt these aspects based on its specific goals, resources, and circumstances. Adopting all the aspects will ensure a comprehensive transition to circular practices. However, makerspaces are encouraged to prioritize and implement these steps gradually, tailoring them totheir unique needs and capacity.
The section "Circular spaces" of the platform and all the materials included in this section has been developed within the project No. #C024 "Circular Economy makerspace". The project is supported by the INTERREG Baltic Sea region programme 2021-2027 of the European Union.
