ENCIRCLE | Enabling Circular Value Chains via Production Digitization and Human Empowerment

Summary
Humanity has exceeded planetary boundaries as is evident by the ongoing climate crisis. The linear economic model of ‘produce-use-dispose' has a major role in this, having driven manufacturing to operate in open-loop and even disregard for the environment. The transition to circularity is an imperative goal, yet there is a very slow uptake of circular practices and business models. ENCIRCLE aspires to accelerate this transition through technologies and solutions that optimize manufacturing towards sustainability and incentivize companies and consumers to think and act circularly.
ENCIRCLE proposes a novel framework for environmental impact assessment via Digital Twins and Soft Sensors, incorporated in a virtual production line. Utilizing this virtual environment as a simulation and training space for AI, ENCIRCLE will decarbonize manufacturing, searching for sustainable production configurations and designs that reduce environmental footprint without compromising quality. This virtual space will be used for workforce training through gamification, cultivating new skills and fostering a new circular mindset. ENCIRCLE will follow a human-centered design and propose a symbiotic ecosystem of humans and AI through explainable Human-in-the-Loop methodologies.
Building on the Digital Product Passport concept and product traceability via IoT and blockchain, ENCIRCLE will support circular business cases through a Digital Marketplace. On the producer’s side, a circular CRM, will enable companies to track their products and offer personalized, circular products and services. On the consumer’s side, a mobile app will empower users with sustainable consumption choices, expanding the lifespan or salvaging the remaining value of old products. ENCIRCLE will also explore the legal and ethical implications of its research, validating its research outcomes and hypotheses, through a series of demonstrators across the entire value chain.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101178230
Start date: 01-10-2024
End date: 30-09-2027
Total budget - Public funding: 5 990 676,25 Euro - 5 990 676,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

Humanity has exceeded planetary boundaries as is evident by the ongoing climate crisis. The linear economic model of ‘produce-use-dispose' has a major role in this, having driven manufacturing to operate in open-loop and even disregard for the environment. The transition to circularity is an imperative goal, yet there is a very slow uptake of circular practices and business models. ENCIRCLE aspires to accelerate this transition through technologies and solutions that optimize manufacturing towards sustainability and incentivize companies and consumers to think and act circularly.
ENCIRCLE proposes a novel framework for environmental impact assessment via Digital Twins and Soft Sensors, incorporated in a virtual production line. Utilizing this virtual environment as a simulation and training space for AI, ENCIRCLE will decarbonize manufacturing, searching for sustainable production configurations and designs that reduce environmental footprint without compromising quality. This virtual space will be used for workforce training through gamification, cultivating new skills and fostering a new circular mindset. ENCIRCLE will follow a human-centered design and propose a symbiotic ecosystem of humans and AI through explainable Human-in-the-Loop methodologies.
Building on the Digital Product Passport concept and product traceability via IoT and blockchain, ENCIRCLE will support circular business cases through a Digital Marketplace. On the producer’s side, a circular CRM, will enable companies to track their products and offer personalized, circular products and services. On the consumer’s side, a mobile app will empower users with sustainable consumption choices, expanding the lifespan or salvaging the remaining value of old products. ENCIRCLE will also explore the legal and ethical implications of its research, validating its research outcomes and hypotheses, through a series of demonstrators across the entire value chain.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-05

Update Date

14-11-2024
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Factories of the Future Partnership - Made in Europe Partnership

Made in Europe (MiE)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01
HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-05: Technologies/solutions to support circularity for manufacturing (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)
MiE_25-27_RP04: Circular, connected manufacturing ecosystems
MiE_25-27_RP04_PastCallTopics(main)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-05: Technologies/solutions to support circularity for manufacturing (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)
MiE_25-27_RP05: The next level of circular economy through scalable, highly productive and zero-defect re-manufacturing technologies
MiE_25-27_RP05_PastCallTopics(main)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-05: Technologies/solutions to support circularity for manufacturing (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)
Specific Objective 2: Circular products & Climate-neutral manufacturing
R&I Objective 2.5: Digital platforms and data management for circular product and production-systems life-cycles
HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-05: Technologies/solutions to support circularity for manufacturing (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)
Horizon Europe
HORIZON.2 Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
HORIZON.2.4 Digital, Industry and Space
HORIZON.2.4.1 Manufacturing Technologies
HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01
HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-05: Technologies/solutions to support circularity for manufacturing (Made in Europe Partnership) (RIA)