In June 2017 PolyCE was featured at the “Promoting Green Investments: Innovators Meet Investors” event during the World Circular Economy Forum in Helsinki, Finland.

The event was hosted by the European Commission’s Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) and the EU Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production in ASIA (SWITCH Asia).

Alejandro Santacreu, the CEO of PolyCE’s project partner company Circular Devices OY, presented PolyCE’s innovative solutions for capturing plastics from electronic waste and including them more effectively into the circular economy. Mr. Santacreu is also the founder of PuzzlePhone, the signature sustainable modular phone, which stands for longevity and reparability.

Some of the key take-aways from the event include:

• The transition towards a circular economy will be driven primarily by businesses and cities
• The circular economy needs to be supported by regulatory and economic instruments such as national road maps and public procurement
• The simultaneous generation of economic growth, saving natural resources, and reducing pollution is essential
• More investment in new technologies, new business models, digitization, and innovation is needed for achieving the circular economy

The event brought together around 1,200 recognised experts and decision-makers in the field to discuss circular economy solutions for global sustainability challenges. It featured ten brand-new circular economy projects that are funded through the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, PolyCE among them. The EU invests more than EUR 80 million in these innovation actions as part of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan.