Global strategies to achieve a circular economy often overlook the contributions of smaller, locally-led enterprises and the need for market-based solutions specific to emerging economies. Most mainstream business models operate the “take, make and dispose” way of production and consumption and this is reflected in the vast majority of entrepreneurship or business development training resources. The ECO-CENT project will support the transformative potential of business models driven by social, economic and environmental sustainability objectives. It will be designed for entrepreneurs and business owners committed to adopting business models premised on up-cycling and re-cycling, resource efficiency, and ensuring valuable resources are not simply discarded but live on in innovative products and services.

The ECO-CENT project aims to respond to these needs of iVET and cVET providers and members of the business community by providing targeted training both to businesses on circular business models, and to VET trainers to support their continuous professional development in this domain. To bring innovation to the forefront of VET provision in each country, ECO-CENT partners will also form local synergies between VET professionals and business representatives to develop an innovation ecosystem to support both parties to contribute to the green transition of Europe.