The European Social Innovation Competition, launched in memory of Diogo Vasconcelos, is a Competition run by the European Commission across all European countries, now in its seventh year. The 2019 Competition is titled Challenging Plastic Waste and seeks the most innovative projects, products, services, business models and collaborations that tackle plastic waste. We’re looking for ideas from one or more of the following fields:
- Reducing the consumption of single use plastic products
- Recycling, reusing, and upcycling existing plastic waste
- Dealing with accumulated plastic waste in landfills and the environment
- Changing consumer behaviours, retail and wider business practices to reduce levels of plastic waste and/or increase recycling and re-use
- Implementing alternative business models and optimising supply chains to reduce plastic waste and/or increase recycling and re-use
- Introducing new materials fit for a circular economy or that offer sustainable alternatives to fossil-based plastics
The aim of the 2019 European Social Innovation Competition is to support ideas and projects that reduce plastic waste and littering through changing and improving existing processes or through introducing brand-new products and initiatives. These innovations need to reduce the amount of plastic waste created or encourage and enable the greater re-use and recycling of plastic waste. Solutions should be scalable and target change at the systemic level and be rooted in one of the following areas:
- Reducing the consumption of single use plastic products;
- Recycling, reusing, and upcycling existing plastic waste;
- Dealing with accumulated plastic waste in landfills and the environment;
- Changing consumer behaviours, or retail and wider business practices;
- Implementing alternative business models and optimising supply chains;
- Introducing new materials fit for a circular economy or that offer sustainable alternatives to fossil-based plastics.
The European Social Innovation Competition is seeking ideas from social innovators, entrepreneurs, students, designers, businesses, doers, makers and change creators – anyone who has an innovative and creative idea for turning the tide on plastic waste.
Deadline: 04.04.2019