WoodCircus increases knowledge, raises awareness and improves conditions for an uptake of resource efficient processing and recycling in wood-based value chains, fostering increased competitiveness of the European woodworking sector. The project links the challenges and opportunities for resource efficiency and cascade use of wood and woodwaste with the aim to enhance the wood construction sector and improve environmental, economic, and social sustainability. The project identifies, evaluates and disseminates the outstanding good practices in process efficiency, wood waste collection, management and recycling in the woodworking value chains in Europe with a focus on wood construction. Achieving a thorough evaluation of the overall system’s performance and a validation of the most relevant transferable solutions, the project produces sound, critical evidence and tangible decision support information for market actors, stakeholders and policymakers. To sustain the European exchange and market uptake of solutions, the project establishes a well-integrated network of the key existing stakeholders, notably between wood processing industries the waste management sector,a nd the RDTI community. It also sets up an interface for feed-in of vital results to the EC Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) and the JRC Bioeconomy Knowledge Centre (BKC). The project implements the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy targets ensuring intelligent utilisation of forest resources and fostering sustainable growth and wellbeing in the EU.

The project produces the following major outcomes:

- Good practice database, a thorough documentation of the state of the art, including an interface to the EC Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) and the Bioeconomy Knowledge Centre (BKC)

- Open competition and award to SMEs, highlighting individual good practice showcases

- Evaluation approach for performance and sustainability assessment, tested on typical value chains

- Best performing supply chains typology, validated for broad transfer

- RTDI plan for wood industries towards the Circular Economy

- White Paper including policy recommendations, endorsed by a broad panel of stakeholders

- WoodCircus Network, established on solid commitments from technical institutes, industries and policy makers for follow-up beyond the project lifetime

- High Level Conference, a major international event promoting the wood sector in the Circular Economy