RECEBA Survey: Circular Economy (CE) Skills Step 1 of 9 11% This survey is for companies active in circular economy (CE) sector. Your input is vital to help us design innovative and flexible training solutions for Europe’s green and digital transition. ABOUT RECEBA RECEBA (Regional Circular Economy Business Acceleration) is an EU-funded Erasmus+ project promoting innovative solutions aligned with regional smart specialisation strategies. WHY YOUR INPUT MATTERS Your views will help us: Identify current and future skill needs in Circular Economy Improve training methods and digital tools across Europe Explore the role of microcredentials in lifelong learning The survey takes approx. 15 minutes. All responses are anonymous, GDPR-compliant, and used only for research and policy recommendations. NEED HELP? Contact us via email at: [email protected]Thank you for contributing to the future of Europe’s circular economy!— The RECEBA Project Team Respondent ProfileEmail Sector(Required) Manufacturing Construction Resource Management Digital/Technology Other Company size (Number of employees)(Required) Micro (1-9) SME (10-249) Large (250+) What is your function in the company?(Required) HR Operations Sustainability Management Other Region / Country(Required) Bulgaria Italy (Lazio) Spain (Navarre) France (Normandy) Netherlands (North Netherlands) Belgium (Wallonia) Other Circular Economy Adoption & StrategyLevel of Circular Economy (CE) maturity(Required)NoneMinimal ImplementationModerate implementationSubstantial implementationAdvanced ImplementationRate your level from “None” to “Advanced Implementation”.Does your organisation have a CE strategy?(Required) Yes, as a stand-alone dedicated strategy Yes, within overall organisation strategy In progress No What are your primary drivers for CE adoption? (Select up to 3)(Required) Regulation / Compliance Cost savings Market demand ESG commitments Innovation Other Rate the difficulty of translating CE concepts into operations:Very EasyEasyNeither Easy nor DifficultDifficultVery DifficultWhat are your main barriers to CE implementation? (Select your top 3)(Required) Lack of skills Lack of training provision Regulatory complexity Cost constraints Lack of collaboration Lack of practical guidance If you could solve one key challenge to make your business more circular, what would it be?Please share a concrete example (process, materials, logistics, business model, skills, digital, governance, compliance, etc.) Skills Demand, Gaps & Market Relevance – Domain 1CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL TRANSFORMATION Focuses on redesigning business models to create value through reuse, repair, remanufacturing, sharing, and service-based approaches rather than linear consumption. It supports companies in transitioning from “take-make-dispose” models toward regenerative and resource-efficient economic systems. The domain includes innovation in value propositions, customer engagement, revenue models, and sustainable entrepreneurship.Importance of "Domain 1: Circular Strategy & Business Models" to your organisation(Required)Low ImportanceSecondary ImportanceMedium ImportancePrimary ImportanceHigh ImportanceRate your level from “Low Importance” to “High Importance”. Internal Availability of Skills in "Domain 1: Circular Strategy & Business Models" to your organisation(Required) Available Partially Available Missing Select the most critical tasks for your current or future operations (up to 5)(Required)Select between 1 and 5 choices. Identify business opportunities to integrate circular economy principles into company strategy and growth plans Develop business models based on reuse, repair, refurbishment, sharing, take-back or recycling activities Assess how circular activities create economic, environmental and customer value across product lifecycles Create product-service offers (e.g. leasing, subscription, pay-per-use, maintenance services) that extend product use and reduce waste Evaluate costs, revenues, investments and return on investment of circular economy initiatives Identify opportunities for circular collaboration, industrial symbiosis or resource-sharing within regional value chains Include circular economy targets and actions in business planning, operational plans and sustainability strategies Provide business data, impact assessments and strategic recommendations to support circular transition decisions Identify operational, financial, regulatory or market barriers affecting implementation of circular business practices Communicate the economic, environmental and competitive benefits of circular economy practices to internal and external stakeholders Other Use this space to share any other urgent skill requirement for this domain Skills Demand, Gaps & Market Relevance – Domain 2CIRCULAR OPERATIONS & PRODUCTION Addresses the transformation of industrial and operational processes to minimise waste, energy use, emissions, and resource dependency. It promotes efficient production systems based on durability, repairability, reuse, remanufacturing, and closed-loop manufacturing principles. The domain includes process optimisation, cleaner production methods, and sustainable operational management.Importance of "Domain 2: Circular Design, Production & Operations" to your organisation(Required)Low ImportanceSecondary ImportanceMedium ImportancePrimary ImportanceHigh ImportanceInternal Availability of Skills in "Domain 2: Circular Design, Production & Operations" to your organisation(Required) Available Partially Available Missing Select the most critical tasks for your current or future operations (up to 5)(Required) Integrate eco-design principles into product design and production processes to reduce environmental impact Improve production processes to reduce energy, water and raw material consumption Introduce operational practices that prevent waste generation and improve resource efficiency Organise and implement repair, reuse and refurbishment activities for products or components Adapt production systems to support remanufacturing and recovery of products and materials Choose materials based on durability, recyclability, reparability and sustainability criteria Modify operational processes to support reuse, recycling and circular resource management Track and evaluate circular economy performance indicators in production and operations Ensure quality standards in repair, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling activities Collaborate with external organisations to exchange resources, by-products or waste streams Other Use this space to share any other urgent skill requirement for this domain Skills Demand, Gaps & Market Relevance – Domain 3MATERIAL & RESOURCE INTELLIGENCE Focuses on understanding, monitoring, and optimising the use of materials, energy, water, and secondary resources across product life cycles. It enables organisations to improve resource efficiency, identify recovery opportunities, and support industrial symbiosis and circular sourcing strategies. The domain combines analytical, technical, and sustainability competences related to material flows and resource management.Importance of "Domain 3: Materials, Resources & Lifecycle Intelligence" to your organisation(Required)Low ImportanceSecondary ImportanceMedium ImportancePrimary ImportanceHigh ImportanceInternal Availability of Skills in "Domain 3: Materials, Resources & Lifecycle Intelligence" to your organisation(Required) Available Partially Available Missing Select the most critical tasks for your current or future operations (up to 5)(Required) Map and analyse material flows throughout product lifecycles Assess environmental impacts of products or services across their lifecycle stages Implement strategies to reduce material, energy and resource consumption Assess environmental implications of material choices in products or operations Identify opportunities to recover value from waste streams and secondary materials Categorise materials and waste according to reuse, recycling and recovery potential Evaluate how easily products can be repaired, reused, upgraded or recycled Organise resource use to maximise multiple life cycles and material value retention Use circularity indicators and metrics to evaluate products and material performance Identify and introduce sustainable or lower-impact material alternatives Other Use this space to share any other urgent skill requirement for this domain Skills Demand, Gaps & Market Relevance – Domain 4DIGITAL ENABLEMENT OF CIRCULARITY Explores how digital technologies support and accelerate circular economy practices across sectors and value chains. It includes the use of data analytics, IoT, AI, digital product passports, traceability systems, and smart platforms to optimise resource use and circular performance. The domain strengthens digital competences linked to transparency, monitoring, predictive maintenance, and circular innovation.Importance of "Domain 4: Digital Enablement, Data & Traceability" to your organisation(Required)Low ImportanceSecondary ImportanceMedium ImportancePrimary ImportanceHigh ImportanceInternal Availability of Skills in "Domain 4: Digital Enablement, Data & Traceability" to your organisation(Required) Available Partially Available Missing Select the most critical tasks for your current or future operations (up to 5) Use digital systems to monitor products, materials and assets across their lifecycle Analyse operational and sustainability data to improve circular economy performance Manage and maintain digital product passport information and traceability requirements Use sensors and IoT technologies to monitor resource use and operational efficiency Collect and manage traceability data across suppliers, partners and recovery systems Use digital platforms and software to map waste streams and resource flows Analyse sustainability and circularity dashboards to support operational decisions Ensure compatibility and integration between circular economy digital systems and databases Use digital marketplaces and collaboration platforms for reuse, sharing and resource exchange Assess reliability and quality of sustainability and circular economy data Other Use this space to share any other urgent skill requirement for this domain Skills Demand, Gaps & Market Relevance – Domain 5GOVERNANCE, COMPLIANCE & REPORTING Covers the policies, regulatory frameworks, standards, and organisational practices required to implement and monitor circular economy strategies. It supports compliance with EU sustainability regulations, ESG requirements, and circular reporting obligations while fostering responsible decision-making and accountability. The domain also includes strategic planning, risk management, and sustainability performance measurement.Importance of "Domain 5: Governance, Compliance, Reporting & Policy" to your organisation(Required)Low ImportanceSecondary ImportanceMedium ImportancePrimary ImportanceHigh ImportanceInternal Availability of Skills in "Domain 5: Governance, Compliance, Reporting & Policy" to your organisation(Required) Available Partially Available Missing Select the most critical tasks for your current or future operations (up to 5) Monitor and apply circular economy regulations, standards and compliance requirements Prepare and contribute to ESG and sustainability reporting activities Track and evaluate circular economy targets, KPIs and performance indicators Adapt company practices to align with EU circular economy policies and strategies Ensure compliance with waste management, reuse and recycling regulations Integrate circular economy criteria into purchasing and procurement processes Evaluate organisational capabilities and preparedness for circular transformation Collect and organise evidence for sustainability audits, certifications or compliance reviews Prepare operational plans and roadmaps for circular economy implementation Analyse how policies, regulations and incentives affect circular economy adoption Other Use this space to share any other urgent skill requirement for this domain Skills Demand, Gaps & Market Relevance – Domain 6COLLABORATION ACROSS VALUE CHAINS Promotes cooperation among companies, suppliers, VET providers, public authorities, clusters, and civil society actors to enable systemic circular transitions. It recognises that circular economy implementation depends on interconnected ecosystems, shared knowledge, and coordinated action across sectors and territories. The domain includes stakeholder engagement, partnership development, co-creation, and cross-sector innovation competences.Importance of "Domain 6: Collaboration, Education & Value Chain Transformation" to your organisation(Required)Low ImportanceSecondary ImportanceMedium ImportancePrimary ImportanceHigh ImportanceInternal Availability of Skills in "Domain 6: Collaboration, Education & Value Chain Transformation" to your organisation(Required) Available Partially Available Missing Select the most critical tasks for your current or future operations (up to 5)(Required) Coordinate collaboration between suppliers, customers, recyclers and other circular economy stakeholders Establish partnerships to support resource sharing, reuse and circular collaboration Collaborate with education and training providers to address circular economy skills needs Participate in the development of training programmes focused on circular economy practices Promote circular economy practices and awareness within teams and workplaces Encourage adoption of circular behaviours and practices among employees Develop and manage supplier and partner relationships supporting circular economy objectives Share circular economy knowledge, experiences and good practices across organisations Contribute to validation and recognition of circular economy skills and competences Participate in regional circular economy networks, ecosystems and skills partnerships Other Use this space to share any other urgent skill requirement for this domainMissing Skills & Emerging RolesAre there any critical CE skills missing from the lists above?(Required) Yes No If yes, please list them here:Are new CE-related tasks or roles emerging in your organisation?(Required) Yes No If Yes, what are the key required competences and, if applicable, Job Titles?What is the time horizon for this demand? Immediate (0-1 year) Medium (2-3 years) Long-term (5+ years) Please specify when do you expect the need to emergeTraining Provision & NeedsDoes your organisation currently provide or support skills development in Circular Economy for employees? Through which means?(Required) Internal training External VET providers Higher education Informal learning None Is the training offer provided in your Region aligned with your needs?(Required)Highly InadequateInadequateNeither Adequate nor InadequateAdequateHighly AdequateIf not, what could be improved?What are your preferred training formats? (Select all that apply)(Required) Short courses / microcredentials On-the-job learning Digital learning Blended Implementation Challenges, Collaboration & Ecosystem EngagementWould your organisation be willing to: (Check all that apply)(Required) Provide expertise and strategic support through participation in dedicated skills panel with other experts Share a business case / operational challenge Co-design training or pilot programmes None of the above Business challengesUse this space to share a business case / operational challenge that you face related to Circular EconomyIf you wish to collaborate further, please provide your email address:
