New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Project category

Identify the award category for which this project is being submitted
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking

Email user
norman.thompson@dublincity.ie

Basic information
Project title
SoCircular

Full Project Title
SoCircular - Celebrating Dublin's Social and Circular Economy Ecosystem

Please provide a short, catchy description of your project to be used in communication towards the public.
SoCircular was a first of its kind event which helped transform Dublin by: highlighting and celebrating the social and circular economy ecosystem and associated arts and culture, encouraging people, businesses, organisations and government departments to buy from and support local social and circular enterprises, promoting supports to help enterprises adopt circular / sustainability approaches, and through providing a forum for conversation, insights and ideas on developing a SoCircular Dublin.

What was the geographical scope of your project?
Regional

Where was your project implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Ireland

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Dublin City Council

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
Yes

Which fund(s)?
European Commission - European Social Economy Regions Project 2021 - New European Bauhaus Strand / ESER4NEB. We were inspired and supported to host SoCircular because of our involvement in the ESER annual projects and network. The ESER 2021 call for applications featured a New European Bauhaus strand. We applied under this strand so as to build our competency and capacity regarding social and circular economy development and our alignment with the New European Bauhaus and the European Green Deal. We wanted to advance in this area, to support and encourage social enterprises to adopt sustainable and circular practices, to develop synergies between the social and circular economies and to contribute to the NEB movement. As part of our application to participate in the ESER2021 under the New European Bauhaus strand, we committed to holding a large scale event to support the local / regional social economy to adopt green / sustainable / circular practices and principles in line with the Green Deal / NEB, to promote circular economy and sustainable businesses, to encourage purchasing from social and circular enterprises and to integrate arts and culture. Our application was successful and we were selected as one of the official European Commission ESER 2021 partners. We planned to host the event in Qtr 2 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant we had to postpone it. In the meantime we further developed the concept and overall goal of it to strategically and synergistically promote the social and the circular economy. We thus hosted the event as 'SoCircular' on October 5th 2022

Has your project won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Is your project fully completed
Yes

Please indicate a date (mm/yy)
2022-10-05

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
If you are submitting this project as part of a group, please provide the contact details of the other individuals or organisations
- Name of the organisation(s): Dublin City Council
  Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local)
  First name of representative: Norman
  Last name of representative: Thompson
  Gender: Male
  Nationality: Ireland
  Function: Economic Development Researcher
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Dublin City Council - Economic Development Office, 3 Palace Street,
  Town: Dublin
  Postal code: D02 T277
  Country: Ireland
  Direct Tel: +353 1 222 5614
  E-mail: norman.thompson@dublincity.ie
  Website: https://www.dublincity.ie/residential
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://twitter.com/DubCityCouncil
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): @DubCityCouncil
- URL: https://twitter.com/DCCEconDev
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): @DCCEconDev
- URL: https://twitter.com/LEODublinCity
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): @LEODublinCity
In case my project is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my project in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
NEB Newsletter

Description of the project
Please provide a summary of your project.
SoCircular was an innovative, first of its kind major event that embodied and promoted the New European Bauhaus and which aimed to transform Dublin. It did so by highlighting and celebrating the social and circular economy ecosystem, incorporating sustainable themed arts and culture performances, encouraging businesses, organisations and government departments to buy from and support local social and circular enterprises, promoting supports to help enterprises adopt circular / sustainability approaches, and through providing a policy forum for conversation, insights and ideas on developing a SoCircular (sustainable, inclusive, innovative, cultural) Dublin.

SoCircular took place on the 5th October in the Round Room at the Mansion House, a premier events venue. The evert featured: a welcome address by Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy; 50 social enterprise and circular / sustainable enterprises along with some support organisations in a trade expo; 4 policy related panel discussions on key social and circular economy themes featuring 18 expert / industry stakeholder representatives; 4 fireside chats with key individuals including Minister Ossian Smyth and an immersive programme of social and circular themed arts and cultural performances. The event was extensively collaborative and took place as part of or in alignment with the Dublin City Summit Series, European Commission – European Social Economy Regions Project & Network; Dublin Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024; UN SDG – European Sustainable Development Week 2022 / Act4SDGs and Circular Week 2022. Approximately 300 people attended, #SoCircular was trending (4th) on Twitter in Ireland on the day and 4 media outlets reported on the event.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.
Social & Circular Economy

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Social & Green Procurement

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Celebration

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Innovation & Collaboration

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Arts & Culture

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Dublin like all other European cities is currently facing many challenges and will face many more as the impacts of climate change, global economic uncertainty and various trends are felt.

The overall goal of SoCircular was to help transform Dublin to become more social and circular economy based. We see the social and circular economy as key vehicles to champion, promote and lead sustainability.

The key objectives in terms of sustainability were to:
- Highlight supports, resources and support organisations that can help businesses become more sustainable.
Achieved via having support organisations exhibit in the trade expo for enterprises / attendees to meet, having speakers highlight supports and resources during panel discussions / fireside chats,
- Provide a forum for conversation, insights and ideas
Achieved via 4 policy panel discussions and 4 fireside chats which focused on key social / circular economy themes / sustainability.
- Encourage people, businesses, organisations and government departments to buy from and support local social and circular enterprises,
Achieved via trade expo which featured 50 local social enterprises and circular enterprises and their products and services. 300 attendees came to the event and engaged with enterprises with in the expo.
- Celebrate the social and circular economy
Achieved through hosting event, highlighting local social / circular enterprises, promoting positive examples of sustainability via panel discussions and chats.
- Promote sustainability via arts and culture
Achieved through programme of sustainability themed arts & culture performances that took place during the event.

The project is exemplary as it brought together diverse strands as part of an immersive event. It highlighted positive examples, encouraged change and conversation, showcased local social / circular enterprises that government / business can procure from and celebrated and inspired through arts & culture performances

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
The 2 key objectives in regard to aesthetics and quality of experience were:
1. Inspire Change & Innovation
2. All are welcome & Inclusion

These were achieved as SoCircular was held in the Round Room at the Lord Mayor Mansion House, a historic, cultural and premier venue in Dublin City. This venue is often used for high profile events. We purposefully used as a means to showcase pioneer social and circular enterprises who are leading the way but who are often in the background. We wanted them to be on centre stage and thus choose such an exclusive venue.
The general public, local enterprises and business practitioners were invited to attend to celebrate Dublin’s social and circular economy ecosystem. The event was free to attend and it was free for social and circular enterprises to exhibit at it. The event connected to core qualities of Dublin as a place and fostered a sense of community and belonging by bringing together the people of Dublin from all backgrounds in a showcase of Dublin as a social and circular hub. A key objective of SoCircular was to facilitate engagement between stakeholders within the circular / social economy. The event acted as a mixing pot of ideas as individuals took part in conversations through fireside chats, panel discussions and a trade expo. The event aimed to showcase the new, innovative social and cultural values as Dublin continues to develop into a more sustainable place. SoCircular also brought exposure to social / circular themed artists and musicians from Dublin who performed at the event providing an insight into the culture of Dublin for all attendees.

It was exemplary as it interwove: arts and culture with an expo and panel discussion and this provided attendees with a unique, positive, engaging and inspiring experience.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
In terms of inclusion, a key objective of SoCircular was to provide a platform for a wide range of enterprises who may not have access to the same opportunities as larger more established enterprises. The trade expo featured over 50 social enterprise and circular / sustainable enterprises along with some support organisations and the summit provided a platform for individuals / enterprises to discuss their experiences through fireside chats and panel discussions. SoCircular showcased new economic models revolving around social and circular procurement and a more equitable society for the people of Dublin.

The event was free to attend and was promoted publicly and also specifically to underrepresented / disadvantaged groups. The venue was fully accessible.

The event also aligned with the European Commission – European Social Economy Regions Project & Network; Dublin Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024; UN SDG – European Sustainable Development Week 2022 / Act4SDGs and Circular Week 2022 which hold inclusion, accessibility and affordability as key principles. A number of enterprises exhibited at the event who integrate inclusion into their core business model. For example, CanDo enterprises exhibited at the event who offer employment opportunities for people with multiple people and visual impairments.

The event was exemplary as it was free, accessible and open - it brought very diverse people, ecosystem actors etc who typically would not overlap into one space to network, converse, inspire and collaborate.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project
The people of Dublin were invited to attend SoCircular to take part in a summit which consisted of a trade expo with over 50 exhibiting enterprises; 4 panel discussions on key social and circular economy themes featuring 18 expert / industry stakeholder representatives; 4 fireside chats with key individuals including Minister Ossian Smyth and an immersive programme of social and circular themed arts and cultural performances.

Opening up this free event to the public allowed for greater collaboration between public and private stakeholders and more public exposure on important themes surrounding the social / circular economy which will be built upon for the second iteration of SoCircular which will take place in 2023. A large proportion of the people living in Dublin are not aware of what the Social or Circular economy is and SoCircular has developed a greater understanding of these concepts and will develop on this understanding as SoCircular develops over the coming years.

300 people attended the event and were thus involved in the project.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the project. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was.
A wide range of stakeholders contributed to the design and implementation of the inaugural SoCircular event. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Caroline Conroy endorsed the event and provided a welcome address to the people who attended SoCircular which gave a great credibility to the event and indicated how crucial the social / circular economy is to the people of Dublin. The event was held in the Mansion House which was provided in line with the Lord Mayor of Dublin’s office.

SoCircular was collaboratively powered by Dublin City Council, Local Enterprise Office, Dublin.ie, European Commission - European Social Economy Regions Project, Dublin City Arts Office, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Department of Rural and Community Development, Eastern Midlands Waste Region, Social Enterprise Dublin, Irish Social Enterprise Network, CRNI, CirculEire, IBEC, Regional Skills Dublin, ReDiscovery Centre, Dublin Regional Enterprise Plan, Business Spirit News, Reuse Month 2022 and Circular Month 2022. These support organisations provided guidance, promoted the event to their wider network, attended the event, met with enterprises and the public at the trade expo and took part in panel discussions during the summit.

These support organisations along with over 50 exhibiting enterprises and the individuals from related social / circular organisations brought a wide range of insights / ideas to the event and helped in transforming Dublin by: highlighting and celebrating the social and circular economy ecosystem and associated culture, encouraging people, businesses, organisations and government departments to buy from and support local social and circular enterprises, promoting supports to help enterprises adopt circular / sustainability approaches, and through providing a forum for conversation, insights and ideas on developing a SoCircular Dublin.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your project. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was.
The primary disciplines / knowledge fields involved in the design and implementation of SoCircular were the Social and Circular economy. The social economy knowledge field relates to the set of associations, cooperatives, mutual organisations, and foundations whose activity is driven by values of solidarity, the primacy of people over capital, and democratic and participative governance. The circular economy knowledge field relates to the model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. CE aims to tackle global challenges as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. Social / circular enterprises in Dublin exhibited at the event and showcased their products and services to public and private stakeholders in their respective fields. Enterprises, experts and industry stakeholders also took part in insightful panel discussions and interacted with one another. Important issues were addressed in these discussions and relationships, collaboration and procurement opportunities have since developed following the event.

Please give information on the results, outcomes and impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for. This includes also benefits from the project for direct and indirect beneficiaries
SoCircular has brought greater exposure to the social / circular economy in Dublin and across Ireland through an extensive trade expo, summit series and widespread media coverage. This will help Dublin in becoming a more sustainable place to work and do business over the coming years. The event has developed relationships between public and private stakeholders and has provided a platform for important discussions on circular / social issues so that the necessary reforms can begin to be implemented. Along with these developments, the event has encouraged people, businesses, organisations and government departments to buy from and support local social and circular enterprises, promoting supports to help enterprises adopt circular / sustainability approaches. The event also brought a feeling of community to the people of Dublin by celebrating the cities culture through an immersive programme of social and circular themed arts and cultural performances.

Please provide documents showing the results, outcomes and impacts of your project
Web link
Web link
Please highlight the innovative character of the project, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the project
The inaugural SoCircular was the first event of its kind in Ireland. It adopted an innovative approach by incorporating the Social and Circular economy into one event. Following on from the event trade expo and summit, it was evident that there were significant overlaps and synergies between circular / social enterprises and panel discussions. By bringing these two concepts together, the event gained more traction and relationships have begun to develop between the relevant circular / social economy stakeholders. For many of the exhibiting enterprises, this was their first opportunity to showcase their products and services to larger private and public sector organisations in an organic manner. Businesses were introduced to new innovative products and supports that they could consider adopting. Companies benefitted from being able to work with or purchase from local social and circular enterprises - enhancing existing Corporate Social Responsibility or Environment Social Governance initiatives and reducing costs by shortening supply chains.

The innovative character of the project was also particularly evident via the sustainability themed arts and cultural performances which inspired and engaged attendees, added a dramatic element to the overall event and reminded all how the arts and culture have an important role in encouraging sustainability.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your project.
The methodology used in this project was first to identify key policy / society / macroeconomic challenges and relevant models / interventions or approaches that seek to address the challenges. The Social and Circular economies were chosen as key focus areas due to their relevance to addressing many challenges in sustainable and inclusive ways.

Desktop research was conducted to identify policy and trends within Dublin / Ireland / European Social and Circular economy. Support organisations were then identified and invited to support the event. A comprehensive event plan was devised to ensure the event ran smoothly. Relevant enterprises were invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services. Panel topics, discussions and questions were formulated and relevant experts and stakeholders were invited to take part. Registrations were then opened to the public and invitations were sent to relevant circular / social economy stakeholders, media outlets, representatives from disadvantaged groups etc. Artists and performers were commissioned to perform pieces that inspired, educated and / or challenged attendees regarding sustainability. Following the event a survey was issued and relevant feedback / lessons learned was taken on board for future events. The SoCircular Outcomes report and Brochure were then commissioned to recap on the event and provide an outlet for individuals to get in touch with relevant participants.

Please describe which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. This may involve for example aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings etc.
SoCircular is a highly replicable event that could benefit numerous social and circular economy ecosystems across Europe. The majority of the event could be replicated in other cities, these aspects include – extensive circular / social economy trade expo (Could be scaled up larger than 50 enterprises), insightful summit with panel discussions and fireside chats with local social / circular enterprises and stakeholders. Local artists and performers could also be hired to showcase the culture of any given city. There is huge potential to carry out and scale up this event across a wide range of European cities and develop a global network between social / circular ecosystems over the coming years.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addresses by providing local solutions
SoCircular helps transform Dublin by: highlighting and celebrating the social and circular economy ecosystem and associated culture, encouraging people, businesses, organisations and government departments to buy from and support local social and circular enterprises, promoting supports to help enterprises adopt circular / sustainability approaches, and through providing a forum for conversation, insights and ideas on developing a SoCircular Dublin. The event addresses global challenges related to sustainability, circularity and social issues. SoCircular gives a platform to circular / social enterprises who have innovative products and services which improve the overall social / circular ecosystem of the city. These enterprises address important causes such as disability, unemployment, sustainability, inequality, discrimination, education and mental / physical health. This event brings these causes to the fore through exposure and discussion which has helped developed relationships within each ecosystem and has set the gears in motion for government policy reform and issue resolution.
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Yes

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