Shaping New Paths Towards Circularity in Furniture (FULAR) – Interreg VI-B IPA Adriatic Ionian

Project description: :

The FULAR project focuses on promoting sustainability and circularity in the furniture sector within the IPA ADRION region, covering countries such as Greece, Italy, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia. Its main goal is to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in adopting greener and more circular production practices and facilitating their alignment with EU sustainable development strategies.

FULAR activities include researching the perception of circular approaches among SMEs and consumers, analyzing best practices, identifying sustainable materials (local wood, secondary raw materials, and post-consumer waste), and exploring innovative and cost-effective technologies for furniture production. The project will organize a circular design competition and three international workshops on material engineering to develop and test new solutions that promote sustainability.

Prototypes of winning design solutions will showcase the practical application of innovations, while the "Beyond FULAR" plan will ensure broad dissemination and transfer of project results. Target groups include SMEs, academic institutions, policymakers, consumers, sectoral agencies, and other stakeholders.

The project promotes transnational collaboration, result capitalization, and sustainable development of the furniture sector, delivering concrete and transferable solutions that contribute to a greener economy in the Adriatic-Ionian region and beyond.

Objective: To improve the implementation of circular economy principles in furniture production processes, raise awareness among key sectoral actors in the Adriatic-Ionian region regarding sustainability, alternative materials, technologies, and assembly techniques, and encourage circular solutions in the wood industry. Developing furniture prototypes using pre-selected alternative materials aims to further promote circular approaches.

Main Expected Results of the FULAR Project:

• A joint strategy defining the strategic plan and shared goals for implementing a circular economy in the furniture production sector, based on identified needs, priorities, and opportunities.

• Practical guidelines for implementing a circular economy in the furniture production sector.

• Three furniture prototypes produced and tested to demonstrate the use of alternative materials.

• Analysis of collected data from project activities, presenting a comprehensive summary of project results (dissemination strategy, assessment of green transition impact and economic opportunities, replication of the FULAR strategy and pilot activities). 

Project Budget: 1.440.167,75 EUR

Total Interreg IPA Adrion Program Co-financing 1.224.142,54 EUR

Co-financing Rate: 85%

CEKOM Budget: 130.974,69 EUR

Project Duration: 36 months (01/09/2024 – 31/08/2027)

Lead partner: University of Thessaly – Special account of research grants, Department of Forestry, Wood sciences & Design

Partners: FVG Wood Furniture Home Cluster (Italy), Wood Industry Cluster (Slovenia), Development Agency of City of Prijedor “PREDA” (BiH), Slovenian Forestry Institute (Slovenia), Wood Industry Cluster (Albania), University of Belgrade – Faculty of Forestry (Serbia), Croatian Wood Cluster (Croatia), Universita’ IUAV Di Venezia (Italy) and Competence centre Ltd. for research and development (Croatia).

CEKOM Activities

During the implementation of the FULAR project, CEKOM actively participates in all key work packages as well as in project management and communication activities:

WP1: State of the art analysis

• Conducting surveys with SMEs and consumers and analyzing success stories (A1.2, A1.3).
• Contributing to the development of a transnational strategy to promote the green economy in the furniture sector (A1.4).

WP2: Preparatory work towards circular models’ integration in furniture

• Identifying sustainable materials (A2.2) and reviewing cost-effective technologies. Developing guidelines for circular production in the furniture sector (A2.3).

WP3: Materials Engineering International Workshops

• Organizing the international "Green Challenge" design competition and participating in a material engineering workshop (A3.2, A3.3).
• Disseminating project results and promoting practical application (A3.4).

CEKOM contributes to the development of sustainable solutions and the strengthening of circularity in the furniture production sector.

Official Programme Website: https://www.interreg-ipa-adrion.eu/

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