E6 project
A circular innovative project
The volume of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) waste continues to grow rapidly in Northwest Europe (NWE), primarily because life cycles are becoming shorter. Systemic change is needed.
The new EU regulations in this regard are a first step in the right direction and encourage society to think differently, but the biggest challenge remains implementation: reuse, repair, and refurbishment (HRR) must be prioritized for and by the citizen. Regions and cities are close to the citizen and are EEA, and can play a strong role in promoting circular experiments that align with the new EU standards.
In this project, we are developing circular ecosystems in 6 NWE regions (Leuven, Aachen, Galway, Nièvre, The Hague, and Appeldoorn). The aim is to increase the capacities of these regions for Human Resource Recovery (HRR) of discarded WEEE. E6 focuses on the (physical and digital) infrastructure to provide accessible HRR support to citizens. The project is developing a joint strategy and action plan for creating multifunctional service and repair hubs using 6 types of tools (awareness, decision support, flow management, business models, data management, integration). Pilot projects will be established in the 6 regions which, if successful, will be scaled up in NWE through knowledge exchange and policy actions.
The project will implement a joint training and knowledge exchange program between the ecosystems and the tools.
All partners within the project are: Saxion University of Applied Sciences (coordinator, Netherlands), ViTeS, Municipality of Appeldoorn (Netherlands), Maakbaar Leuven, Syndicat Mixte Ouvert Nièvre numérique (France), European Regions Network for the Application of Communications Technology (Ireland), Institut für Betriebsführung im deutschen Handwerksinstitut eV (Germany), Municipality of The Hague (Netherlands), Nevers Agglomération (France), Volkswirtschaftliches Institut für Mittelstand und Handwerk Universität Göttingen eV (Germany), The Gaeltacht Authority (Ireland), Circulus (Netherlands), Thomas More Mechelen – Antwerp Vzw, Stadt Aachen (Germany), Foenix Kringloop en Reintegratie (Netherlands), Repair&Share vzw, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Comhairle Ceantar na nOileán CTR (Ireland) and Aachener Stadtbetrieb (Germany).
What are ViTeS's ambitions within this project? Currently, we only repair and sell electronic devices donated to us by customers, companies, or organizations. However, within this project, we now also want to develop the 'repair as a service' activity (to achieve even more reuse). For a fee, people or organizations can ask ViTeS to repair their broken electronic devices (while remaining the owner of the device). To make this service possible, we are going to:
1. Collect parts with even greater preservation.
2. Further development of knowledge and tools for the repair of electronic devices. For example, developing repair manuals and collecting and using data to gain more knowledge about devices and their repair capabilities.
3. Contribute to the development of digital tools for the repair of electronic devices. For example, internal device tracking systems and online support for potential customers.
4. Provide even more structured training for our employees. This applies to both our repair technicians and employees at our receiving points/stores (so that they can immediately make the correct diagnosis and devices do not unnecessarily move back and forth between our stores and our repair workshop in Boortmerbeek).
Developing a network of regional recovery and triage points together with Maakbaar Leuven. We will take on a large part of the logistics for this.
This project has been made possible with the support of Interreg and Flanders Circular.
