“Catch the HOOP” – the European hub for circular bio-economy implementers
Almost half of global municipal waste is biowaste (food and green waste). The ratio is generally higher in low-to-middle income countries compared to high-income countries, which generate more plastic, paper, metal, and glass waste.
Most of this biowaste is currently dumped or disposed of in some kind of landfill. As well as squandering valuable nutrients and organic compounds, this is a significant cause of greenhouse gas emissions, which are emitted as biowaste decomposes.
The European Union (EU) is taking steps to improve the management of biowaste within its member states, and 2024 has been a landmark year. From 1 January separate collection of food waste from households and businesses became mandatory across the Union. This is significant because separate collection is widely accepted as being the first step to effective treatment and recycling of biowaste.
Almost half of global municipal waste is biowaste (food and green waste).
Besides passing the regulation, the EU is also funding research and innovation in the field of biowaste management. Over the last four years the HOOP project has provided Project Development Assistance to 8 lighthouse cities and regions, supporting them in the development of large-scale urban circular bioeconomy initiatives that focus on making bio-based products from urban biowaste and wastewater.
During the process, partners have developed a suite of open-source tools, which have been shared with the ever-growing HOOP Network of over 120 ambitious circular cities and regions. These tools allow users to assess the bio-circularity level of territories, as well as the bankability and circularity of projects, and even provide guidelines for improvement.
Bio-Circularity Label has been developed as the starting point to show to what extent territories implement circular measures, policies, and initiatives. The Label detects areas of improvement in their local bioeconomy and, with its score between 1 and 9 – being 5 the European average – it demonstrates the effectiveness of green policies.
Twenty-seven indicators allow to perform an assessment of political ambitions, strategies and implemented policies, participation, awareness and initiatives of the society, consumption, and waste patterns as well as waste treatment. Territories showing a high maturity in circular policies, programs, projects will be awarded with the HOOP Bio-Circularity Label.
Do you want to assess a circular bioeconomy project? Here is how you can do it with two of the free tools available.
The first tool is the HOOP Project Maturity Level, a tool drawn with insights from the financial industry, that evaluates the level of maturity of the projects in order to improve their bankability to mobilize green financing and funding. This tool is for project developers, consultants, promoters, public and private entities and aims to be a standard tool suitable for guidance, evaluation and ranking of project maturity. Together with the project assessment, the user can clearly understand the weakest points and missing steps to bring a project from a mere idea to a capital-raising ready project.
The second evaluation tool is the Circular Valuation Method, a clear a simple method for companies and public bodies to assess whether projects are circular, socially and environmentally innovative and financially attractive. The indicators are adapted to the characteristics of circularity and biowaste resulting in a multidimensional assessment method covering domains including financial, circularity, environmental, social, and a comparison to the previous situation.
All HOOP open-source tools, results, communities and methods are hosted in HOOP Hub: the one-stop resource center for circular bioeconomy implementers. There you can find the well-stocked Virtual Academy, with documents, videos, webinar recordings on all topics related to urban circular bioeconomy, from biowaste collection to stakeholder engagement and financial tools.
Another not-to-miss resource is the HOOP Due Diligence Standard Procedure, the first of its kind focused on circular bioeconomy and co-created together with a board of 20 investors, from Venture capitals to the European Investment Bank.
On the HOOP Hub you can also find a forum and our ever-growing HOOP Network of Cities and Regions committed to biowaste valorization. Become a registered user – it’s free! – and enjoy the full potential of the first and most advanced European hub for circular bioeconomy implementers.
Biowaste management is a global issue, and administrators worldwide are facing similar challenges. The HOOP tools provide practical support to cities, regions and project developers, helping to turn the biowaste challenge into an opportunity for sustainable development.