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Opportunity Peterborough is collaborating with PECT on BLUEPRINT, an EU funded project which aims to increase recycling, reduce waste and support the transition towards a circular economy.

The circular economy aims to move society away from the ‘take-make-dispose’ model – where raw materials are collected, transformed into products, and discarded as waste – into one where resources are used for as long as possible and productive uses are found for waste streams.

Local environmental charity, PECT, is one of the project’s official partners. The organisation is collaborating with nine other partners from across England and France on this innovative project, which is helping local authorities to accelerate towards a circular economy. The project has a total budget of 5.6m euros, of which 3.8m euros were awarded by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England programme.

PECT has contracted Opportunity Peterborough to help the team engage local businesses, community groups, and social enterprises in the BLUEPRINT project. Opportunity Peterborough is leading the city’s circular economy transition in partnership with Peterborough City Council through the Circular Peterborough programme. This programme aims to develop a fully circular economy in the city by 2050.

The team works with roughly 200 stakeholders each year. As part of the BLUEPRINT project, the team will encourage social enterprises to participate in training which could help 2,000 individuals secure jobs in the circular economy. Their work will also underpin the project’s ambitious target to engage 78,000 residents across England and France in behaviour change pilots. This includes collaboration with grass-roots organisations and engaging with Circular Peterborough signatories to recruit ambassadors for sustainable change.

Tom Hennessy, chief executive of Opportunity Peterborough said, “Through the Circular Peterborough programme, Opportunity Peterborough and Peterborough City Council have been pro-actively developing the city’s circular economy for several years, working closely with organisations like PECT who share similar ambitions to create sustainable change.

“Principles like the circular economy don’t just protect the environment, they can significantly improve productivity, profitability, and resilience. Sustainability could provide a lot of solutions for businesses as we recover from the disruption over the last year, so it’s great to be working with PECT on the BLUEPRINT project.”

PECT’s Chief Executive, Carly Leonard, added, “The BLUEPRINT project has extremely ambitious targets around business engagement. We’re pleased to be working with Opportunity Peterborough to build on both organisations’ track records to create even more sustainable changes in the city and internationally with the project partners.”  

ENDS

About Interreg France (Channel) England

The Interreg France (Channel) England Programme is an EU programme set up to foster economic development in the south of the UK and north of France by funding innovative projects which have a sustainable cross-border benefit in the Programme’s eligible regions.

The programme operates within a clearly defined eligible area, covering the South and East Coasts of England from Cornwall to Norfolk and the North Coast of France from Finistère to Pas-de-Calais.

More information: https://www.channelmanche.com/

About BLUEPRINT

The project lead is Essex County Council (UK) and partner organisations are Anglia Ruskin University (UK), EcoWise Ekodenge Limited (UK), ESITC Caen (France), Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle (France), Kent County Council (UK), Brighton & Hove City Council (UK), NEOMAS BS (France), Peterborough Environment City Trust (UK), Université de Picardie Jules Verne (France).