A key feature of IRACE will be its Focus Groups, each dedicated to addressing specific issues in the Circular Economy. These small expert groups will collect data, engage in multidisciplinary dialogue, and explore key “why, what, and how” questions. Their goal is to define problems, investigate solutions, and produce outputs such as position papers, research proposals, and policy recommendations, while engaging in public communication.
Proposed list of topics include:
- Ecodesign and materials selection for circularity
- Contaminants prevention in products
- Strategies for Microplastics minimisation
- Symbiosis Produces/recyclers
- Health risks from microplastics and contaminants accumulation in products
- Accumulation and release of contaminants from recycled products
- Fate of undifferentiated Biowaste
- Sink on Soil (tassonomy, technical features, planning, regulation, etc.)
- Recycling of critical raw materials
- Sustainable patterns for plastics recovery
- Thermal treatment in Circular Economy
- Management and fate of asbestos waste within Circular Economy strategies
- Circular Economy & Wastewaters
- New recovering opportunities
- Optimised legal-frame for Circular Economy
- Communication about Sustainable Circular Economy strategies
- Recycling of space materials and equipment
Each Focus Group will operate within a defined time frame, with expected deliverables including policy inputs, research initiatives, and communications with authorities and the public.