Friday, 8 July 2022
Donegal Local Enterprise Office will host an event entitled “Streamline Your Agri Food Chain” which takes place online on Wednesday, 13th July from 9:30 – 11:30am. The event will help business owners within the Agri-Food sector to implement the Circular Economy within their business. The SinCE–AFC project focuses on the Circular Economy, a new approach of economic development models. Circular Economy provides the potential to use one’s own waste as resource input to others’ productive chain, thus offering a longer life cycle of the products and a more environmentally friendly business approach.
The event will discuss the SinCE-AFC project in general including past and future activities and results. Maura Toner, SinCE–AFC Project Executive at Local Enterprise Office, Donegal will discuss the project, its activities and results. Participants will hear from Patrick Barrett of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine who will discuss recommendations for Smart and Green Policy Changes to embed the agri-food sector in a circular, regenerative bioeconomy.
Michael Tunney, who recently retired as Donegal Head of Enterprise, will present the SinCE-AFC action plan for the Donegal region with an analysis of the main actions.
Discussing the event, Maura Toner said: “By partnering with the SinCE–AFC project, our goal at the Donegal Local Enterprise Office is to encourage businesses around the county to adopt more Circular Economy practices within their business and support them in doing so. This event is a great way for business owners not just in Donegal but around Ireland to familiarise themselves with the Circular Economy and the SinCE–AFC project and find out how they can streamline their agri-food chain to become a more sustainable business.”
After a short break, attendees will hear from keynote speaker Mike Higgins, the founder of Circularwise, the strategic advisers on the development of ‘Circularity’ based business models for product producers, reuse processing partners and inventive waste stream transformation ventures. For many years, Mike has championed the Circular Economy in terms of it enabling organisations to reduce supply chain costs and gain market advantage whilst achieving the highest sustainability standards. Mike will discuss the Circular Economy as an entrepreneurial challenge in the agri-food sector.
Participants will also hear from Dr Geraldine Brennan, the Head of Circular Economy at Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR), an Enterprise Ireland and IDA supported technology centre. Within IMR’s Sustainable Manufacturing Division, Geraldine is responsible for the Circular Economy Unit and oversees the delivery of CIRCULÉIRE – the National Platform for Circular Manufacturing, Ireland’s first industry-led public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating the circular economy.
Geraldine has spent over a decade exploring the barriers and enablers of industry adoption and implementation of circular and sustainable business models. Dr Geraldine Brennan holds a PhD in Strategic Management from Imperial College London and has lectured, authored, and edited a range of thought leadership articles on the topic of scaling circular innovation.
Cliona Costello from Meade Farm will also discuss their experience of introducing the Circular Economy to their business at the event.
SinCE–AFC is being developed along with the ongoing EU action plan for Circular Economy and aims to involve SMEs of the Agri-Food chain in Circular Economy through the promotion of the appropriate managing and financial horizontal mechanisms. The objective will be achieved through intense collaboration and interregional exchange of experience of nine partners representing seven regions from seven EU countries.
Find out more about the SinCE - AFC project HERE
Register for the event
Here
