CARE - Circular consumption Activities to tRansform households toward material Efficiency
Updated on 02.12.2024
CARE (Circular consumption Activities to tRansform households towards material Efficiency) is a new and innovative Horizon Europe project that aims to promote a sustainable lifestyle and encourage households to take steps towards a circular economy across Europe. The CARE project aims to transform a total of 100 households into circular economy model households in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Norway, and Sweden.

Cities involved
Asker, Berlin, Gothenburg
Regions involved
Pirkanmaa region, Lääne-Harju
Scope and objectives
The objective of CARE is to transform a total of 100 households in five European countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Estonia) to circular model households. To achieve its aim, CARE will further develop, test and validate two pilots related to two critical material flows: food and clothing. They both have high potential for circularity at the household level. The CARE pilots will be implemented in five regions - both urban and rural - that are part of the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI): Tampere, Asker, Gothenburg, Berlin, and Lääne-Harju. The pilots are based on the practice-theoretical approach, which goes beyond state-of-the-art by focusing on holistic, social and material aspects of everyday life instead of individualistic and awareness-raising interventions. The pilots will contain both customized, inclusive, and cost-free circular advisory services as well as food and clothing related interventions that target changes in consumption practices. Impact assessment is a key part of the project that includes improvement in material efficiency, living conditions, and sustainable wellbeing. The effectiveness of the pilots for reducing environmental impacts will be calculated using life cycle assessment, especially the Product Environmental Footprint method. CARE will make a strong contribution towards accelerating fair, inclusive and sustainable consumer-based transition to CE. This is achieved by involving consumer-citizens, non-governmental and civil society organizations, municipalities, researchers, and CCRI regions in a transdisciplinary approach, based on co-design and co-learning. Furthermore, CARE will ensure the replicability and multiplication of its results through easy-to-use communication and dissemination tools, in collaboration with CCRI and other European circular economy initiatives.
Key services provided by the project
Advisory services for households in the areas of food waste and clothing. These services will be developed and tested during the project. The project will also develop models and concepts for interventions at the household level, targeting to change behaviour toward circularity.
In addition, the project will provide communication and dissemination materials about circularity, targeted at citizens, as well as a carbon footprint tool.
The project will also provide scientific evidence on the efficacy of interventions in increasing households’ material efficiency and well-being in the contexts of food waste and clothing.
Key deliverables
List the relevant deliverables here:
D1.3 Evaluation report (Evaluation of pilot action impacts (environmental, living conditions, and sustainable well-being)
D2.1 Infographic of behaviour change toward circularity in food and clothing
D2.3 Model for giving advisory servicesin circular food and clothing
D2.4 Design concepts for circular consumption interventions in food and clothing
D3.5 Understanding practice change in circular food (A short ethnographic report describing the changes towards circular food practices.)
D4.4 Understading practice change in circular clothing (A short ethnographic report describing the changes towards circular clothing practices.)
D5.1 Communication and dissemination strategy
D5.2 Explainer videos on circular food and clothing (High quality videos explaining the need for circular food and clothing consumption practices.)
D5.3 CARE exploitation strategy
D5.4 CARE Toolbox (Toolbox of different CARE outputs.)
D5.5 Reports with real household stories and photos (Cookbook and circular clothing magazine showcasing circular consumption in HH of 5 countries.)
D5.6 Circular Academy (Online capacity-building programme)
D5.7 European rollout strategy (Strategy to support a Europe-wide uptake of activities)
D5.8 Communication and dissemination iteration
D5.9 Communication and dissemination strategy report
D5.10 Policy brief (Summary of initative results for policy makers.)
D5.11 Policy brief final (Summary of final results for policy makers)
D5.12 CARE exploitation plan update 1/2
D5.13 CARE exploitation plan update 2/2
Description of future collaboration with CCRI-CSO
We see close collaboration with the CCRI-CSO throughout the project. We would specifically like to collaborate on the following:
- The development of the Circular Academy capacity building programme, which is envisaged as an online capacity-building programme to support CCRI regions and relevant NGOs and CSOs to take the learnings from CARE pilots and apply similar initiatives in their locations.
- It would be great to also have input on the CARE Toolbox, which will be designed to package the most relevant CARE outputs and put them into strategies, guidelines and ready to use communication and design materials in a white-label format ready for use by CCRI regions and other relevant stakeholders.
- Attendance of CCRI-CSO at key meetings/events throughout the project, such as expert webinars.
- We would like to design the CARE final event jointly with CCRI-CSO, as an interactive Circular Day event, ideally as part of a key European event such as European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels. Initial ideas include: elements such as inspirational presentation of the project’s results, interactive and taste formats (e.g. swapping event, repair cafe, cooking with leftovers etc.), facilitating knowledge transfer between cities/regions, activity on working with households, and links to wider scientific progress, societal sustainability and other agendas.
CCRI relevant material
D1.3 Evaluation report (Evaluation of pilot action impacts (environmental, living conditions, and sustainable well-being)
D2.1 Infographic of behaviour change toward circularity in food and clothing
D2.3 Model for giving advisory servicesin circular food and clothing
D2.4 Design concepts for circular consumption interventions in food and clothing
D3.5 Understanding practice change in circular food (A short ethnographic report describing the changes towards circular food practices.)
D4.4 Understading practice change in circular clothing (A short ethnographic report describing the changes towards circular clothing practices.)
D5.2 Explainer videos on circular food and clothing (High quality videos explaining the need for circular food and clothing consumption practices.)
D5.4 CARE Toolbox (Toolbox of different CARE outputs.)
D5.5 Reports with real household stories and photos (Cookbook and circular clothing magazine showcasing circular consumption in HH of 5 countries.)
D5.6 Circular Academy (Online capacity-building programme)
D5.10 Policy brief (Summary of initative results for policy makers.)
D5.11 Policy brief final (Summary of final results for policy makers)
