Circular economy

The fishing organisation of Bustio has become the first in Spain to become self-sufficient in renewable energy for its on land operations. By making an environmental commitment to reduce carbon emissions, it is saving around €10 000 a year on electricity.

On Lower Saxony’s North Sea coast, small-scale fishermen team up with an environmental NGO to collect marine waste and look at ways of disposing and recycling plastic components.

The sixteenth edition of the FARNET magazine explores sustainability, blue growth and the circular economy from a CLLD perspective. What have we learnt in the ten years since a CLLD approach was first introduced in fisheries areas under the EMFF? How can we position fisheries CLLD for the future? Is the circular economy key? These are just some of the questions addressed in this thought-provoking edition.

The FLAG is covered by three mainland municipalities (Follonica, Piombino and Scarlino) and one island (Isola di Capraia), and is situated in the northern Tyrrhenian coast of Italy. While traditional fisheries are still carried on by small fleets in the region, aquaculture has increased significantly over the last decade in terms of workers involved and impact on the economy.

The FLAG area is situated in the south of the Istrian peninsula. All local self-government units, apart from the Svetvinčenat municipality, are coastal. The area is very rich in historical and cultural heritage which to a large extent is linked with the sea and fisheries. A significant part of the area is under the protection of Natura 2000.

FARNET's 7th transnational seminar took place on 20-22 November 2018 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. It offered FLAGs an opportunity to better understand what circular economy is and to exchange on different types of initiatives they might support to encourage more sustainable local production and consumption habits: based on reducing waste, re-using products and recycling materials.

Some creative thinking and investment have led to the creation of Denmark’s first recycling plant to process expanded polystyrene into plastic pellets that can be sold to manufacturers for a wide range of new products. This is a leap forward in terms of handling used fish boxes.

By finding commercial outlets for certain fish species, especially those that tend to overpopulate, this project aims to ensure better local resource management, improving the image of undervalued species and reducing eutrophication in Finnish lakes.

To reduce the impact of fish farming on the environment, a group of local actors, with initial LEADER LAG support, has developed the symbiotic production of fish and tomatoes into a highly successful business.

The Vela Vrata brings together islands of Cres and Lošinj, and their respective towns and municipalities, and the city of Opatija, municipalities of Lovran and Mošćenička Draga on the coast.