The transition to a circular economy is inherently multi-actor and system-level, requiring effective coordination not only of technical development but also of the human-centred processes that drive engagement, collaboration and uptake. Within this landscape, CLIC contributes by structuring how project results are translated into stakeholder-relevant impact – an approach further developed in the EU-funded circular economy project TREASoURcE.
TREASoURcE developed and demonstrated systemic circular economy solutions across plastic waste, end-of-life electric vehicle batteries and biobased side streams, combining technical innovation with regional and stakeholder-driven implementation. The project provided a concrete environment for developing and refining how strategic communication and stakeholder engagement can support systemic circular economy transition in practice. The four-year initiative concluded at the end of May 2026, leaving behind a legacy of tested approaches, scalable formats and transferable practices.
Impact is built through dialogue, not dissemination alone
A central objective of TREASoURcE was to establish a two-way exchange between the consortium and key stakeholder groups across the targeted value chains and regions. Rather than treating stakeholders as passive recipients of project results, the project sought to engage them as active contributors to the wider circular economy transition.
In practice, this means designing collaboration models, engagement formats and knowledge exchange processes together with stakeholders to ensure that project activities and results remain relevant to real-world needs and opportunities. TREASoURcE demonstrated that stakeholder engagement is not an add-on to innovation projects, but a prerequisite for ensuring that innovations can be implemented, replicated and scaled beyond the project itself.
This approach was further strengthened by the consortium’s strong regional foundation, with several local and regional organisations participating as project partners. Their close connections to the regional ecosystems where the project demonstrations took place enabled context-sensitive engagement and helped bridge the gap between project ambitions and local realities.
Balancing consistency and local relevance
One of the key challenges in multi-actor projects is balancing a common project identity with the diverse realities of different stakeholder groups, sectors and regions. Circular economy actors vary considerably in their roles, interests and capacities, making one-size-fits-all communication and engagement approaches ineffective.
To address this, CLIC developed a shared communication framework that provided consistency across the project while allowing partners to adapt activities to local contexts and stakeholder needs. This combination of strategic coordination and contextual flexibility proved essential for engaging complex innovation ecosystems.
The same principle was reflected in the development and testing of practical engagement methods. One example is the Circular value chain builder tool, now part of the CLIC-developed Ecosystem Playbook. The tool helps stakeholders identify connections, collaboration opportunities and shared interests across their regional ecosystems.
Making knowledge usable
As communication and dissemination lead, CLIC’s role extended beyond raising awareness of project activities and results. The focus was on translating project outputs into formats and narratives that were meaningful and actionable for different audiences.
TREASoURcE demonstrated that effective communication is not about maximising visibility alone, but about ensuring that project knowledge is accessible and useful to the actors who can apply it. This required combining complementary communication and engagement formats, ranging from digital campaigns and influencer collaboration to local outreach activities embedded within the demonstration regions.
Through this approach, 16 multi-channel campaigns were implemented across the Nordic and Baltic regions, reaching more than half a million stakeholders. The TREASoURcE Replication Handbook represents a concrete example of how project knowledge can be transformed into a practical resource that supports the adaptation, replication and continued use of circular economy solutions beyond the project itself.
Creating real-world impact starts from within
Beyond the practical tools, campaigns and engagement activities, TREASoURcE reinforced a less visible but equally important lesson: effective external communication requires strong internal alignment.
Communication and dissemination activities are often perceived as the responsibility of a dedicated work package. In practice, however, their effectiveness depends on the willingness and ability of partners to contribute knowledge, share results and engage with relevant stakeholder communities. Creating this shared ownership requires clear processes, regular interaction and a common understanding of communication objectives. When these conditions are in place, communication becomes a consortium-wide effort rather than an isolated function, enabling expertise, networks and project results to be mobilised more effectively.
For CLIC, this represents one of the key takeaways from TREASoURcE. Future circular economy projects will need to place increasing emphasis on creating structures that enable collaboration, knowledge exchange and shared ownership across diverse actor groups. These lessons are already informing the design and implementation of new initiatives such as CIRCULANDIA, where particular attention has been given to embedding stakeholder engagement and ecosystem collaboration into the project’s operating model. While technologies, value chains and stakeholder landscapes may change, the ability to connect people, organisations and expertise around common objectives is likely to remain a critical success factor for translating project results into lasting change.
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