VERDEinMED

Project information

Project title: Preventing and reducing the textile waste mountain in the MED area

Acronym: VERDEinMED

Mission 1: STRENGTHENING AND INNOVATIVE SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

Programme Priority 2: Greener Mediterranean

RSO2.6: Promoting the transition to a circular and resource-efficient economy

Test (Thematic) Project

About the project:

While the challenges and opportunities of second-hand textiles are increasingly the focus of attention of governments, industry and civil society, the transition to a circular textile and clothing economy requires significant systemic changes.

Local, regional, national and European governments can and must play a key role in creating the right conditions and incentives to accelerate this transition.

This action will lead to a green transition and, thus, to the significant structural changes in the business model needed to put sustainability and circularity at the heart of business strategy.

The VERDE project will achieve these objectives through the following activities and deliverables:

A conceptual framework for information exchange through the development of a Knowledge Hub;
Technology transfer and knowledge sharing through the establishment and testing of a technical assistance service that will set up VERDE Bussola (Green Compass) together with the Knowledge Centre, including learning interactions and evaluation, to transfer project results;
A strategy to promote, disseminate and adopt project results based on evidence-based findings that will inform local, regional and national policy recommendations.

VERDEinMED will present an analytical framework to study the successful implementation of circular business models, identify business model innovation, technological innovation, and social innovation needs, and enable policy and behaviour change conditions.

The VERDE project will showcase the full range of a triple-bottom-line support service aimed at civil society, industry and policymakers, indicating the tailored interventions needed for this (green) transition.

It will start by transforming the industry towards sustainable practices and driving demand towards conscious consumption. It will conclude by defining a policy framework to support the transition of the T/C sector towards sustainability and circularity.

The ecosystem thus created will be supported by Verde Bussola, the Green Compass, which combines the establishment of Regional Hubs, the Knowledge Platform and the Support Service into a single entity that brings together experts and knowledge from different locations to prepare the framework for the creation of Knowledge and Competence Centres as a single point in each region.

LEAD PARTNER: CERTH, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece

PROJECT PARTNERS:

DIADYMA SA, Anonymi etairia diacheirisis aporrimmaton Dytikis Makedonias, Greece
CRIB, Ribera consortium, Spain
CTA, Technological Corporation of Andalusia, Spain
CITEVE, Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industry of Portugal, Portugal
E-ZAVOD, E-institute, Slovenia
CONF, Confindustria Umbria, Italy
Legambiente, League for the environment, Italy
TTA-TK, Textile Trade Association - Textile cluster, Macedonia
BFA, Bulgarian Fashion Association

Project value: € 2.970.502,00
Project duration: 33 months

"Project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund."

The project is supported by the EU INTERREG Euro-MED programme. The total amount of co-financing is 2.376.401,60 € (80 %). The amount of ERDF funds allocated to E-zavod is 280.900,00 €.

VERDEinMED Interreg

Project website: Accueil - Interreg Euro-MED - VERDEinMED.

Call of Expression

VERDEinMED opens Call of Expression of Interest for Service Providers

The VERDEinMED project has launched a Call for Expression of Interest to build a pool of qualified service providers and local mentors supporting innovation, sustainability and circular approaches in the textile sector. Consulting companies, research institutes, and independent experts are invited to apply.

Selected providers will offer services in areas such as:

Support services for product sustainable innovation (ecodesign practices, introduction of second-life products, material innovation to reduce environmental impacts during the product lifecycle).
Support services for process sustainable innovation (circular innovation approaches, recovery and reuse of materials, recycling systems implementation, production waste management and waste minimization strategies).
Product/process sustainability certifications (Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), EcoLabel, and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD).
New international legal and regulatory standards and labelling (Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and Fair-Trade certifications).
Climate Change Services (carbon accounting, development of net-zero strategies, and climate risk assessments tailored to the textile sector).
Circular Economy Services (designing closed-loop systems, developing strategies for waste reduction, implementing EPR systems and implementing take-back schemes).
Certifications and Policies Services (drafting sustainability policies, ensuring compliance with local and international laws, and providing training on certification requirements).
Manufacturing Systems Optimization (implementing lean manufacturing techniques, upgrading machinery for energy efficiency, and integrating advanced monitoring systems to reduce resource consumption).
Energy Management Services (conducting energy audits, recommending renewable energy installations such as solar panels, and optimizing energy use through advanced analytics).
Environmental Legislation Compliance (providing legal audits, preparing businesses for environmental certifications, and ensuring adherence to international trade standards).
Sustainable Business model development (developing corporate sustainability strategies, engaging stakeholders in co-creation processes, and designing innovative value propositions aligned with green principles).

Applications are open to entities that meet the following eligibility criteria:

Demonstrated experience of at least 5 years in consultancy or support services for sustainability.
Evidence of providing at least one support service in the last 3 years for each service typology in which the applicant seeks inclusion.
Proven English language proficiency at a minimum C1 level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), demonstrated through a recognized certification or documented experience.

Applications are open from March 18 to April 18, 2025 (12.00 CET). The final list will be published on April 28, 2025, and service delivery will occur between May 1 and October 30, 2025.

The application must be completed using the templates made available by the VERDEinMED project coordination team (Annex I). The complete call rules and template are in the PDF document below.

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (1.1 Mb)