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Pop-Machina

Pop-Machina is a Horizon 2020 project that seeks to highlight and reinforce the links between the maker movement and circular economy in order to promote environmental sustainability and generate socio-economic benefits in European cities.

Circular economy is a promising alternative to existing linear production and consumption patterns that generate enormous waste and have a huge negative impact on the environment overall. Circular use of material, through for example recycling and reusing, can reduce the generation of waste as well as our dependence on extraction or import of raw materials. As such, it has the potential to bring about significant environmental and economic benefits.

Maker movement brings together individuals engaged in do-it-yourself (DIY) activities, sparking communities all over the world. These communities typically create products from waste materials or re-assembly products that are discarded, broken or unused. The movement has grown rapidly in the recent decades, benefitting from the expansion of open workshops (makerspaces), the increase of availability and affordability of digital fabrication tools such as 3D printers and laser cutters, and the prosumer trend in general.

Maker movement is one of the most promising agents for driving the transition of cities to a more circular economy model and so holds great potential for urban regeneration, improved sustainability, social welfare and cohesion.

Pop-Machina aims to 

  • Demonstrate the power and potential of the maker movement and collaborative production for the EU circular economy

  • Support the implementation of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan
  • Contribute to the growth of maker ecosystems and the production of circular innovations in European cities
  • Mobilise citizens under the banner of circular economy and collaborative production
  • Empower communities to innovate and make their cities more resilient and adaptive to socio-economic and environmental challenges

Source: Pop-Machine - About

 

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Icon afbeelding: IAAC - pop machina logo