2020 - 2023:  European cross-border project to create a model to help local authorities develop a circular economy in the France Channel - England area.

WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) 2015 estimates that the transition to a circular economy across Europe will create up to 3 million new jobs and reduce unemployment by 520,000 people. Thus,400,000 new jobs are expected in France (Club of Rome 2016) and 500,000 in the UK.
These will mainly be new jobs resulting from increased recycling, income logistics and secondary markets. If local authorities are given an appropriate education and training strategy, they will have the opportunity to create new jobs for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A radical change is needed in the France Channel - England area as the latest figures show an unemployment rate of 3.9% (1.3 million people) in England and 8.6% (2.4 million people) in France (one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe in 2019) (Statista 2019). 

Creation of the first cross-border model enabling local authorities to accelerate the transition to a circular economy

Selected within the framework of the European programme of cross-border cooperation INTERREG V A France (Channel) England, the BLUEPRINT project will carry out this work by 3 approaches:

• Ensuring that local authorities have the right strategic framework to combine EU action on waste with recycling targets of 65% by 2035
• The mobilisation of social enterprises to train people to benefit from the new jobs created 
• Enable households to change their behaviour to increase their recycling rate and support growth in the transition to the circular economy.

The BLUEPRINT project has a budget of €5.6 million over 3 years, co-financed to the tune of €3.9 million by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund). It brings together French and British partners:  Essex County Council (chef de file du projet), Kent County Council, EcoWise, Anglia Ruskin University, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, ESITC Caen, UniLaSalle, Morlaix Communauté et Neoma Business School.

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