About

Cir4Fun

Driving Circularity for a Sustainable Future for Furniture

Cir4Fun, a 3 year EU initiative uniting partners across 10 European countries, aims to revolutionise the furniture industry. The project adopts circular economy principles throughout the entire product lifecycle, from Eco-Design to end-life solutions like repair, reuse, and recycling.

Cir4Fun’s approach is driven by innovation: the project will develop smart digital tools, including a Digital Product Passport (DPP), and forward-thinking strategies designed to tangibly elevate the sustainability of furniture. Moreover, Cir4Fun aims to bring greater clarity to eco-labelling, empowering consumers with the information they need to make conscious choices and fostering a deeper engagement with environmental responsibility.

At the heart of Cir4Fun lies a commitment to building a comprehensive roadmap towards circularity, defining the architecture for a Furniture DPP, and promoting the establishment of sustainable business models and Eco-Design guidelines, and prioritising product longevity.

Furthermore, the insights and data gathered by Cir4Fun will converge within its integrated Furniture Assessment System (FAS), a powerful tool designed to underpin effective eco-scoring systems for furniture and streamline the application of the DPP.

The impact of Cir4Fun will be brought to life and rigorously tested through carefully selected real-world projects across the diverse landscapes of European value chains. The valuable lessons learned and the successful models developed by Cir4Fun will be actively shared throughout the European furniture community, inspiring a collective movement towards a truly circular and enduring future. 

Join us on this journey towards a sustainable furniture landscape!

Furniture from Kave Home

Who we are

Cir4Fun’s consortium is composed by 22 partners from 10 European countries: Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Greece, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

AIDIMME
Certh
Uninova
Politecnico Milano
CBS
CEA
xgility
f6s
I4byDESIGN
sonae
micuna
opendot
CVR
pozzi arturo
eldia
MG
Fevama
ekpizo
sara
supsi

Synergies

R-EVOLVE

R-EVOLVE is a four-year HORIZON Innovation Action project which focuses on developing solutions for furniture design and business models that prioritise sustainability. It will also create training materials to help companies adopt new practices and foster a community for knowledge sharing in the furniture sector.

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FITT-NESS

FITT-NESS connects four regional innovation ecosystems in the furniture sector – Lombardy (Italy), Murcia (Spain), Northern Portugal and Sicily (Italy) – to promote collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation. Centred on promoting smart homes and inclusive environments, the project strengthens inter-regional partnerships and opens up new business opportunities.

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PSS-Pass

The PSS-Pass project advances sustainable manufacturing by integrating products and services into Product Service Systems (PSS). It employs digital tools to create comprehensive ‘passports’ that track a product’s lifecycle, detailing its origins, components, and environmental impact.

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Technological Institute for metal, wood, furniture, packaging and construction.

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The Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH), founded in 2000 in Greece, is listed among the TOP-14 E.U. research institutions with the highest participation in competitive research grants, and ranks among the top 5 research organizations in the EU in terms of attracting competitive research grants in the field of Artificial Intelligence between the years 2021 and 2023. It is a legal entity governed by private law with non-profit status, supervised by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT) of the Greek Ministry of Development and Investments. CERTH consists of five institutes in various research fields. The Information Technology Institute (ITI) is one of the leading Institutions in Greece in the fields of Informatics, Telematics, and Telecommunications. It is active in many research domains such as Security and Surveillance, Image and Signal Processing, Computer & Cognitive Vision, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Multimedia, Energy, Cloud Computing, IoT, and Big Data Analytics. CERTH/ITI has participated in more than 300 research projects funded by the European Commission and more than 200 research projects funded by Greek National Research Programmes, also attracting numerous private contracts. The remarkable scientific work of ITI’s research personnel has led to more than 3,000 publications.

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Instituto de Desenvolvimento de Novas Tecnologias (UNINOVA) is a multidisciplinary, independent, and non-profit research institute employing around 180 persons, located in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. It was formed in 1986 by the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the NOVA University of Lisbon, a group of industrial associations, a financial holding, and up to 30 companies. It is an active partner of Madan Parque, a business facilitator and accelerator, incubating Micro and SME’s through several layers of support to entrepreneurial activity.

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Politecnico Milano is one of the leading technical Universities in Europe, which trains engineers, architects and designers. The University has always focused on the quality and innovation of its teaching and research, developing a fruitful relationship with business and productive world by means of experimental research and technological transfer.

The School of Management Manufacturing Group is a Research team of the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering of Politecnico di Milano.
The group is composed by professors, researchers, PhDs and experts with different backgrounds that range from technical disciplines to managerial experiences and proactively cooperates with research and competence centers as well as industry and policymakers.

The mission of the Group is to be a joining link among market, institutions and academia and to generate and spread knowledge about the most promising and the most urgent topics for companies with specific focus on manufacturing themes.
The activities of the Manufacturing Group can be gathered in: advanced research, European projects, innovation & technology transfer projects, collaborations with the national and international ecosystems.
The objective of the Group is, on the one hand, to proactively contribute to the expansion of the boundaries of knowledge by bearing in mind the real needs of companies and, on the other hand, to support companies in achieving the same level of excellence.
In doing this, the focus is both horizontal, by looking at all the manufacturing processes in an integrated way, and vertical, by deep investigating specific niches like those related to Industry 4.0 or Sustainable/Circular Manufacturing.

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Fraunhofer IPK is a research and development institution in the field of production technology. With our distinctive IT competency, we offer system solutions, individual tech­nologies and services for digitally integrated production. We provide comprehensive support to companies from product development, planning and control of machines and systems, including technologies for parts manufacturing, to comprehensive automation and management of factory operations. We also transfer production engineering solutions to areas of application outside industry, such as traffic and safety.

As an institute of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, we tailor our work to fit the needs and requirements of our customers and partners. With its market orientation and high real-world value, our R & D helps to sharpen their long-term competitive edge. We develop forward-looking novel solutions and modernize, optimize and upgrade existing technologies and applications.

In CIR4FUN we bring in our competencies from three main perspectives: Holistic Requirements Engineering, Business and Technical Interoperability and Digital Product Passport Systems as already demonstrated for Batteries and in the frame of standardization in CEN CENELEC. Next to other, in CIR4FUN Fraunhofer IPK will be responsible for the development of interoperability SDK, especially for the benefit of SME.

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Copenhagen Business School (CBS) was established in 1917. Today, with 20,000 students and 1,500 employees, CBS is one of the largest business schools in Europe and one of the 8 Danish universities.

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The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas: defence and security, low carbon energies (nuclear and renewable energies), technological research for industry, fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.​

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Xgility is a dynamic solutions provider specializing in software development, IT outsourcing, training, consulting, research, and AI decision support. With a focus on innovation, collaboration, and delivering measurable impact, Xgility helps organizations thrive by providing tailored, cutting-edge solutions to modern business challenges. Their mission is to redefine agility and empower businesses to operate efficiently in a fast-evolving technological landscape.

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F6S is a leading global founder and startup network that supports public sector entities worldwide in promoting, communicating, and disseminating technical and research projects. F6S stands for F-ounder-S. The mission of F6S is to assist founders and startups in growing and solving the world’s most pressing social, economic, environmental, sustainability, and innovation challenges. In addition to its work with government entities, F6S collaborates with corporates, investors, research institutions, programs, universities, and other stakeholders within the global startup ecosystem. F6S tools deliver company growth through grants, partnerships, funding, investment, pilot contracts, partnerships, jobs & talent recruitment, company services and more.

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I4byDesign Competence Center acts as an innovation cluster in the field of Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0 and is comprised of 1 Research Center and 23 Greek companies, hence connecting research to businesses.

The I4byDesign Competence Center, has a clear focus on Industry 4.0 technologies, provides strategic and operational support to Greek manufacturing companies, aiming at the digital and technological transformation of their industrial processes. Through a wide range of methodologies, digital tools and services reshapes their organizational, business and strategic models, while maintaining a high level of competitiveness.

The I4byDesign Competence Center is based on the double helix of Industry and Research Institution and provides services in the fields of “Research & Development” of new Products and Services, “Innovation Management”, “Development of Ecosystem”, “Training and Education”, and “Networking & Consulting”.

With its Learning Lab, I4byDesign provides a state-of-the-art space for product development and prototyping. The Lab is equipped with the latest technologies such as industrial 3D printing, Recycling set up, Robotics, state-of-the-art simulators and XR (AR/VR),

The team of I4byDesign has all the necessary skills to successfully run the project. Their expertise ranges from the development and exploitation of emerging technologies to product and services commercialization. The specialization of its 23 members covers various sectors. The aggregated expertise covers a wide range of Technologies Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0 such as Internet of Things, Cyber Security, Big Data, 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Robotics & Automation, Digital Twins & Simulation, Predictive Maintenance and Energy Efficiency Systems/Smart Grids/Smart Metering.

Big part of I4byDesign business model lies on its services for the upskilling/reskilling of personnel in emerging technologies (AR/VR, AI, Robotics, Additive Manufacturing etc.) and the capability to offer hands-on trainings in the state-of-the-art Learning Lab it owns.

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With an industrial soul, Sonae Arauco is one of the largest wood-based solutions players in the world. The company’s commitment to sustainable development is borne out in its forest certification, the implementation of a circular bioeconomic model and the permanent integration of recycled wood into the industrial process.

Since its inception, Sonae Arauco has focused on developing sustainable wood solutions with high-added value for furniture, interior design and construction, from the most standard to the most demanding from a technical point of view. From Innovus® decorative products to Core & Technical® products and AGEPAN® SYSTEM solutions, Sonae Arauco holds a versatile portfolio, with a wide range of applications.

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Micuna is a Spanish family-owned company, founded in 1973 and located in the Valencian Community, specializing in the design and development of cribs and children’s furniture for the youngest members of the family.

All its products are created in its facilities, located at the foot of the Albufera, where a dedicated team works tirelessly to deliver high-quality items, always prioritizing baby safety.

Known for its respect for the environment and strong social awareness, Micuna distributes its catalog to more than 30 countries and is internationally recognized for its design and innovation.

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Kave Home is a Mediterranean furniture and design brand with over 40 years’ experience. We design, manufacture and distribute a wide range of high-quality pieces, overseeing the entire process and ensuring that each and every detail is perfect.

We have an online and offline multichannel business model present in over 80 countries with more than 120 points of sale worldwide, focused on design, quality, price and sustainability.

At Kave Home we develop Kave Cares, a commitment to scrutinise each stage of the product development to improve the impact of our actions. We are part of the UN Global Compact and are committed to be a company with zero net emissions by 2050.

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OpenDot is an innovation hub for social impact dedicated to positive change, focusing on sustainability and circular economy, with a particular focus on health and care, food systems, circular design and fashion systems.

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CVR is a private non-profit association, founded in 2002 and recognized as a Public Utility Entity and Technology and Innovation Centre. It is dedicated to innovation, development, dissemination, and transmission of knowledge, primarily operating in four areas: Laboratorial Services, Consulting, Research and Development and Organization of Scientific Events. CVR has the expertise to develop environmentally and economically sustainable waste treatment solutions, contributing to the pursuit of public policy goals within priority areas of specialization. Located in Guimarães, CVR is integrated in the University of Minho campus and has its own laboratory facilities where it conducts activities to support industry and municipalities. Additionally, CVR organizes the international scientific Conference “WASTES: Solutions, Treatments and Opportunities.

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Pozzi Arturo Spa is a leading manufacturer of high-quality furniture fabrics, specializing in performance textiles for both indoor and outdoor use. Established in 1957, we combine innovation and tradition to create durable, stylish solutions for a wide range of applications.

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Waste management and recycling

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The Municipality of Guimarães (CMG) is a local public authority located in northern Portugal, known for its historical heritage as the birthplace of the nation and its strong commitment to sustainability. CMG leads and supports initiatives in climate action, circular economy, cultural heritage, and civic participation. Recognised as the European Green Capital in 2016, Guimarães actively engages in national and European projects to foster innovation, environmental stewardship, and community-driven transformation.

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FEVAMA is the wood and furniture business federation of Valencian Community. made up different associations of wood and furniture companies. With our activities, we help companies from the wood, carpentry and furniture sector to improve their competitiveness and focus on adoption of new production strategies and enterprise management

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EKPIZO – Consumers’ Association “The Quality of Life” established in 1988, protects consumer rights and improves their quality of life; it is a nongovernmental, non-profit and accredited association. It is administered by a Board of 7 members, has over 23.000 members, 10 employees (2 freelancers) and 36 volunteers.

Our financial resources, strictly identified by law, are only allowed from members’ fees, collective actions, and subsidies from national / European/international public institutions and Foundations.

During its 36 years lifetime, EKPIZO activities have been multilevel and varying, covering comparative testing of food/products, financial-banking, environmental, health, food, energy, consumer education issues, legal advice-support, collective and group actions, participation in national-EU consultations and representation in several official bodies

EKPIZO’s multiannual work has resulted in creation of jurisdiction and legal reforms for consumer benefit enhancing thus their protection.

Over 500.000 individuals have been provided with tailor made reliable-accountable information and services.

Since 2000, court and out of court actions have helped EKPIZO members to get back over 21 million euro illegally withheld by companies.

EKPIZO has so far carried out over 110 mainly EU and some national projects, is represented in several official national and EU committees, in 2023 had average 46.000 web visits/month and 11.800 Facebook followers

EKPIZO is member of POMEK (Greek Federation of Consumer Associations), BEUC (The European Consumer Organization) www.beuc.eu, ANEC (European Organization for the consumers representation to Standardization), www.anec.eu, EU Health Alliance http://medicinesalliance.eu, Finance Watch, https://www.finance-watch.org Consumers International, https://www.consumersinternational.org and Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue, www.tacd.org.

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Sara SA is a company that since 1961 designs, produces and sells metal fornitures 100% Swiss Made both for office and home.

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The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) offers 30 Bachelor’s Degree and master’s degree courses to about 5500 students through a cutting-edge approach merging traditional theoretical education with practical training. Strong focus is given to research, carried out in key domains for EU competitiveness, and funded on acquired projects within European or National frameworks.

Within SUPSI, the research Institute of Systems and Technologies for Sustainable Production (ISTePS) participates in the project through the laboratory Sustainable Production Systems (SPS Lab). SPS Lab combines education and research activities in several national and European research projects, reaching an average volume of 1M CHF research investment per year. Since sustainability is a key element for manufacturing, both in terms of strategic challenge and as a trigger of new business opportunities, SPS has focused a significant share of its effort in supporting sustainability-driven innovation in manufacturing companies, starting from the development of sustainability-aware strategies, down to sustainability performance computation and analysis, and the identification of relevant manufacturing technologies for sustainable processes and products.

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