Too Good To Go - Waste Free Economy Transformation for SMEs

Project Partners were involved in several pro-ecological projects. They realised waste management alone wasn't enough to combat climate change and aimed to introduce waste-free economy models. The...

The Project set of objectives was correlated with the needs of the target groups: SME leaders and managers, VET educators as well as Partner organisations’ employees and reflected the global market trends. SMEs, with over 100 million employees in the EU are a driving force behind huge changes. In the case of transformation from waste management business models to waste-free ones, the necessary change influenced all aspects of organisations' operations: internal and external. Based on the pre-project analysis as well as intensive consultations within the Partnership, Partners pursued 3 main objectives: 1 Encouraged SME leaders to start the transformation process and develop Waste Free Economy Policies and Implementation Action Plans for their organisations and to set examples for other SMEs. 2 Catalogued and developed SMEs' leaders and Project Partners’ competencies necessary for successful transition to the Waste Free Economy, and encouraged their development as sustainability change agents 3 Equipped VET providers with ready-made learning structures, best practice examples, and tools to support the adaptation of their training offers to SME leaders and staff needs to develop the skills needed in the area of sustainable developmet

CORRELATION OF OBJECTIVES WITH PROJECT ACTIVITIES The strength of this Partnership and the quality of Project outcomes is the direct result of the real engagement and true dedication of all Partners to the highest quality of cooperation and support throughout all activities. The Partnership was already cooperating when the proposal was written and when the Project was approved for financing, the Partners verbalised the already tested communication procedures, quality assurance processes and the need for qualitative feedback at all stages of project progress. In detail, the following activities were driving the project results development: Objective 1 was implemented to a large extent via Result 4 - Waste Free SME Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) development as well as the dissemination activities that were taking place online and offline throughout the Project duration. The MOOC comprises an array of resources and tools needed to assure SME leaders that the transfer to a waste-free economy model was worthwhile and doable. Partners believe that the very involvement of SMEs in Results development and dissemination activities would encourage their leaders and employees to enter the transformation process as pioneers so they would become change agents for their sector. And so that happened. Result 1 through Result 4 supported that objective with activities demanding involvement of SME leaders and staff as well as partner organisations and their staff, setting a clear path for transformation with best examples (Result 1), tools and processes for transformation planning and performance (Result 2), indispensable competencies (Result 3) and resources for their development (Result 4). The activities were ranging from designing questionnaires and participating in interviews and consultations through extensive research to hours spent on transferring theoretical knowledge to practical information, designing tools and describing case studies in a practical and motivational way, gathering structured feedback to make sure the resources and tools and useful and palatable for busy entrepreneurs and finally presenting the content in all Results in such a way that it would be useful for VET educators. The whole process, although very demanding, was very engaging for all Partners. Ad Objective 2: The second objective was targeted mostly by Result 3 tasks, where all partners explored in depth business models of successful organisations that had undergone waste-free economy transformation, to describe one of the sources of their success – the competencies of the people who were behind it (Result 1/Task 3, Task 4). To do this activity, according to the same model and up to the same quality, the process for running the interviews and gathering information was described to make sure the gathered data is comparable. The state-of-the art scientific process was used to select, analyse and describe competencies as sets of behaviours, attitudes and knowledge needed at the managerial and employee level to pursue successful transformation. They constituted the basis for the content of the educational modules in Result 4 – the MOOC to be used for VET skills development and also served as a practical tool for SME leaders and HR specialists to assess in-house competencies and plan their development either on their own or through VET educators. Ad Objective 3: Due to well-structured activities and strictly monitored procedures for Project Results development, all of them turned out to be an excellent source of expertise for VET providers as well as SME managers who would like to start employee training. VET trainers together with Partners were engaged in activities related to the MOOC content development (Result 4), as described above. Since the MOOC was designed to be the source of knowledge about waste-free economy, Partners meticulously selected the adequate, most updated content, enriched it with best practices from Result 1, a step-by-step guide for assisting SMEs in waste-free business model transition; with methods and worksheets developed during Partners collaborative activities in the Learning Teaching and Training Activity (LTTA) and procedures from Result 2, the Competence framework as a reference point for recruitment and development, and a set of modules targeting the skills and knowledge from Result 3 indispensable in SMEs for successful transformation. While working on the set of worksheets, the Partners implemented a very detailed, multi stage verification process, testing them on their own organisations, gathering feedback and introducing changes before inviting external testers to apply a very similar testing procedure. CORRELATION OF RESULTS WITH PROJECT ACTIVITIES Activities of Result 1 led to the development of a Compendium of waste-free economy transformation success stories from SMEs. The activities included: setting the criteria for selection, selecting the companies and conducting preliminary interviews with SMEs; thematic mapping of the company examples and selection to narrow the number of SMEs to the ones that can be further interviewed for case studies; structuring the business cases and interviews by developing a business case structure together with interview procedure and an interview guide and running the interviews; preparation of the SMEs Business case compendium that answered the set of questions such as: how SME started; what it took to make the waste free economy transformation, what support was needed, what competencies were needed, how the competencies were developed; the present situation, encountered challenges, why was the transformation successful, what are their recommendations for other SMEs. During the LTTA, Partners defined the methods for incorporating waste-free economy principles into business strategies. These were later used in practice and verified in the course of implementation of Result 2: Step-by-Step Policies Portfolio and Action Plans development through activities such as: market research, mult-layer and multi stage designing and testing the tools for practicality and functionality. Each Partner appointed a waste free model Project team with a leader and each team conducted activities (e.g workshops, team meetings, inhouse observations, job shadowing ) to design new Policy and Action Plan on organisational level. All partners contributed working on their policies and action plans, consulting and brainstorming for one another. Next, each set of policies was reviewed by at least one other partner. In the following activity, waste free model project teams in 6 organisations conducted evaluation (focus groups, questionnaires) of the process they went through, to define areas for improvement in the process of designing policies and evaluate and polish tools and templates. On the basis of evaluation conclusions, final versions of the tools, templates and processes used to design the Policies and action plans were prepared. Then the final version of the revised tools, templates and processes descriptions was developed. Result 3: The Competence model for new jobs required by SME waste-free economy model transformation was developed through 5 tasks supported by Partners’ analysis. The activities included: identification of jobs and occupations that the waste free economy in SMEs requires, designing and running an online survey to selected respondents, conducting structured interviews with employees in jobs related to waste free economy, conducting structured interviews with owners / managers whose positions are related to the waste free economy, development and testing of the initial competency model, defining the final competence framework. Production of the MOOC (Result 4) included developed waste-free economy educational content as described above and adapted Results 1-3 deliverables. This was achieved through activities such as: defining the scope & objectives of the modules through additional questionnaire surveys with SMEs’ specialists, owners & managers; developing MOOC modules content (content typologies were selected & designed according to the needs) together with the adaptation of the Result 1, 2 & 3 deliverables; developing MOOC infrastructure and designing learning experience (appropriate platforms were identified and the suitable one selected based on the strict criteria described in the Proposal); developing MOOC structure & functionalities including the authoring of descriptive materials for facilitating the participants’; writing online texts to present the content in an efficient and appealing way; integrating testing methodologies; launching the MOOC course, reviewing it and testing inside the Partners’ organisations and evaluating with external target groups users. All four Project Results were translated and cultural adapted to Partner languages: PL, IT, BG, HR and LT. 6 National Information Days in PL (2), IT, BG, HR and LT were organised for the months corresponding to implementation of the MOOC that comprised all Results so that SMEs could see the path for waste-free model transition. Transnational Project Meetings were correlated with the work on Results and were planned at key times for specific Results development.

2Good2Go Project produced the following concrete Results: Result 1: Compendium of waste-free economy transformation success stories from SMEs Result 2: Step-by-Step Policies Portfolio and Action Plans and an online CIRCULARITY ASSESMENT TOOL Result 3: Competence model for new jobs required by SME waste-free economy model transformation with indications for learning modules Result 4: MOOC - “Waste Free SME” including adaptation of Result 1, 2 & 3 deliverables: a. lessons learnt and business cases b. a set of documents (templates/procedures) describing the implementation process for Waste Free Economy Policies with revised tools & evaluation conclusions with instructions to design and lead the transfer to the waste-free economy model in an SME c. competence model for new jobs required by the SME waste-free economy model which could be used for SMEs personnel development or recruitment d. knowledge modules to develop the specific competencies defined in Result 3. Result 5: Starting with active participation in LTTA and following up with Result 2 activities, 6 Partners developed state-of-the-art policies & action plans for introducing a waste-free economy model and started the transformation process in their own organisations. Result 6: ‘Let’s Not Waste’ LTTA provided knowledge, skills and tools for transition to the no-waste economy model, the competencies to work on other Project results and the stamina to promote the changes loud and wide. Result 7: Two additional SMEs also developed waste-free transformation policies and action plans with the help from the Partners and selected the starting activities for the transformation. Result 8: The Project idea and Results were shared and promoted at 6 National Information Days in IT, PL (2), HR, LT and BG with the presence of SMEs owners, managers, employees & VET providers as well as representatives of a broader public of interested stakeholders both with interest and influence in the educational field but also in sustainability and climate change. During the events the Compendium of waste free economy success stories from SMEs, the Step By Step process of transformation to waste free economy model, newly defined competencies for the waste free transformation and beyond and MOOC educational modules to develop indispensable competencies were shared. The role of competences and policies development in the transition to CE was shared. Altogether 268 participants were present (with 180 originally planned in the Proposal). Result 9: The Partnership delivered tools and materials for promotion of project Results. They were addressed to a transnational audience, in order to inform, promote, and build a solid case for the uptake of results by sectoral stakeholders, and stimulate the cross-sectoral adaptation of results and/or the development of corresponding materials in the fields of VET and waste free economy. To this end, all promotional materials took into account intercultural considerations, and were designed in PL, LT, IT, HR, BG, EN. They include: 1. Project website; regularly updated - total number of page views on webpage: 4757, all downloads (Compendium + other uploaded results on webpage) – 337 of which Compendium had 232 downloads. 2. Online social media accounts; successfully run during project lifetime: LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. All KPI were exceeded, finally partners published much more posts that indicated in the proposal (100): Facebook – 130 posts, Instagram - 84 posts, LinkedIn - 110 posts, website - 29 posts. Total number of followers was also exceeded: 239 instead of 200 from the proposal. Total number of Target groups’ members reached by total sharing & promotion activities: 7025 (target from the proposal: 1000). 3. National Information Days (mentioned earlier) - the total number of event participants (268) exceeded the KPIs partners included in the proposal (180). Non-tangible results: Result 10: The transformation of thinking started among the majority of all those involved in Project activities – be it the Partners, SME representatives, local authorities represented at Infodays or VET educators. They expressed interest in having a say in slowing down the climate changes by implementing the changes towards a waste-free models whether the business or individual level. Result 11. SME employees participated in the project development learnt about the waste-free economy concept and the influence they could have on the environment. They also developed an understanding that their actions mattered and could set good examples when they adopted the methodology necessary for the transition and implemented the process. Result 12: Partners’ organisations' Project and out of Project staff broadened their knowledge about the waste-free economy and the tools and methods for the transition towards it, as well as their implementation; they experienced a tremendous change in their attitude and started “living the change''. Partners expect that created results will still influence and serve target groups after project completion: 1. Success stories will encourage organisations to transit to waste free economy models. 2. Step By Step Policies Portfolio and Action Plans allowing SMEs to go through the transformation process. 3. Competence model for new jobs required by SME waste free economy model will serve as a source for identifying knowledge gaps in SMEs 4. MOOC will equip SME employees and leaders with knowledge and tools to design waste free economy implementation plans in their organisations and with skills to deliver and promote that change as well as to become the true sustainable development believers. 5. VET providers will be equipped with tools and methods for working with their clients 6. Project partners will initiate and foster the process of implementing waste free economy models in their organisations