PR3_BestPractices_EN

PR3- Digital CE tools for seniors-Best practices Report Summary

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or OeAD-GmbH. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction

International Best Practices

National and Regional Best Practices

Conclusions and ideas to draw for SEN4CE project

Introduction

In the framework of the PR3, the SEN4CE project aims to design a course curriculum on digital Circular Economy platform and tools for seniors, closing gaps of existing approaches and creating synergies with other projects addressing the same target group. To achieve this goal, the project partners have conducted a needs analysis based on the existing good practices, i.e., applications and platforms on circular economy for seniors, applied at the regional, national and international levels. Based on the questionnaire analysis, conducted in each partner country at the previous step of the PR3 delivery, the SEN4CE partners compared their analysis results with the good practices identified at the regional, national and international level. The whole report is in the following link and the summary (https://sen4ce.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PR3-Best-practices-Compilation.pdf) is presented here below.

International Best Practices

Responsible use of resources

Product lifespan

Responsible consumption

Other CE apps and platforms

International Best Practices

Responsible use of resources

Etiquettable is a free collaborative mobile application for sustainable food for all citizens. It includes 6 modules: seasonal fruits and vegetables, endangered fish, low-carbon recipes, tips and information, committed restaurants, and producers and stores. More information: https://etiquettable.eco2initiative.com/application/

Cotton Move develops circular textile products from recyling. They have the mission to reduce the negative reflection of textile and clothing production on the environment, reusing and recovering raw materials and natural resources in their manufacturing process. They believe that it is possible to transform fashion through Circular Design, valuing cotton fibres and respecting socio-environmental conformities. The platform also has a Blog area, where informative posts on issues linked to Circular Economy, the planting of cotton and innovations launched by the partners involved, are updated. More information: https://www.plataformacircular.app/plataforma

Giki application will help you to understand your carbon footprint by showing you the impact of your everyday actions. Your track progress could be checked with your Giki Score and also the app could give you new ideas to live sustainably. More information: https://giki.earth/

Product lifespan

iFixit is a wik-based website that shows how to repair IT equipment, household appliances, vehicles and other things.. More information: https://www.ifixit.com/

The Freecycle Network® is made up of more than 5,000 local Town groups with over 9 million members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Membership is free, and everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. More information: https://www.freecycle.org/

BlaBlaCar is the world's leading community-based travel community, enabling more than 90 million users to travel in 22 different markets. BlaBlaCar leverages technology to fill empty seats on journeys, connect carpoolers and bus riders, and make travel more affordable, convenient and interesting. BlaBlaCar's environmentally friendly and people-oriented mobility network saves 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year and generates 120 million people-to-people connections per year. More information: https://support.blablacar.com/hc/en-gb

Momox is a re-commerce company for buying and selling used books and media and actively contribute to the conservation of resources. More information: https://momox.biz/

Vinted is an online, community-based marketplace that allows users to sell, buy and trade second-hand clothing and accessories. More information: https://www.vinted.com/

Trove gives companies access to their own products in the secondary market by offering a platform that makes it easy for brands to buy back and resell used items. The platform provides brands with the technology and logistics to develop customisable resale channels that allow companies to gain access to the secondary market. More information: https://trove.com/

Klaxit is the daily carpooling app for regular journeys, including home-to-work carpooling. More information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE4HHCzUyS4

Junker is a mobile application for smartphones that helps citizens to sort household waste correctly and quickly, helping to reduce the fraction of unsorted waste. More information: https://www.junker.app/

Fat Llama is a peer-to-peer rental platform for all different items. More information: https://fatllama.com/

Refurbed is a re-commerce platform for electronical devices. More information: https://www.refurbed.ie/

Ferris is the Zero Waste App for giving and getting household items for free. They exist to inspire consumers to reduce waste by making the circular economy fun and rewarding. Users can register to post unwanted household items, or to take posted items. All items must be offered for free. the app is designed for ease of use, so that anyone can post or request items quickly and safely. It takes 30 secs to post something, and less to request an item – three clicks! More information: https://www.ferrisapp.co/

Send it back is an app focuses on circular economy of end-of-life hardware. The new application created by Cisco allows customers to return equipment more easily for repair, reconditioning and reuse, thus extending its useful life and contributing to the creation of a circular economy. More information: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/send-it-back/id1140287915 ; https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cisco.sitb

Free2Move is a car rental and shared mobility solutions company. It is a global mobility brand that offers a complete and unique ecosystem for its private and professional customers in Europe and the United States. In tune with the times, the brand is now a mobility hub that structures its service offering around all types of rental needs, but also by simplifying mobility in the broadest sense of the term with complementary offers accessible via the Free2Move application. More information: https://www.free2move.com/en-GB/free-floating-car-sharing

Responsible consumption

HappyCow is an app and website listing vegan and plant-based business (close to 200,000). Like Google and other search platforms, it shows you options nearby based on filter criteria. Every business listed on HappyCow offers at least 1-3 vegan options of products. More information: https://www.happycow.net/

Refill app connects people with place where to shop with less waste by refilling or using reuseble packaging. More information: https://www.refill.org.uk/get-involved/

OLIO connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. This could be food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. For your conveniente, OLIO can also be used for non-food household items, too. More information: https://olioex.com/about/

Too Good To Go is a mobile app that connects customers with restaurants and stores that have unsold, surplus food and sell it at a discounted price to self-pickup customers. More information: https://www.toogoodtogo.com/de/user

The Karma app is a food rescue app that allows retailers to sell their surplus food to consumers at a lower price- instead of having great food go to waste. More information: https://www.karma.life/

Yuka scans food and cosmetic products to decipher their composition and assess their health effects. With the aim of improving the way we consume; Yuka brings simplicity and transparency to understand product labels in one click. A simple colour code is used to indicate the health effects of each product: excellent, good, mediocre or bad. It is then possible to access a detailed card to understand in detail the evaluation of each item. More information: https://yuka.io/en/

Kuri is an eco-responsible cooking app, which helps to adopt seasonal cooking. Kuri learns and adapts to preferences, tastes and eating habits. It has more than 750 recipes, organizes shopping lists and supports local farmers. More information: https://kuri.co/

Meatless helps reduce your meat intake and tracks produced carbon emissions and water usage caused by your diet. The data used for the calculation is based on your country. More information: https://meatless-app.com/

Label 2020- Efficiency Check will get you information about those that are listed on the energy label. With this information, the comparison of the devices becomes easier, and you can also better assess the operating costs and estimated total costs. More information: https://tool.label2020.eu/at

Food To Save is the first Brazil app against food waste. Be a #foodsaver and save food from establishments in your region with up to 70% off and be part of this sustainable movement, reducing food waste! More information: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foodtosave.foodtosave

The Phenix app gives you the chance to save the daily products that business in your neighbourhood (grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, etc.) throw away. You could buy for a small price by choosing between themed baskets from each business. More information: https://www.wearephenix.com/en/application-anti-waste/

Other CE apps and platforms

HP Instant Ink services are based on pages, not cartridges. Choose your plan based on the pages you print each month. HP uses recycled materials in 100% of Original HP toner cartridges and 85% of Original HP printer cartridges. More information: https://instantink.hpconnected.com/

Ecosia was born with the mission to plant tress and stop the deforestation of the planet. It is an intuitive search engine, you can perform any type of search, just like Google, Yahoo! or Bing. In addition, just below the bar where keywords are entered, there is a real-time counter showing the number of trees that have been planted thanks to the website's users. Ecosia has also a mobile application to contribute as well. More information: https://www.ecosia.org/

Good on you is an online application and platform that evaluates over 200 clothing brands in three main areas: working conditions, environment and animal welfare to help consumers make sustainable choices. More information: https://goodonyou.eco/about/

Mercato Circolare, a free-of-charge smartphone application created by an innovative start-up, can be used to search for circular economy products, services and events in Italy and elsewhere. It works as a platform and to date has around 400 activities among companies, products, events. More information: https://www.mercatocircolare.it/en/home-eng/

The Environmental Change app aims to ensure that startups, young entrepreneurs and VET (Vocational Education and Training) providers take advantage of digital technologies to develop their skills and competences in the field of environmental change, and thus be prepared to influence sustainable processes. More information: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.dcnet.environmentalchange&pli=1; https://apps.apple.com/us/app/environmental-change/id6443677096%20

National and Regional Best Practices

Austria

National

Regional

Carla (thrifth shops) allows you to buy second hand clothes to extend their lifecycle. More information: https://www.carla.at/standorte/standort-suche

Greendrive is available by app or on the PC and allow users enter their individual route, for example, their deailyt commute to work. Greendrive takes care of the rest and connects drivers and passengers automatically, in real time and with precise addresses. More information: https://greendrive.at/de

VomLand app connects farmers directly with consumers, so they can directly influence their region and shop regionally. More information: https://www.vomland.eu/

Digi Cycle GmbH app allows you to scan the code on the packaging and the code on the collection container drop in the packaing and collect the incentive or deposite. Digi-Cycle pays off for everyone involved - consumers, businesses and the environment. More information: https://www.digi-cycle.at/#text-image

Ein guter Tag hat 100 Punkte app allows you to track and improve your daily CO₂ balance, join a group to compare and improve your results, and participate in challenges to reduce your carbon footprint through small and big changes in your everyday life. More information: https://www.eingutertag.org/de/

The start-up Unverschwendet rescues surplus fruit and vegetables from agriculture and produces sustainable delicatessen from them. It is available in Wien. More information: https://www.unverschwendet.at

Tim is an innovative mobility service that complements public transport stops with other mobility services such as car sharing (electric and conventional), rental cars, e-taxi services and bicycle parking, thus encouraging people to start and switch to environmentally friendly mobility. It is available in Styria (Graz). More information: https://www.tim-oesterreich.at/graz/#

Abfallkompass der Stadt Graz app answers local questions on the topics of waste separation, disposal and also waste avoidance. It is available in Styria (Graz). More information: bit.ly/Abfallkompass_iOS, bit.ly/Abfallkompass_Android

The website & mobile Nachhaltig in Graz app makes it possible for all Styria (Graz) residents to find more sustainable alternatives to conventional offers. Interactive map that connects all sustainable offering. More information: https://nachhaltig-in-graz.at/app-nachhaltig-in-graz/

Widado online platform with nationwide offer of environmentally friendly, inexpensive, high-quality, second-hand products. It is availabe in Styria (Graz). More information: https://www.widado.com/

France

National

Regional

Le bon coin is a free platform of collaborative consumption which puts in relation professionals as well as individuals in France, wishing to give, sell, rent or buy. More information: https://www.leboncoin.fr/

La Ruche qui dit oui! is a French commercial enterprise born of the collaborative economy. It provides farmers and food processors with an internet platform and app to facilitate short-distance sales. More information: https://laruchequiditoui.fr/fr

AlloVoisins is the reference marketplace dedicated to services and equipment rental. From the request for a breakdown service or personal services to the most complex jobs, including equipment rental, the platform allows you to activate all the residents and professionals in the vicinity who are likely to meet all types of needs in just a few minutes. More information: https://www.allovoisins.com/page/qui-sommes-nous

Hopways is a platform for accompanying children to after-school activities. To share rides, you have to register and publish your ride for free, find companions by consulting rides similar to yours and sending a request to be put in contact, meet the companion(s), and start to co-accompany. More information: https://www.hopways.com/

We act for good is a tailor-made support program in the form of a telephone application that offers challenges, advice and tips on food, transportation, zero waste, Do It Yourself and energy. More information: https://www.wwf.fr/vous-informer/actualites/le-wwf-france-lance-wag-we-act-for-good ; https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.wwf.wag&hl=fr&gl=US&pli=1

Ecowatt is an application that works as an electricity weather forecast, providing real-time information on the level of consumption in France. The aim is to encourage individuals, companies and local authorities to limit their consumption, particularly during targeted periods when the network is under tension. It gives other practical advice on how to cut down the electricity consumption. More information: https://www.monecowatt.fr/

Lulu dans ma rue reinvents the neighbourhood concierge service! For every little daily concern (fixing a curtain rod, watering your plants during the vacations, helping you with a move or installing your storage unit), your neighbourhood concierge will find the right people near you. It is available in Paris and Lyon. More information: https://paris.luludansmarue.org/qui-sommes-nous/

YEGO is a self-service electric scooter rental company committed to the environment and to citizens. Its mission is to "provide a sustainable, safe, and environmentally friendly urban electric transportation service for all. Today, YEGO claims more than 500,000 users, and more than 10 million trips made. It is available in Bordeaux, Toulouse and Paris. More information: https://www.rideyego.com/how-it-works/paris

Beno Bono is an organic fruit and vegetable and grocery delivery and pick up service that facilitates access to health products at a lower cost and continues its fight against food waste. It aims to find consumers for organic fruits and vegetables and grocery products refused by traditional distribution channels on the basis of subscription. It is available in numerous cities in France. More information: https://benebono.fr/

Germany

National

Regional

Öffi promotes connection queries (from door to door), Real-time departure times (incl. delays), nearby stops (with map) and interactive network maps. More information: https://oeffi.schildbach.de/index_de.html

The BZfE seasonal calendar app is a practical mobile companion when shopping for fruit and vegetables. For each month, the app lists all the vegetables and fruits that are currently in peak harvest season, both from domestic production and for imported produce. More information: https://www.bzfe.de/nachhaltiger-konsum/orientierung-beim-einkauf/der-saisonkalender/app-der-saisonkalender/

The Foodsharing team is fighting food waste! If you have excess food to give away, you can quickly share it with people around you via the app or mobile website. Are you going on holiday or are you overwhelmed by the tomato or courgette glut? Then share surplus food before it spoils. At the same time, you can easily see if anyone near you has food to give away. More information: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.foodsharing.app&hl=de&gl=US

EcoGator is part of the Europe-wide “myEcoNavigator” campaign. This app offers buying advice for energy-saving appliances and thus contributes to climate protection. The app compares and rates appliances directly in the shop with label scanner. More information: http://www.ecogator.de/

The Mundraub navigator retrieves the locations from the Mundraub database and displays them in the app. You can also log in with your Mundraub account via the app and upload fruit trees on the go. These then appear both in the app and on the Mundraub map. In the first video we show you how to download the Mundraub app onto your mobile phone. More information: https://mundraub.org/blog/mundraub-app

TeilAuto is an ecologically oriented association and is now represented as a car sharing provider in a total of 16 cities in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The company provides its approximately 20,000 users with around 600 shared vehicles ranging from very small cars to vans. TeilAuto focuses on an emission-saving vehicle fleet as well as strengthening a sustainable mobility mix in combination with buses, trains and bicycles. It is available in some German regions. More information: https://teilauto.net/

Nebenan is the German largest social network for neighbours. It offers you the easiest way to get in touch with people from your immediate neighbourhood: Get to know, help, give away, sell, share. Are you looking for a babysitter? Ask your neighbours & get help from nearby. Experience how valuable an active and well-functioning neighbourhood can be. It is mostly available in bigger towns of Germany. More information: https://nebenan.de/

With the Regio App, you can easily and conveniently find regional food and groceries, as well as restaurants, weekly markets and flower shops in your area. In addition, you will receive information about opening hours, organic labels and the fastest way to get the shop. This way, regional business can be better supported. More information: https://www.regioapp.org/

Portugal

National

Regional

The application GEOTA Questionnaires aims to promote and facilitate participation in two citizen science projects - Coastwatch and Guardians of the Rivers - of GEOTA monitoring of the Portuguese coast and rivers. By filling out the questionnaires on site it is intended to collect environmental data to assess the environmental status of the same. More information: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pt.geota.app

With easy and intuitive navigation, the REN Energia application provides access to exclusive information on the energy sector in Portugal and on REN's work. The REN Energia app is divided into five sections: My News, Events, Statistics, Opportunities, and an area about the company. Each section will be customizable, according to the topics of greatest interest to each user, allowing the creation of alerts and sharing of content. More information: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pt.ren.renapp; https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ren-energy/id1225154751

With support from the Ministry of the Environment's Environmental Fund, Recycle bingo app wants to get families recycling. Apart from providing information, it proposes a kind of game: every time you go to a recycling point, register on the app and receive points. These points can then be exchanged for EcoMoedas (EcoCoins) which, in turn, are worth prizes. It is available for Android and iOS operating systems. More information: https://www.recyclebingo.pt/

WasteApp arises from the need to inform the citizen of the destinations of various wastes that cannot be placed in the ecopoints. Quercus (National association for Nature Conservation is an NGO in Portugal) receives daily requests about the destination of various types of waste. The Wasteapp indicates the nearest place where you can put it for reuse and recycling. They want to gather as many destinations as possible in Portugal. More information: https://www.wasteapp.pt/home

The Sustainable Amadora Quiz is an online game promoted by Amadora City Council, aimed at promoting awareness of environmental issues among the municipality's community, in the contexts of sustainability and circular economy. It is supported by quizzes that transpose Circular Economy to the context of Resources, Sustainable Production, Sustainable Consumption, Waste and challenges participants to test their knowledge about the city of Amadora. More information: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pt.afteryou.amadorasustentavel&hl=pt_PT&gl=US

Agenda 21 da Criança online is the name of the recently launched digital platform of the municipality of Almada that aims at helping young people learn more about the environment. The portal continues a previous project of the municipality and provides various resources for environmental education, also made by children. The platform makes available for download informative and pedagogical manuals on themes such as composting, waste, astronomy, biodiversity, forest or marine litter. Furthermore, there is a virtual workshop space, where children can learn, step by step, how to make objects such as eco-lamps or nest boxes. It is available in Almada and Lisbon More information: www.m-almada.pt/ambiente; https://agenda21crianca.cm-almada.pt/pt/

Spain

National

Regional

AIRE stands for Ecoembes' Intelligent Recycling Assistant and that is its main function: to use automatic learning to help the user to recycle. To perform this function, it makes use of AI (artificial intelligence), thus providing immediate interactive information. Within this AI you can find different knowledge related to the recycling of packaging, furniture, household goods, textiles and other types of waste. More information: https://www.ecoembes.com/proyectos-destacados/chatbot-aire/

Encantado de Comerte is an app for Android and iOs in which lots of food that shops have not managed to sell during the day are published. These lots are published with a minimum 50% discount. How it works is very simple: choose your favourite lot through the app and pick it up at the shop. More information: https://encantadodecomerte.es/

Gratix offers citizens the possibility to contribute to improving the world by simply giving away what they don't use and asking for what they need, changing their own consumption habits. It is committed to reuse to promote the circular economy and responsible consumption. An app where those things you no longer need can find a second life with someone else who will really use them, and where you can find what you are looking for without having to pay for it, saving money and, at the same time, avoiding wasting resources and generating waste that harms the environment. More information: https://www.gratix.com//blog/

ReciclaYA is a mobile application unique in the world that allow its customers to receive information on how to properly recycle their product and obtain points for each recycling action. These points can be exchanged afterwards for discounts on their next purchase. More information: https://www.reciclaya.app/es/como-funciona

Myur! is a Galician platform born in October 2020 for users to rent anything. It is aimed at people who want to promote responsible consumption and earn money by giving a second use to objects they no longer use. More information: https://www.myur.app/preguntas-frecuentes/

IBILKARI is a practical, efficient and economical alternative for many people, companies and municipalities. A perfect option for people who use their vehicle occasionally (less than 12,000 km per year). A partner for professionals and companies seeking to optimise their travel options. A positive practice for municipalities working for the city of tomorrow, without neglecting the challenges of today. It is available in Basque country. More information: https://www.ibilkari.com/como-funciona.php

¿Residu, on vas? app and the residuonvas.cat website provide visual information on where to dispose of each type of waste to recycle it correctly. By doing so, the recycling process is optimized and the environment is improved. It is available in Catalunya. More information: https://www.residuonvas.cat/ca

Reto Recicla main aim is to encourage and help Murcians to recycle. Thus, it includes all the information that citizens may need about waste collection in the municipality and care for the environment. Through an interactive menu you can access different utilities such as the recycling converter, the 3 R's, where to recycle, ecopoint or the game Retorecicla. It is available in Murcia's Region. More information: https://www.murcia.com/noticias/2017/11/27-una-moderna-aplicacion-movil-facilitara-a-los-murcianos-el-reciclaje-de-los-residuos-domesticos.asp

The aim of RECICLOS is to evolve the packaging recycling model that has been operating for 20 years through the yellow bin, thanks to mobile technology and green incentives. RECICLOS seeks an evolution of the recycling habit through recognition. Every time citizens throw their cans and beverage bottles in the yellow bin and register it through the RECICLOS system... they win and make the environment. It is available in Catalunya. More information: https://www.reciclos.com/

Madrid te acompaña is a simple mobile application developed by Microsoft and the IAM. Any elderly person can request the company of a volunteer from the Madrid City Council's municipal volunteer programme "Volunteers for Madrid" to accompany them to the doctor, to go shopping, for a walk, to the cinema or theatre or to any other leisure activity, to carry out administrative procedures, to accompany them to hospitals, to accompany them to take their pets out. It is available in Madrid city. More information: https://autelsinsights.es/madrid-te-acompana-una-app-para-conectar-a-personas-mayores-y-voluntariado-en-la-ciudad-de-madridpremio-compromiso-social-y-medioambiental2022/

Conclusions and ideas to draw for SEN4CE project

Seniors must have a minimum basic digital skill to use these platforms or apps, such as use ICT devices (specifically smartphones), download apps from marketplaces, create accounts, and bank details and even use maps or geo-localisation.

Although in some practices there are manuals or information on the website, it is not common. The use of these apps and platforms is more autodidactic.

These practices are not promoted specifically for seniors and according to the survey and the needs analysis done by SEN4CE in the framework of R3, most seniors don’t know these practices.

Most of the regional practices are less recent that the national or international ones. In addition, it has been more difficult to find practices applied only at regional level that the national and international ones which are present in several places and also use to finally be applied/act with a regional approach.

The main topics covered by the identified best practices are CE awareness, recycling, re-use/second-hand, transport and carpooling. In addition, other topics covered by the practices is repairing among others.

Conclusions

One of the main benefits of these regional and national apps/platforms are that they are available in the different national languages, and these will allow seniors to use them (as they don’t use to speak English).

Among the platforms to teach them, it will be necessary to select those related to the themes they indicated in the needs analysis: awareness, reuse, etc

Seniors need to be made aware of these applications. But not only in the form of promotion. Make sure they have the basic digital skills to be able to implement the application correctly (download it, use it, pay with it, etc.). For this, some instructions/manuals will be key.

Moreover, it will be interesting, in addition to the training material that is being developed in the framework of the project, to use as support the more general applications/platforms available on the market to increase awareness on Circular Economy.

Ideas to draw for SEN4CE