Stimulates the development of the circular economy in the Brussels Capital Region
Its ambition is twofold: to support Brussels businesses in improving the material cycle and to increase cooperation between businesses at regional level.
What’s happening? How does it happen?
The IRISPHERE program aims to stimulate the development of the circular economy in the BrusselsCapital Region. It aims to steer Brussels companies in their efforts to improve the circularity of materials and to increase inter-company cooperation at the regional level. Thus, the program provides free assistance to companies to develop synergies focused on materials and services.
Why is this an interesting circular initiative for ports?
This kind of platform is essential for the furthering of circularity in city ports. First, they make contact between industrialists, companies, and public actors. Secondly, they provide expert knowledge of the most significant incoming and outgoing flows of the port. Thirdly, they allow creating synergies between the actors.
What is the relation with the port and water?
The Port of Brussels and the Brussels Port Community (CPB), which bring together companies and actors located in the port sector as well as other major institutions and organizations in the Canal area, are two critical partners in the Irisphere program. City.dev is the leading partner, whose offices are located near the port of Brussels.
What is the relation with the city?
It is part of the implementation of the Regional Programme in Circular Economy (PREC), a vast strategic program set up by the Brussels-Capital Region, by involving regional and municipal partners, the business world and expert consultancies. Through the IRISPHERE program, the aim is to test an urban version of industrial ecology.
What are the ambitions?
The IRISPHERE program also aims to invest in a local materials park for companies. The objective being to collect and treat salvaged materials from local economic actors. One of the pilot projects, a biowaste collection and treatment service piloted by La Ferme Nos Pilifs, is currently under study to produce a fertilizing material “Made In Brussels.” The idea is to collect the food waste coming from local economic actors and then transform it into a fertilizing product using Eco-Cleaner technology.
Who is behind it?
The IRISPHERE program is coordinated by citydev. brussels and is supported by a wide range of actors: EcoRes, Greenloop, Lateral Thinking Factory, BECI, the Brussels Clean Agency, Atrium, Brussels Environment, the Port Community, greentech. brussels by impulse.brussels, the Ferme Nos Pilifs and the Port of Brussels. Besides, the program has received funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014-2020 with a budget of €1.4 million.
