CE4CE – circular economy in public transport
CE4CE (Public Transport Infrastructure in Central Europe – facilitate transitioning to circular economy) is a project implemented under the Interreg Central Europe 2021-2027 Programme. Its objective is to support the public transport sector in moving from a linear model to a circular model, in which infrastructure, vehicles, energy and management processes are designed and operated with a view to reducing resource consumption, extending asset life cycles, reusing components and reducing waste.
Public transport is a key element of climate policy and sustainable mobility, but it also requires materials, energy, technical infrastructure and maintenance systems. CE4CE responds to this challenge by developing tools, strategies and pilot actions that help operators, transport authorities, local governments, technology providers and research institutions identify circularity gaps and implement solutions that reduce the environmental footprint of public transport.
The project covers four main areas: infrastructure, vehicles, energy and governance. In these areas, the partners are working on methods for assessing readiness to implement circular economy principles, good practices, business models, predictive maintenance solutions, the use of waste and renewable energy, the reuse of parts and improvements to public procurement processes.
One of the key outputs of the project is the CE4CE Circularity 4 Public Transport platform, which serves as a digital knowledge hub. It includes, among others, the Circularity Compass, a competence map, a database of good practices, the Knowledge Hub and the Matchmaking Forum – a tool supporting the reuse of vehicles, parts, components and infrastructure elements in public transport.
UG’s participation in the project supports the development of knowledge, competences and practical solutions for more resource-efficient, resilient and effective public transport in Central Europe. CE4CE activities are also important from an ESG perspective, as they combine the reduction of environmental impact, rational management of public assets and cross-sector cooperation across the entire public transport value chain.
The University of Gdansk is a partner in the CE4CE project. The project manager is Dr Agnieszka Szmelter-Jarosz. UG’s project budget was EUR 185,420, with EU co-financing amounting to EUR 148,336 (contract no. CE0100250).