Addressing the challenge to stimulate innovation and innovative capacity in the new field of Circular Carbon Economy

The current project THREE C (2020-2023) addresses the challenge to stimulate innovations and innovative capacity of SMEs, creating business and entrepreneurship in the new field of the Circular Carbon Economy. The fore-runner project RE-DIRECT has clearly shown that waste biomass (e.g. grass from semi-natural grasslands, cuttings from roadside verges, leaves and shrubs) can produce feedstock with high qualities for various kinds of coal products. It has also discovered that in all regions there are (foremost small) entrepreneurs and SMEs that already work on alternative coal products. 7 regional CC (circular carbon) hubs will provide support for (foremost small and new) entrepreneurs and SME working in the circular carbon and charcoal sector. They promote product creation and marketing and incubate their business development. They are also collaborative working spaces to develop Integrated Biomass and Carbon management system to optimise biomass streams in the regions.

A central CC lab will be installed to cover different aspects of charcoal analytics and provide recommendations on product composition and a database on different charcoal qualities and eventually a CC quality label.

Eventually, with the THREE C project PROGRASS will become a CC-Net – a European network which will render services to those regions that want to become active in the Circular Carbon Economy.