PlasticValue aimed to equip professionals, especially in innovation and production, with skills to revalue plastic waste using co-creation and design approaches, promoting circular economy practices within SMEs. Specific objectives of the project were: 1) Develop a validated learning programme which offers a combination of innovative and green sectoral skills to achieve plastic waste revaluation using innovative co-creation and co-design approaches. 2) Implement a validation strategy, which integrates different profiles from businesses and C-VET (teachers and learners) providing a work-based learning approach. 3) Create forward-looking guidelines to support (C-)VET organizations in adapting their training offer and creating new curricula, related to plastic revaluation, in line with the professional’s and market’s needs, and enhancing green competences. 4) Create a digital space to share plastic revaluation best practices, inspiring and motivating future and current professionals to become agents of environmental change. 5) Enable a new VET profile in the field of plastic waste revaluation with a strong circular skillset and be competitive to upfront labour market changes.
EU regulations have established a climate recovery path focused on circular economy strategies, outlined in the EU Green Deal’s Circular Economy Action Plan. This plan targets sectors like plastics, which produce about 25 million tonnes of waste annually, with less than a third recycled. Plastic revaluation offers an alternative by viewing waste as a valuable asset that can be transformed through creativity, surpassing traditional recycling with innovative product enhancements. SMEs are key in this transformation, capitalizing on the rising consumer demand for environmentally conscious products to gain a competitive edge. Yet, many lack the expertise and resources needed to implement green processes effectively. This highlights the need for professionals skilled in initiating plastic revaluation. To bridge this gap, VET institutions must update their programs to include circular skills essential for revaluation. They need to embed knowledge of plastic revaluation and apply co-creation and co-design approaches in their educational practices. This adaptation is crucial for preparing current and future professionals to support SMEs in the circular economy, meeting the evolving demands of the labor market.