CIRC-2-ZERO
Digital Twin Platform for Advancing Circular Economy in the Engineered Wood Sector
CIRC-2-ZERO is a diverse and complementary partnership that brings together 13 organisations from seven countries in the Baltic Sea region. The consortium includes six research institutions (Estonia: TalTech) and five business support organisations or industrial parks (Estonia: Sparkup Tartu Science Park).
Applications are open until 31 April 2026!
If you want to learn more about the Digital Twin – Your Step Toward a Circular Future pilot, take a look at the application information for wood industry SMEs.
The CIRC-2-ZERO project helps SMEs overcome barriers to adopting circular economy principles and advanced manufacturing technologies. At the heart of the project is a digital twin demo platform that enables companies to test and optimize sustainable production processes without risk or additional costs. Practical tools for circular design and value chain optimization help reduce waste, lower costs, and open new business opportunities. A network of business support organizations and industrial parks provides hands-on training, expert mentoring, and collaborative innovation support — strengthening SMEs’ competitiveness and helping them become leaders of the green transition.
Project goal
The project aims to support industrial companies in shifting from linear production models to circular economy principles. To achieve this, the digital twin platform integrates two core modules:
- Circular product development – designing products based on durability, repairability, and recyclability.
- Circular value chain – mapping and optimizing the entire value chain to minimize waste and improve resource efficiency.
The digital twin platform is an innovative cloud-based solution that allows companies to test and implement circular economy principles without disrupting daily production. It provides a secure virtual environment where businesses can experiment with new materials, manufacturing processes, and business models — reducing both costs and environmental impact.
The platform’s development is based on extensive research and strong industry involvement. The solution will be tested with more than 40 small and medium-sized enterprises and five large industrial companies (including seven SMEs from Estonia). The insights gathered will ensure that the tools are tailored to real industrial needs.
Benefits for companies
By joining the CIRC-2-ZERO project, your company will have the opportunity to:
Cut material and production costs through smarter material selection, waste reduction, and data-driven process optimization
Accelerate product development with virtual prototyping, advanced simulations, and seamless digital design integration
Streamline the entire value chain by reducing bottlenecks and improving resource flow
Boost competitiveness and sustainability through circular business models such as Product-as-a-Service, refurbishment, and recycling
Benefit from free expert support, tailored mentoring, and exclusive training provided by the Resilience Transformation Hubs across six countries
Join a transnational SME network shaping the next generation of resilient and circular industries
Outcome
The digital twin platform will help companies in the engineered wood sector achieve greater sustainability and competitiveness while reducing environmental impact. The project lays the foundation for an industry based on circular economy principles — where resources move in closed loops and innovation emerges through collaboration.
The project brings together organizations from Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Noora Ustav
Project Manager
Email: noora.ustav@teaduspark.ee
