Kilometro Circular - Blue KmC² Living Labs network

IMPLEMENTATION

The implementation of this initiative is done in three main ways: 1 - Research; 2 - Education; 3 - Living Labs.

1 - Research:

Research includes academic papers on the possible locations for the Living Labs; and fieldwork in the current and future locations of the initiative. Additionally, the successful practices tested and implemented in Living Labs will be documented, shared, and replicated in other contexts, both rural and urban, at a local and national level.

2 - Education:

To support the mindset change necessary for the transition towards the circular economy, the SDG Partnership Kilometro Circular is launching an educational and awareness-raising program on the circular economy. Led by the Bio Oceans Solutions Hub and the Think Tank AlterContacts, it is designed in collaboration with more than twenty universities from five continents and local circular enterprises. It is delivered remotely and on-site. To date, more than fifteen courses have been developed. The objective is to equip the local actors with the necessary knowledge, skills and network.

3 - Blue KmC² Living Labs

Allocating a square kilometer of land where local communities together with government, private sector and academia can prototype and pilot circular solutions to the social and environmental problems they are currently facing. This Living Labs will be an example of the successful implementation of the community-based bottom-up approach in driving forward the circular economy in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

GOVERNANCE

CO-CHAIRS

Pedro Fernandez Carrasco, representing Bio Oceans Solutions Hub, and Massimo Mercuri, representing Think Tank AlterContacts, are the Co-Chairs of this initiative. They share their ideas, expertise, and inspiration to progress the activities of the Kilometro Circular - Blue KmC² Living Labs Network. Their mission is planning, executing, and promoting activities that the initiative requires. They provide leadership, strategy vision and the network to aid the success of the initiative. The Co-chairs can decide whether to recommend an organization to be considered for the initiative. The documents related to the Kilometro Circular - Blue KmC² Living Labs Network only have validity if signed by both Co-Chairs and validated by the Liaison.

LIAISON with the UNITED NATIONS

Due to the fact that Kilometro Circular - Blue KmC² Living Labs Network has been recognized by the United Nations as an SDG Partnership, there is a big responsibility put on AlterContacts to make sure that the UN guidelines and policies are followed by all the parties involved. Therefore, AlterContacts has appointed Julia K. Skupchenko, as the Liaison with the United Nations system, including UN DESA, UNV, ECOSOC and other agencies. She designs the protocols and processes that have to be followed by organizations wanting to join the initiative. Her role is to ensure that all participating organizations stay on the ethical path, follow the above-mentioned guidelines and processes. In case there is a breach of trust by any of the participating organizations, she has the authority to revoke any document related to the Kilometro Circular - Blue KmC² Living Labs Network.

COORDINATION MECHANISM

The SDG Partnership “Kilometro Circular - Blue KmC² Living Labs Network” is coordinated and represented in front of the United Nations by Think Tank AlterContacts. To be considered for participation, an organization has to be recommended by one of the Co-Chairs. In case of a positive decision, the entity receives an invitation from AlterContacts to go through the onboarding process. The entity becomes part of the SDG Partnership only if it has completed all the steps of the onboarding process and got clearance from the Liaison. 

To see the official status of the initiative, geographies covered, and partners involved, please refer to the page on the website of the United Nations DESA: 

https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/kilometro-circular-blue-kmc2-living-labs-network-0

IMPORTANT: No entity can claim affiliation with the initiative unless they are mentioned as partners on this page. If you are approached by any other organization that claims an affiliation with us and is not mentioned on the UN page, please contact sustainability@altercontacts.org as soon as possible.

PHASES

LAUNCH

In January 2024, at the Side Event to the ECOSOC Partnership Forum, Think Tank AlterContacts has officially launched Kilometro Circular initiative. The representatives (copy from summary)

PREPARATION (2023-2025)

Living Labs: Between July 2023 and Dec 2024, the Co-Chair of the initiative, Pedro Fernandez, is meeting potential candidates for joining the KMC2 network (remotely and on-site). In the interviews and screening, he is joined by the Coordinator of the initiative, Massimo. The objective of these meetings is to create a list of potential candidates to be invited to go through the onboarding process in 2025. 

Education: At the same time, the network of universities and educational institutions continues to collaborate on the development of comprehensive courses on circular economy and regeneration. 

Research: Since Jan 2024, the expert team of the Think Tank AlterContacts is conducting field work in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Europe to collect real-time data on the key challenges and their perception by the local actors. Since May 2024, 21 United Nations Volunteer are conducting desktop academic research on topics of circularity, sustainability, and regeneration in specific areas. This work is coordinated by Julia, who is also doing her PhD research with UPM as part of this initiative. In the second half of 2024, a number of Master’s students will be involved in documenting the state of things in the potential Living Labs.

EARLY ADOPTERS

In 2025-2026, the candidate territories and communities that were recommended by the Co-Chairs of the initiative will need to go through an onboarding process to become part of the Blue KmC² Living Labs Network and be included in the UN SDG Action. 

The step-by-step guide is available here. Among the key conditions for starting the assessment process are 

1) The involvement of the local educational institution that will be able to document the Living Lab, collect and analyze data; collaborate on educational programs based on it. 

2) Receiving the visit to assess the baseline situation from the experts of AlterContacts and/or Bio Oceans Solutions Hub. The travel costs have to be covered by the candidate organization.

3) No commercial entities. Between 2024 and 2027, the initiative is open strictly to not-for-profit entities. To ensure the integrity of the Living Lab and the KMC2 network and allow the time for exploration necessary in such projects. 

Until December 2025, no entity other than the Bio Oceans Solutions Hub and Think Tank AlterContacts can claim any affiliation with the Kilometro Circular and Blue KmC² Living Labs Network. If you are approached by any other organization that claims an affiliation with us, please contact sustainability@altercontacts.org as soon as possible. 

PROTOTYPING

From 2026-2027, the initiative will start supporting the first not-for-profit prototypes across the Blue KmC² Living Labs Network. We will be applying for various EU grants in order to finance the exploration and resources involved.

On the educational front, student exchanges and opportunities for field research will be implemented in the active Living Labs.

PILOTING

Between 2027 and 2030, the year of delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals, the initiative will continue with piloting the possible regenerative and circular solutions across Living Labs. The terms and conditions will be defined on a case by case basis. 

We expect more than 1000 students of different levels of preparation to go through the educational programs designed within the Kilometro Circular initiative.