Launched in January, CirclesOfLife is an EU-wide sustainable shipbuilding project where stakeholders throughout the shipbuilding supply chain work together to solve challenges on the way to circularity. It is funded by the European Union as part of the Horizon Europe programme, and runs from 2024 to 2026.
CirclesOfLife brings together a diverse consortium of fifteen maritime organisations from across Europe. From leading shipyards and technical universities to environmental NGOs, technology providers and other stakeholders, each partner brings its own expertise and experience in sustainable shipbuilding, environmental technology, and maritime innovation.
The organisations are: BALance Technology Consulting, Bureau Veritas, Eriks, Cetena, Center of Maritime Technologies GGMBH (CMT), Damen Shipyards, TU Delft, Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Galloo, Netherlands Maritime Technology, SEA Europe, NGO Shipbreaking Platform, Surfrider Foundation, University of Genova, and VTT.
The three main challenges the project will be working on are:
- Emission reduction: Implementing technologies to minimise harmful emissions throughout a ship’s lifecycle.
- Material circularity: Assessing and improving the environmental footprint of shipyard processes by reusing and recycling of materials in vessel construction, repair, and decommissioning.
- Environmental reporting: Establishing standards for transparent and comprehensive environmental impact assessments, to be used by anyone in the industry.
Also read: Damen launches pilot project for circular shipbreaking
New methodologies
Together, they are committed to developing and implementing innovative methodologies, fostering material circularity, and enhancing the environmental performance of the shipbuilding process, front to end.
The consortium’s work is also taking place in a specific regulatory context, with the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which mandates European shipyards to monitor and report their environmental impacts comprehensively.
Also read: Green steel programme receives final approval
Shipyard Environmental Performance Index and Cradle to Cradle Ship Passport
To achieve its goals, CirclesOfLife develops the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI) and the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Ship Passport, empowering stakeholders across the full supply chain to monitor, assess, and enhance their environmental footprint.
SEPI will provide a standardised framework to European shipyards for monitoring and reducing their environmental footprint. The second one will be a means of documenting the lifecycle of materials used in shipbuilding, from design and production to repair and recycling.
