The INSET Project consortium met in Yecla to advance Industrial Symbiosis, closing WP3 with the INSET Toolkit and launching WP4 to develop the European Industrial Symbiosis Online Observatory.

On 30 September and 1 October, the INSET project Consortium held its in-person workshop in Yecla (Spain), bringing together European partners and external stakeholders to advance collaboration in the fields of Industrial Symbiosis and the Circular Economy. The event combined in-person sessions at CETEM’s facilities with online participation, ensuring broad engagement from across Europe.

The workshop marked an important milestone in the project’s development. Two key objectives were addressed:

– Closing Work Package 3 – Partners presented and validated the outcomes of the INSET Toolkit, a set of capacity-building resources designed to strengthen knowledge and practice in Industrial Symbiosis. The toolkit provides practical guidance for companies, policymakers, and innovation actors.

– Launching Work Package 4 – The Consortium kicked off the creation of the Industrial Symbiosis Online Observatory, a European platform for mapping, categorizing, and sharing best practices, tools, policy frameworks, and opportunities to foster Industrial Symbiosis across regions and sectors.

Over two days, partners from diverse backgrounds presented results, exchanged methodologies, and prepared the next steps for the Observatory’s design and validation. A dedicated stakeholder session brought in perspectives from regional clusters and academic institutions, whose feedback will help ensure that the project’s outputs are relevant, practical, and aligned with real needs at both local and European levels.

Beyond the technical sessions, the workshop included networking opportunities and a visit to innovative projects in the furniture and wood sector, providing participants with concrete examples of sustainability in practice. Sessions on communication, dissemination, and planning also set the stage for the next phases of the project.