We were delighted to be invited on 14 September 2023 to take part in a round table discussion on “Circular entrepreneurship and incentives for boosting the circular maker movement” at the Pop-Machina policy conference in Brussels, a European Horizon 2020 project researching the circular economy and collaborative production in urban environments through makerspaces, urban regeneration and entrepreneurship.

As a maker-entrepreneur, it was great to get together with other practitioners as well as policy makers and academics to think about the different approaches in each sector, as well as the current challenges and the results achieved. In particular, we had the opportunity to express our views on subjects such as how makerspaces and makers can work together to boost the circular economy and entrepreneurship, and how the European Union can boost circularity and makerspaces via a labelling or certification system.

Circularity has always played a key role in our project. As well as opting for sustainable materials, we take great care to ensure that our designs can be dismantled, repaired and upgraded. Prototyping and producing our products in makerspaces allows us to demonstrate this. By making our products open-source, we want everyone to be able to understand them and participate in their longevity.

It was therefore super satisfying for us to take part in this Pop-machina closing event, after having participated in the project as a mentor and inspiring guest last December.