From 31st May to 1st June this year, to mark its 2023 General Assembly in Dublin, ACR+ will offer the opportunity to take part in three events. ACR+, the international network of over 50 regions and cities that promote sustainable resource management through the circular economy model, will be hosted in the Irish capital by its Eastern Midlands Waste Region member concurrently with the Circular Economy Hotspot.

“I am very moved to celebrate the 29 years of existence of this network that has not stopped growing. Cities and Regions have always played a crucial role in sustainable resource management,” said Françoise Bonnet, ACR+ Secretary General. “Over the past years, circular economy has moved to the heart of the EU’s political agenda which puts the necessary wind in the sails of our network’s important work. During the General Assembly, we will take stock of what we as a network have achieved, what we want to achieve in future and our next steps to further implement a circular economy.”

The 2023 ACR+ General Assembly in Dublin

ACR+ (the Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management) is an international network of cities and regions – as well as NGOs, academic institutions, and private partners – that share expertise and knowledge on sustainable resource management, through prevention at the source, reuse and recycling, and accelerating the transition toward a circular economy.

This year, the network’s General Assembly, which will be held on 31st May at Trinity College and will see Renewable Matter as a media partner, is set to be hosted by the Eastern Midlands Waste Region (EMWR), a member of ACR+ since 2015, co-holder of the ACR+ vice presidency and one of Ireland’s three waste management regions. The EMWR is comprised of 12 municipalities, both urban and rural, with a population of approximately 2.2 million. Together, the three waste regions are responsible for supervising the implementation of Ireland’s waste management plans are and currently finalising the country’s first national waste management plan.

The programme of events

The programme will extend across three days. The first event, which will take place concurrently with the ACR+ proceedings, is the Circular Economy Hotspot, also in collaboration with EMWR. The 2023 ACR+ General Assembly, meanwhile, will take place on 31st May and will feature keynote speakers including ACR+ Secretary General Françoise Bonnet, Zero Waste Scotland Director and ACR+ President Iain Gulland, and Cillian Lohan, a member representing the Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform.

Finally, on 1st June, the award ceremony for the European Waste Reduction Week will take place. Between 19th and 27th November 2022, the EWWR recorded over 16,000 actions, 15 of which will be nominated as finalists for the awards. The best 6 will be recognised for their impact and originality.

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