TURN – Addressing industrial relations towards circular economy in metal, chemical, textile, energy and construction sectors

The TURN project coordinated by SindNova, in partnership with FEMCA CISL, FIM CISL, FILCA CISL, FUNDACION 1° DE MAYO (Spain), OZIPLIK IS, TURK METAL SENDIKASI (Turkey), CO-PLAN, FS PISH (Albania) CSPV, KOZSR (Slovakia), CC.OO. INDUSTRIA, INDUSTRIALL, EFWWB (Belgium) and co-financed by the European Commission, has the aim of investigating the action and reaction of the countries involved in the project and the predisposition of the sectors (chemical, textile, energy, metalworking and construction) to the transition to circular economy model. The objective is to improve and adapt/readapt its production systems in line with the European action plan towards the circular transition. The EU’s transition to a circular economy will reduce pressure on natural resources and will create sustainable growth and jobs. In March 2020, the European Commission adopted the new circular economy action plan (CEAP), that is one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth. The new action plan targets how products are designed, promotes circular economy processes, encourages sustainable consumption, aims to ensure that waste is prevented, and the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible, and introduces legislative and non-legislative measures targeting areas where action at the EU level brings real added value.
https://www.sindnova.it/progetti-europei/turn

The project TURN has the objective to mobilizing social partners, industrial relations actors and undertakings towards the CE, in order to make workers aware that the production system they are part is respectful of nature and environment and to ensure their skills and tools to dialogue with the company strength to this objective. The project is finalized to improve expertise and knowledge on industrial relations through analysis and research in the field of CE, at EU level, as well as in comparative terms, identifying convergences and differences in the responding of the industrial relations systems in place in the EU Member States and in Candidate Countries.

Qualitative analysis:

• online questionnaire
• in-depth interviews
• desk research

Italy: SINDNOVA

• Belgium: INDUSTRIALL EUROPEAN TRADE UNION ASSOCIATION DE FAIT, FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DES TRAVAILLEURS DU BATIMENT ET DU BOIS ASBL
• Spain: FUNDACION CULTURAL PRIMERO DE MAYO, COMISIONES OBRERAS DE INDUSTRIA
• Albania: CO-PLAN INSTITUTI PER ZHVILLIMIN EHABIITATIT, SINDIKATA E PUNONJESVE TE INDUSTRISE TE SHQIPERISE
• Turkey: TUM DOKUMA IPLIK TRIKOTAJ HAZIR GIYIM KONFEKSIYON VE DERI ISCILERI SENDIKASI OZ IPLIK IS, TURK METAL SENDIKASI
• Slovakia: KONFEDERÁCIA ODBOROVÝCH ZVÄZOV SLOVENSKEJ REPUBLIKY

The project, starting from an analysis of the national regulatory framework, the role of workers' representatives/EWC members, as well as the role and prerogatives of companies and institutions, will provide a Handbook, two round tables and a final conference.

As one of the outputs of the TURN project, the research team prepared a research report on the state of the circular economy in industrial enterprises in Slovakia (September 2024). The report on situation in Slovakia is structured as follows: the first part briefly describes the objectives of the survey and its methodology. The second part presents a case study analysis of the five firms in Slovakia that were sampled. The third section presents a synthetic summary of the findings, according to the research questions addressed by the project.