The 9th CEMEREM Summer School on Circular Economy was successfully held in Germany from 21st to 25th July 2025, bringing together 14 students and 4 staff members from Taita Taveta University (TTU). Through expert lectures, interactive workshops, and hands-on excursions, participants deepened their knowledge and strengthened their commitment to applying circular economy principles in practice.
The Summer School opened with a welcome address by Prof. Ulrike Feistel, CEMEREM Project Leader. The academic program featured high-level lectures from industry experts and university researchers. Key topics included:
- “Textile Recycling” – Prof. Ingo Gestring
- “Circularity in Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation”, “EU Deforestation-free Products Regulation” – Peter Görlitz, Sustainability Manager at Snoco
These sessions provided a solid foundation for understanding the importance and application of circular economy concepts.
Participants also engaged in practical learning activities. A visit to a collection and recycling centre in Dresden and the Institute of Waste Management and Circular Economy at TU Dresden offered valuable insights into real-world waste management processes in Germany. During the training day, attendees explored the concept of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and learned to work with LCA tools.
The “Paper Recycling” workshop at the Institute of Natural Materials Engineering, TU Dresden provided hands-on training in recycling waste paper packaging and demonstrated how agricultural residues can be transformed into compostable packaging shells from renewable raw materials.
An excursion to Welzow focused on coal mine recultivation. Participants observed large-scale closed-loop restoration processes, where post-mining landscapes are transformed into farmland, forests, and wetlands.
In Freiberg, the group visited Freiberger Compound Materials GmbH (FCM), a global leader in compound semiconductor substrates for microelectronics and optoelectronics, and the Biogas Laboratory of TU Bergakademie Freiberg. These visits showcased innovative recycling techniques and sustainable technologies.
The workshop “From the Salt of Life” offered a thought-provoking exploration of raw materials—where they come from, how they are used, and their environmental impacts. The interactive exhibition sparked discussion on global and personal resource consumption, raw material scarcity, and individual carbon footprints.
The Summer School concluded with a final interactive workshop, where participants presented their learning outcomes and shared constructive feedback. Inspired by the week’s activities, many expressed their intention to initiate research projects and community activities related to waste management and sustainable development in Kenya.
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