How to support Tondo APS
What is Tondo APS
Founded in 2018, Tondo APS is an association that aims to pursue the development, dissemination and application of Circular Economy principles and concepts. In particular, within the scope of its activities, it wants to involve a wide network of actors and skills necessary for the implementation of the Circular Economy, becoming the virtual place where creativity and innovation meet concrete applications.
Past projects
Over the years, Tondo APS has carried out several projects. First of all, up until 2019, the association has promoted seven editions of its Re-think – Circular Economy Forum format: these events were created to stimulate critical thinking towards some elements of the current industrial economic system, showing the possible evolutionary trends of the circular economy. During the events, practical strategies and approaches are shown, capable of driving innovative activities that can have a positive impact locally and nationally. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the event was held in Taranto, with the aim of leading to the emergence of innovative and entrepreneurial activities in the Taranto area and beyond to create a positive impact on the local and national economic system. Other venues have been Milan, with three editions, then Genoa and Naples.
Then in 2021, Tondo APS organized the first national Hackathon on Circular Economy applied to cities, designed and addressed specifically to university students, recent graduates and doctoral students from Italian universities. It was Hacking the city – Design a circular future, held in virtual mode with the participation of more than 120 students from all Italian universities. On this occasion, participants competed in 8 challenges promoted by: A2A, Arup, Cisco, Esselunga, Iren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Punch Torino, and Mapei. Hacking the City had a second edition in 2023: this time it was held in hybrid mode, with physical locations in Milan, Turin and Vicenza, and saw the participation of almost 100 students. On this occasion, participants competed on five challenges promoted by: A2A, Lavazza, Viacqua, NNT Data and Humana.
But Tondo APS is not just about events: 2023 was the year of Taranto Circolare. The platform was launched at the end of the year, collecting all the realities working on circular economy on Taranto. Tondo also developed a report on the circularity level in Taranto: the study analyzed the material and energy flows of the city, to propose projects that put the principles of Circular Economy into practice in areas with the greatest potential. Finally, the Circularity Measurement Tools were made: available on the platform, but also on Tondo’s website, the Tools allow users to measure the circularity of their products, company and city.
Starting in 2021, Tondo also carried out an analysis of the state of sustainability and circularity of the textile and fashion industry in northern Italy, in particular, in the Biella district, a pole of excellence and reference for the Italian textile sector. This is Circular Threads: the study offered an overview of the current situation and a starting point for accelerating the transition to the circular economy in the textile sector, identifying the best practices implemented and the main challenges faced by companies. This was structured considering 3 levels of analysis: a desk search to analyze practices and collaborations, a questionnaire to better understand obstacles and perceptions, and case studies to analyze the level of circularity of specific products. Tondo compiled the main data that emerged in the report which can be downloaded on the website.
The association is also committed to promoting the theme of Circular Economy and popularizing its national and international regulations, policies and existing initiatives on it. In order to popularize the theme, Tondo APS has organized courses on Circular Economy by developing directly or participating through testimonials with LIUC University, University of Naples Federico II, University of Padua, University of Pavia, University of Turin, Bari Polytechnic, University of Bari, and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
Since 2022, Tondo APS has been carrying on the Tondo Podcast, interviewing Circular Economy-related realities, such as startups, about their innovative paths and projects. You can listen to the latest episodes at this link.
Finally, Tondo APS has recently established its own Technical-Scientific Committee, including professors and entrepreneurs from the Italian scenario with a wide variety of expertise, which allows it to cover the heterogeneous and complex fields of action of Circular Economy. The Committee is Tondo’s technical-scientific support body for guiding activities, such as establishing the topics to be explored in depth during events, defining study strands and methodologies, proposing new activities and projects on the territory, and in general, increasingly refining the positioning and activities proposed by Tondo.
Future projects
In 2024, Tondo APS is planning to pursue several activities. The first is a hackathon that will take place in Bergamo, organized with A2A and the University of Bergamo. The hackathon is designed to create sustainable projects for topics such as district heating systems, water resource management, implementation of Energy Communities, smart transformation of universities and better management of textile waste. Some more hackathons and collaborations with different realities are being planned for the rest of 2024, and will be announced shortly.
Then, Hacking the City – Design a Circular Future will return: a new national hackathon on the circular economy applied to cities will be held in late spring. The hackathon is designed for and aimed specifically at university students, recent graduates and doctoral students from Italian universities who want to put their technical skills into practice to devise circular solutions.
In 2024, the Circular Threads 2.0 project will return: after the Circular Threads study, Tondo APS is pursuing the analysis of the state of sustainability and circularity in the textile and fashion industry. With the collaboration of several partners, such as Textile and Health Association, Pistoletto Foundation, LIUC University and with the support of the Fondazione CRB, the circular practices of the industrial textile supply chain in the Biella district will be analyzed to increase the rate of recovery, recycling, and reuse. Thanks to the results obtained from the survey, pilot projects will be developed that focus on recovery, recycling and reuse; workshops with companies; and a concluding report that collects the results and describes the project process. The publication of the final report is scheduled for the October 2024.
Re-think – Circular Economy Forum is also going to come back in Milan and Taranto: the events will be held in Milan and Taranto at the end of 2024, and will focus on several topics related to the circular economy including: urban mobility and vehicles, electronics and batteries, building and construction, water and agri-food, packaging and plastics, textiles, energy transition and sustainable mobility, circular ports and blue economy, waste and water valorization, and Artificial Intelligence.
Support Tondo APS
Are you interested in Tondo’s activities, and would you also like to contribute concretely to their implementation? From this year, if you work in Italy you can also support Tondo through the 5xMille: just enter Tondo APS in your declaration.
In addition, it is always possible to become a member of the association, to become an integral part of the organization and to keep up to date with the latest events. More information can be obtained at info@tondo.tech.
