Interview with Marian-Constantin Vasile, Trainer, EIT Climate-KIC

The EIT Climate-KIC community comprises a rich diversity of expertise, skills and perspectives across our alumni, start-ups, innovation partners, advisors and associates, all of whom contribute to our innovation capacity. 

This week, we speak to Marian-Constantin Vasile, Trainer at EIT Climate-KIC.

The circular economy is one of the most talked about sustainability concepts of recent years. Reducing material input, energy leakage and emissions – circular economics can greatly improve sustainability in a number of industries.

Two industries with a glaring need for more circular processes are the electronics and automotive industries, which have some of the fastest growing waste streams on the planet. Recent concepts in circular economy offer the opportunity to revolutionise how these industries function, cutting down on waste, costs and overall environmental impact.

Marian-Constantin Vasile and Attila Katona are trainers at EIT Climate-KIC. In their free course entitled “Circular economy for the automotive and electronics sectors”, the trainers aim to teach young professionals, students and other interested parties about the principles behind circular economics and, more importantly, learn to implement circular economy strategies into their current activities.

The course will take place on the 11, 12 and 22 February, in Timișoara, Romania. The course is free of charge.

What are the current challenges of implementing the circular economy concept within the car and electronics industries? 

Like many industries, the automotive and electronics industries are facing pressures such as increased material and resource costs, increased energy and waste costs, and pressure from customers to avoid damaging the environment. Larger companies are also putting pressure on smaller companies within supply chains to ensure their products can demonstrate sound manufacturing principles and achieve necessary industry accreditations.

How do you address these challenges in the EIT Climate-KIC course?  

The training aims to help people from businesses and organisations to understand the principles behind circular economics and, more importantly, learn to deliver activities using circular economy strategies. This will help businesses and organisations become more efficient, save costs and reduce their impact on the environment. 

How will attendees benefit from the course in their professional life?

The training is delivered by experts in circular economics who come from the local training areas. It is workshop-based and includes instructional presentations, case studies from practitioners delivering a circular economy and group discussions to reflect on new ways of operating.

Participants will leave the training with a detailed understanding of what circular economics aim to achieve. They will also gain access to a network of like-minded people within their sector or region who share a drive to establish a reputation for circular economy expertise.

Who are the trainers of the course? 

The trainers are Attila Katona and I (Marian-Constantin Vasile).

Attila is an urban governance and innovation researcher at the Central European University and a systems innovation consultant at EIT Climate-KIC. He is a founder of an urban planning augmented reality start-up and teacher at various educational institutions. His qualifications include expertise in engineering and economics. Attila is committed to working towards solving complex sustainability challenges and to support the necessary transitions to a more circular economy and resilient society.

I am a business consultant and doctoral researcher in smart cities and smart regions. I spent nine years in Siemens VDO and Continental Automotive Romania, including five as quality manager. I am a former deputy general manager of an important international full-service logistics company and spent four years in public managerial and representation jobs, including an elected position at the European level. I specialise in regional development, economic development and international affairs.

Who should attend the course?  

The training is targeted at businesses and organisations in the automotive and electronics sector that want to understand how to better manage their resources, materials and energy use in a more circular way. Previous knowledge of the circular economy is not necessary, but the participants should hold positions within their companies that could allow them to have an impact using their newly acquired knowledge. Therefore, the ideal attendees would be, but not limited to, environmental officers, process engineers, product designers, innovation drivers or business managers.

If you want to change your products, processes and operations to be part of the circular economy, then this training is for you!

What are the benefits for companies in sending their employees to this course?

Employees attending the training will gain tools, methods and a self-defined action plan outlining how to implement circular economy improvements within their workplace. The training is specifically aimed at creating actions and improvements.