The chemical industry is currently undergoing a quadruple or double twin transition. It encompasses green and digital transformation alongside circularity and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS). The initiative “ChemSkills: enabling the green and digital skills transformation of the chemical industry” is to respond to these challenges and to identify and develop green and digital skills, in addition to skills to produce “safe and sustainable chemicals by design” within the low-carbon energy intensive ecosystem. The project will cover several sub-sectors of the chemical industry:-plastics-consumer chemicals-fertilisers-rubber-pharmaceuticals-petrochemicals.It will map the already existing skills and develop emerging occupational profiles and related qualifications covering upper and post-secondary VET levels (EQF levels 3 to 5) and tertiary levels (EQF levels 6 to 8). The project will bring together stakeholders to jointly implement strategies to address skills gaps in the above mentioned sub-sectors. The key stakeholders include social partners, business representations, research institutes, education and training providers, universities and public authorities, amongst others.

<< Objectives >>The objectives are to develop education in the field of circularity. There are two routes:- Building a recycling line for plastic waste and developing ideas for collection.- Developing teaching materials/learn letters about circularity.The project is designed in such a way that teachers professionalize themselves in the field of circularity and realize complex educational development together across national borders.<< Implementation >>The results of the project will sink into the 'going concern' of the partner schools.In the project, a working method with a Teacher Organization Team and the associated professionalization is being developed that can be used by the partners and others in follow-up projects with a complex and supra-school structure. The project also forms a solid basis for expansion to other secondary schools in the Euregion.<< Results >>The project delivers:1. A documented education program for the construction of a recycling line for plastic waste and its collection, whereby competences are acquired with regard to circularity, 21st century skills and cultural awareness.2. Teaching materials that teachers can use to promote awareness and knowledge about sustainability/circularity.3. An evaluated approach with a DOT for the organization of complex upper school education development

SYSCHEMIQ will demonstrate how to migrate to a circular urban-industrial cross-border district, i.e. the CHEMELOT Circular Hub (CCH) in the Trilateral Euregio of NL, BE and DE. A Circular Economy Action Plan and a (4BEUR) Investment Agenda (2020-2030) are available. Stakeholder involvement schemes are in place, to allow governance within an ecosystem (Regional Government, Municipality, Industries, Educational and Research Institutes, Utilities and Cluster Management): a new way of working to overcome key-bottlenecks. Investment decisions have been made to set up mechanical recycling (4kT/a) and a 150 M€ semi-industrial (18kT/a) chemical pilot recycling plant, to run demos with optimised real-life Mixed Plastic Waste (MPW) streams. We will demo systemic solutions 1) a novel Dual-Track multistakeholder governance model, underpinned by the recently developed Plastic Recycling Impact Scenario: PRISM model (TRL6), and CIMS digital-twin 2) the CCH circular governance model (TRL6), 3) community-based innovation schemes; a Circular City Lab, citizens incentives schemes, incubator and novel skills development and innovation programmes with students (vocational, professional and academic) in a Circular Learning Lab (CHILL), 4) new plastic waste collection, sorting standards/protocols and technologies (e.g. prototype sorting line TRL6) for alignment of material flows in the value chain, 5) new Design rules (TRL 5) for plastic packaging products favouring mechanical and chemical recycling. Considering circa 1.1 Mt of MPW in NL and 30 Mt in EU, scenario calculations promise huge savings of 11.4 Mt CO2 eq./a and 190 kT/a virgin polyolefins. Business modelling and upscaling study will prepare investments in a 100-400 kT/a full-scale recycling facility. A structured Twinning programme with at least 5 selected regions (incl. Flanders and Lombardy), will foster replication, with the support of EU Platform organisations (ECRN, PRE) and in collaboration with the CCRI.