Plastic, sustainability and the circular economy: Insubria hosts the Edu4PlastiCircular European project meeting in Varese, focusing on education and innovative teaching within Erasmus+

From 31 August to 4 September, the University of Insubria will host an international meeting of the European project Edu4PlastiCircular – Education for Plastic in a Circular and Climate Neutral Economy – Preventing Waste Ending Up into the Environment at Villa Toeplitz in Varese. The project is an Erasmus+ strategic partnership focused on education and innovative teaching on plastic, environmental sustainability and the circular economy.

Coordinated by Professor Elena Cristina Rada, lecturer in Environmental Sanitary Engineering, the meeting will bring together representatives of partner institutions and universities from several European countries, including Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain, for a week of meetings, discussion and in-depth work on the project and its results.

The opening day, Monday 31 August, will begin with institutional greetings. Representing the University of Insubria will be Professor Mauro Fasano, Rector’s Delegate for Knowledge Valorisation, and Professor Alberto Coen Porisini, Director of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences (DISTA).

This will be followed by a presentation of the University of Insubria and the Edu4PlastiCircular project, focusing on the activities developed by the partnership. The day will also include presentations of several UNESCO Chairs working on topics related to the project, particularly in the context of cooperation between Italy and Romania.

The meeting is also part of the 2026–2027 Italy-Romania Year of Cultural Cooperation, providing an opportunity to strengthen relations between universities and UNESCO Chairs in the two countries and foster new opportunities for international collaboration. This is the first major bilateral programme between the two countries dedicated to enhancing their historical, artistic and European ties.

The work will focus on plastics and waste prevention, addressing these issues not only from an environmental perspective, but also in terms of the transition towards a circular and climate-neutral economy and the development of the new skills needed to meet these challenges.

Considerable attention will be devoted to the educational tools developed by the project, including open educational resources, e-books, a digital library and modules for acquiring green skills in higher education. The day of 31 August will conclude with a round table devoted to the co-creation of new pedagogical models and digital modules for integrating green skills into university curricula.

The week's programme will alternate between international meetings and discussions and activities designed to introduce participants to the local area. The first day will also include a visit to the Castiglioni Museum and the park of Villa Toeplitz, as well as networking opportunities among participants.