Call for experts in packaging, waste sorting or waste sorting labels in the European Union

This call is now closed. Thank you for your interest in our work. Please consult the updated timeline at the end of the article for more information.

Are you a packaging, waste management, waste sorting or waste sorting labels professional? Are you interested in taking part in a participatory design workshop to co-design an EU Waste Sorting Labels System? Join our call for expression of interest!

Who is this for?

The Joint Research Centre’s EU Policy lab is looking to collaborate with individuals with experience and expertise in:

• fast moving consumer goods, packaging, packaging waste
• waste management, waste sorting
• waste sorting labels, waste sorting communication

We are interested in a variety of profiles and experiences: from packaging producers to waste managers, packaging graphic designers to waste collectors, among other profiles.

Why are we doing this?

Our goal is to establish a pool of candidates for three workshops focused on co-designing a harmonised Waste Sorting Label System for the European Union. The selected individuals will be invited to a participatory design-driven process.

This process will allow interested and impacted actors to:

• share their needs and concrete situations faced on a daily basis in relation to waste sorting and the role of labels on packaging and bins
• to bring and embody their perspectives to the European level
• to follow, be informed, and engage more actively throughout the project

The workshop set-up will enable concrete proposals through design methods beyond consultation and discussion.

The three workshops are planned in person and in Brussels for the end of January 2024, June 2024, and the beginning of 2025 (TBC).

How to apply?

Fill in the survey

Applicants must submit their expression of interest through the online EU Survey before 27 November 2023 to be considered for the first workshop.

The survey should not take more than three minutes to complete. We ask you to answer some basic questions regarding your professional field, expertise, and country. At the end of the survey, we invite you to attach your CV or provide a link to share your professional experience.

Key selection criteria:

Through this Call, we are looking at covering different perspectives. This is why we would apply the following criteria to select the group of a limited number of individuals that we can accommodate in this design-driven participatory process:

1. Maximum variety of expert profiles and fields
2. Maximum diversity of waste sorting situations across the EU
3. Availability
4. Gender and age diversity

Compensation

Participants from outside of Brussels will be compensated for their travel and accommodation and a daily allowance will be accorded to all participants according to the European Commission rules.

Updated timeline

• 7 November 2023 - opening of the Call
• Mid-December 2023 - mid-January 2024- 1^st round of invitations to selected profiles.
• End of January 2024 - 2^nd round of invitations to complete the group.
• January and February 2024 - confirmation of your participation, launch of the administrative process, detailed information on the process.
• Mid-March 2024 - 1^st workshop.

About the project

These three workshops are part of a broader research investigating waste sorting labels and their harmonisation across the European Union by the European Commission Directorate-General Joint Research Centre, EU Policy Lab: Foresight, Design & Behavioural Insights Unit. It includes surveys, workshops with citizens and stakeholders, fieldwork, and behavioural studies in selected Member States covering different situations and practices in the EU. The results of these workshops will allow the EC to integrate the needs and issues faced by different sectors and engage their knowledge and experience in the design process of the EU waste sorting labels.

About the EU Policy Lab

The EU Policy Lab is a space for cross-disciplinary exploration and innovation in policymaking. Here, we apply collaborative, systemic and forward-looking approaches to help bring the scientific knowledge of the Joint Research Centre into EU policymaking. Combining quantitative and qualitative research techniques, through behavioural sciences and design practices, we identify behavioural elements and key insights to increase policy effectiveness.

About the Joint Research Centre

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the European Commission's in-house science service. Its mission is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support throughout the whole policy cycle. The JRC is spread across six different sites: Brussels and Geel (Belgium), Seville (Spain), Ispra (Italy), Petten (the Netherlands), and Karlsruhe (Germany).