On 17–18 February 2025, the first in-person meeting of the partners of the project “Shaping New Paths Towards Circularity in Furniture (FULAR)” took place. The meeting was organized by the Lead Partner, the Department of Forestry, Wood Sciences and Design of the University of Thessaly in Karditsa. A total of 16 project partners participated in the meeting, while some attended online to follow the discussions on the project’s implementation progress.
During the event, participants took part in a series of activities focusing on strengthening the circular economy in the furniture sector. The on-site visits highlighted modern practices in the recycling of wooden materials and the application of green technologies in furniture production. At the same time, technical workshops focused on analyzing strategies for the optimal use of local wood, recycled materials, and waste. The meeting also included discussions on the progress of the individual work packages, while the managing authority provided guidance on the reporting requirements of the project.
The FULAR project aims to promote sustainability and circularity in the furniture sector within the IPA ADRION region, which includes Greece, Italy, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia. Its main objective is to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in adopting greener and more circular production practices, as well as to strengthen their alignment with European sustainable development strategies.
FULAR activities include research on the perception of circular approaches by SMEs and consumers, analysis of best practices, identification of sustainable materials (local wood, secondary raw materials, post-consumer waste), and exploration of innovative and cost-effective technologies for furniture production. The project will organize a circular design competition and three international workshops on materials engineering to develop and test new sustainability-oriented solutions.
The prototypes resulting from the winning proposals will serve as tangible applications of these innovations, while the “Beyond FULAR” plan will contribute to the dissemination and transfer of the project’s results to broader stakeholder groups. Target groups include SMEs, academic institutions, policymakers, consumers, industry associations, and other relevant organizations.
The project fosters transnational cooperation, the capitalization and expansion of results, and the sustainable development of the furniture sector, offering concrete and transferable solutions that contribute to a greener economy in the Adriatic–Ionian region and beyond.
The main objective of FULAR is to enhance the implementation of circular economy principles in furniture production processes, increase awareness among key sectoral stakeholders regarding sustainability, alternative materials, new technologies, and assembly techniques, and promote circular solutions within the wood industry. The development of furniture prototypes using selected alternative materials will further support the dissemination and strengthening of circular approaches.
