The INBUILT project recently took part in the SUM Multidisciplinary Symposium on Circular Economy & Urban Mining (Procida, 21-23 May), hosting an engaging and practical workshop focused on Urban Mining in the construction sector. The workshop was organised by Leitat Technological Center in the framework of the INBUILT project, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to explore the untapped potential of the built environment for urban mining.
SUM Multidisciplinary Symposium
Organised by the International Waste Working Group (IWWG), the Symposium has been held every two years since 2012. Following the success of the 2024 conference in Capri, which brought together experts from 34 countries and various disciplines, SUM has now become an annual event. The event aims to foster dialogue and collaboration among diverse disciplines - including Agronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, Medicine, Psychology, Sociology - while engaging stakeholders like industry leaders, policy makers, NGOs and local authorities, and promoting strategic partnerships to address the global challenges of the circular economy.
The INBUILT workshop
Led by Davide Cerra (LEITAT), with inspiring insights from Magdalena Zabek (University of Technology of Delft) and Marco Mori (LEITAT), the INBUILT workshop facilitated in-depth discussions on the potential of the built environment for the circular economy. LEITAT presented a comprehensive overview of Urban Mining initiatives across the EU, mapping key players and encouraging meaningful dialogue among participants.
The workshop had three main objectives:
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Knowledge Exchange. To disseminate examples of Urban Mining initiatives from across the European Union, highlighting technologies, policies, and business models enabling resource recovery from buildings.
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Stakeholder Mapping. To collectively identify and visualize key actors, regions, and partnerships active in the Urban Mining domain.
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Barrier and Opportunity Analysis. To critically assess the technical, regulatory, and market barriers to Urban Mining and co-develop strategies to overcome them.
The session opened with an introduction by Marco Mori, who outlined the concept of urban mining and its relevance to the INBUILT project, highlighting key definitions and the strategic importance of recovering valuable materials from the built environment. Magdalena Zabek then presented her research on urban mining, sharing practical case studies and offering insights into methodologies and real-world applications. Finally, the workshop stimulated discussion through interactive activities where participants analysed the stakeholder ecosystems and identified potential barriers and opportunities to improve the urban mining value chain.
A key takeaway from the event: our cities are rich in hidden resources — we just need to learn how to extract and reuse them sustainably!