How CSCP connects insights to impact

The transition to a circular economy requires more than scientific knowledge, technological innovation or new policies. It requires people to understand, engage with and embrace change. This is where communication plays a crucial role.

To make circular living a reality, we need to translate research into real-life narratives that resonate with policymakers, businesses, and communities alike. The Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) is leading this effort within the CARE project by ensuring that its findings and best practices reach the right audiences.

As the leader of Work Package 5: Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation, CSCP ensures that the knowledge generated in CARE is not just stored in reports, but is actively shared and applied in real-world contexts. The aim is to bridge the gap between research and practice, between household level experience and wider systemic change.

CSCP’s role in CARE: From household insights to system-wide impact

CSCP, based in Wuppertal, Germany, is a think and do tank working at the intersection of research, policy, and practical implementation. In CARE, the organisation is responsible for designing and implementing the project’s communication and dissemination strategy to ensure that key stakeholders – from NGOs and CSOs, policymakers to local governments and businesses – benefit from the project’s findings.

Beyond communication materials and media outputs, CSCP plays a key role in supporting all project partners in their communication efforts, building networks and creating dialogue. Whether through events, publications or digital media, the aim is to amplify best practices from CARE’s pilot households and bring them into broader conversations.

A central element in this approach is storytelling, particularly in the early stages of the project.

Stories make complex topics human. In the first year of CARE, we focused on finding authentic voices from the households and project partners, shaping them into narratives that speak to people’s everyday realities. – Eva Rudolf, Senior Designer at the CSCP

The power of storytelling in the circular transition

At the heart of CARE is a co-creation approach that values citizens’ experiences as an essential part of the transition to a circular economy. Research shows that facts and figures alone are not enough to drive behaviour change. People connect with stories.

A key aspect of CARE’s communication is to make these stories visible and relatable. Rather than relying solely on data, CSCP ensures that the experiences of participating households are shared in a way that is both engaging and informative. Stories help illustrate how circular solutions work in everyday life, the challenges that exist and the enablers that make a real difference.

We want to give households a voice and bring their stories to life: showcasing their experiences, challenges and successes in adopting circular lifestyles. Through our communication and dissemination activities, we amplify these stories to inspire, connect and drive action. – Katrin Hüttepohl, CSCP’s communication manager for CARE

This reflects CSCP’s commitment to translating individual experiences into actionable insights for broader audiences. By doing so, CARE can inspire others to take action, support policymakers in making informed decisions, and encourage businesses to align with circular consumption patterns.

Through targeted communication efforts, CSCP ensures that the stories emerging from CARE’s pilot regions contribute to the wider European conversation on sustainability and resource efficiency.

What’s next? From foundation to action

With the Communication and Dissemination (C&D) strategy in place, the CARE project is now entering the next phase: translating strategy into action. Over the past few months, CSCP has worked closely with the project partners to lay the foundations for effective outreach and knowledge sharing. This foundation will now guide the collective efforts of the entire consortium to bring CARE’s findings to a wider audience.

Going forward, CSCP will continue to provide guidance and support while all project partners actively engage their target audiences. Each partner contributes to C&D activities, ensuring that messages are tailored to different regions, stakeholders and policy contexts. The aim is to maximise impact and visibility across Europe and make circular consumption accessible and actionable.

The next steps include launching project-wide communication, strengthening collaboration between partners and ensuring that the voices of households, researchers and policy makers are meaningfully connected.

By working together, CARE will not only share knowledge, but actively shape the conversation around circular living. – Rosa Strube, Head of the Sustainable Lifestyle Team at the CSCP’s and project coordinator for CARE.

Dicscover all CARE partners

Our project partners work hand in hand to explore what circular living means in practice – and how it can be scaled through collaboration, knowledge and action.
Discover how each organisation contributes to a more circular future here.

Together with CARE, we transform our world for the better.