Transforming everyday habits: Tampere University coordinates CARE

Empowering households and aligning eleven partners for circular change across Europe

How can everyday routines become part of the circular transition? Tampere University is taking a leading role in the CARE research project to help answer that question. The Wastebusters research group from the Faculty of Management and Business is leading the CARE project as coordinator, working to find solutions towards a sustainable future through multi-disciplinary collaboration.

People are interested in adopting more sustainable solutions in their daily lives, yet often lack the necessary tools and knowledge to make informed choices. The CARE project addresses this gap by supporting households in changing their practices around food and clothing consumption.

CARE’s science-based approach integrates practice theory, life cycle analysis and impact assessments to ensure that strategies are both effective and comprehensive. The circular pilots are based on the practice-theoretical approach, which goes beyond traditional awareness-raising campaigns. By focusing on the social, material and cultural dimensions of everyday life, CARE explores how real change can be achieved at household level. Impact assessment is a key part of the project and includes improvement in material efficiency, living conditions, and sustainable well-being. The effectiveness of the pilots in reducing environmental impacts will be calculated using life cycle assessment.

Solutions through multi-disciplinary collaboration

The success of the CARE project hinges on strong multi-disciplinary collaboration. By bringing together experts from various fields, the project addresses the complexity of the circular economy transition from multiple angles. This collaborative setup ensures that diverse perspectives and methods inform the projects work – resulting in solutions that are innovative, relevant and inclusive.

The diversity of the consortium is key to understanding the multifaceted nature of household behaviours and the broader systems that shape them. Moreover, multi-disciplinary collaboration fosters creativity and innovation, as different disciplines bring unique methodologies and insights to the table. This synergy enables us to design interventions that are not only scientifically sound but also socially and culturally relevant, increasing their likelihood of success.

As project coordinator, Tampere University leads the consortium of eleven international partners. It also coordinates the development of tailored advisory services and co-designs the circular pilots for more circular food and clothing practices.

Advancing sustainable practices with research

The Wastebusters research group is dedicated to advancing sustainable practices through interdisciplinary research. The team focuses on practice-theoretical consumer studies, theories of materiality, and sociocultural perspectives on the circular economy.

The group’s experience in promoting sustainable practices and expertise in practice theory supports the different parts of the CARE project. The core idea of the project is based on their long-term research activities on circular economy themes. They also participated in several EU-funded projects and have published on topics related to circular consumption practices, such as sustainable fashion and food waste reduction.

Relevance of practice theory in circular economy

Understanding practice theory is essential for the CARE project. This school of thought shifts the focus from individual attitudes, values, or behaviours to the social, material and cultural practices that shape daily life. In the context of circular economy, this means looking at how people acquire, use and dispose of products – and how routines, including skills and competencies, infrastructures, and shared cultural meanings or social norms influence these actions. By taking this perspective, CARE can design interventions that are not only effective but also rooted in the real-life contexts of households.

During the first phase of the project, CARE pilots have been jointly co-developed under Work Package 2 together with the project partners. In this development, we have had practice theory as a framework. During summer 2024, CARE project partners also organised workshops with local citizens in the five European regions to draw insights to the pilot development, summarizes WP2 leader Nina Mesiranta from the Wastebusters research group.

What’s next? Launching CARE’s Circular Pilots and conducting ethnographic interviews

The next steps in CARE include launching the circular pilots, implementing the co-designed interventions, and continuing collaboration across partner organisations. Together with the other scientific partners, Tampere University will begin conducting ethnographic interviews with participating households. These interviews are essential to understand the routines and social contexts that shape households‘ practices – and to ensure the long-term success of the interventions.

The local partners in CARE, such as NGOs and municipalities, have played and will continue to play a vital role in the project’s success. They are responsible for recruiting households and delivering the advisory services and interventions in practice. One of our goals is to learn how these actions can be further developed and scaled to support households across Europe on their path to circularity, says Elina Närvänen, CARE project coordinator.

As coordinator, the group’s key aim is to ensure smooth implementation and to generate valuable, practice-based insights into household engagement in the circular economy transition. With their expertise in practice theory and sustainable consumption, the Wastebusters team strives to empower households across Europe to adopt more sustainable lifestyles, ultimately contributing to a more resilient and resource-efficient society.

Discover 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.

Header image: Copyright CSCP