Events

3rd General Conference of EDA’s Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED)

IF CEED General Conference
  • 27 - 29 May 2024
  • Brussels Belgium
  • 27 - 29 May 2024

After a successful first phase leading to the incubation of more than a dozen collaborative project ideas, the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED) is currently in its second phase of action (“IF CEED 2”, 2023-2027). To build upon the work carried out since the start of the Incubation Forum in October 2021, as well as to facilitate discussions on the way ahead, EDA organises IF CEED’s Third General Conference from Monday, 27 May to Wednesday, 29 May 2024 in Brussels, under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

In an era characterised by rapidly evolving geopolitical landscapes, technological advancements and heightened environmental awareness, the adoption of circular practices in the defence sector has become a strategic imperative. Driven by the need to reduce the environmental impact of the armed forces while bringing operational benefits to military operations, IF CEED acts as a platform, gathering Ministries of Defence, industry and research actors to collectively address these challenges, enhance resource efficiency, and ensure both long-term resilience and self-sufficiency. 

The IF CEED Third Conference (“IFCEED3GC”) will offer dedicated working sessions on selected themes such as ‘Green Procurement for Defence’, ‘Circular Additive Manufacturing and Spare Parts Management’, while also providing insights on wider topics such as the usage of data for circularity in procurement, logistics and maintenance, closing loops in the supply of critical raw materials in the context of strategic autonomy, as well as harmonisation of methods to measure the defence sector’s environmental impact.

Conference Agenda

  • High-level plenary speeches
  • IF CEED objectives and state-of-play
  • Meetings of the following Project Circles: Green Procurement, Circular Additive Manufacturing, Spare Parts Management, Circular Materials for Textiles
  • One-to-one B2B, B2G, G2G meetings
  • Further insights into EDA’s green defence activities
  • Thematic Sessions:
    • Post-Conflict Environmental Remediation
    • Data for circularity in procurement, logistics and maintenance
    • Circular economy and strategic autonomy
    • Measuring the environmental impact
  • High-level closing plenary on circular economy and climate change in defence

The event benefits from the collaboration with the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) – a joint initiative of the EESC and the European Commission’s DG Environment – and the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD). It is open to representatives from Member States’ Ministries of Defence, as well as registered IF CEED experts from public bodies, universities, RTO’s and industry, among others. Register here.

If you are not part of one of the IF CEED project circles yet, but would like to attend the Conference, please reach out to EDA directly via circular.economy@eda.europa.eu

For further information on IF CEED, please click here.

For information on the previously incubated project ideas please have a look at the following information.