Case Studies

Case studies

This collection of case studies highlights how sustainable practices are being integrated into defence operations, focusing on strategies such as resource efficiency, waste minimization and lifecycle extension. Each case study offers valuable insights into real-world applications, demonstrating the pivotal role of circular economy principles in enhancing operational resilience and sustainability. If you have additional case studies to share, please get in touch with us circular.economy@eda.europa.eu

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General Information

European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform – Good Practices

This website includes relevant practices, innovative processes and ‘learning from experience’ examples implementing circularity principles in different industry sectors.

Universitet Utrecht – Circular Supply Chains in the Royal Dutch Army: An overview of the barrier

2019. This thesis explores barriers to implementing circular supply chains. By looking into three army projects, the research identifies project-specific barriers and provides suggestions that could help future leaders in making supply chains more circular.This is the description for image 3.

NATO – Compendium of Best Practices

2023.This document includes examples of government initiatives, public-private partnerships, military and dual-use technologies, national and international efforts reflecting the different types of interventions required to meet the challenges posed by climate change.

Circular Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing Village

2024. This video gives an insight into the Additive Manufacturing Village hosted in Tournai ( Belgium) and organised by EDA under the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union from 13 to 17 May 2024. The event explored the AM potential for military purposes via hands-on testing of military use cases and workshops.

IF CEED Presentation for AM Village 2024

2024.This presentation gives insights on how Additive Manufacturing can contribute to an efficient use of resources and reduce the military’s overall logistics and environmental footprint.

Circular Materials for Textiles

A Roadmap to Circular Economy in EU Defence inspired by the Dutch Ministry of Defence

2018.This article presents a case study on the Dutch Ministry of Defence to illustrate how circular economy principles can be applied to military uniforms.

Defence wins sustainability award for ‘PET bottle clothing’ navy (NL)

2020. This article introduces the Royal Netherlands Navy dress uniforms partly made from PET bottles. .

Green Procurement

(FR) France - Sustainable Uniforms for the French Navy

This case study highlights the French MoD’s approach to introducing procurement criteria targeting environmental and social impacts along the clothing production line.

(PT) Portugal – The Case of the Battle Dress Uniform for Circular Economy

2022. This article focuses on the measures being taken by the defence industry and the armed forces with regards to lowering their environmental footprint, and on how technology, the circular economy and lean principles can contribute to a better environment.