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A series of workshops to imagine and build circular economy in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors: the Bluefasma Living Labs of "BLUEfasma", a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg MED 2014-2020 Program, are coming to life. The MEDSEA Foundation is part of them as external expert of the International Marine Center of Torregrande (IMC), which coordinates the activities in Sardinia.

Fishing and aquaculture have long been protagonists of the “Blue Growth” of the Mediterranean coastal areas. Activities, these, that have their roots in an ancient tradition and in recent years have been able to create work for important portions of the coastal populations. Today, however, the Blue Growth faces numerous challenges due to the rapid impoverishment of natural resources and the changes forced on the sea by climate change, decisive in pushing for a rethinking of the role and activities in terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability. Each shore has its own economic, social, cultural and anthropological specificity. It is therefore necessary that the definition of long-term strategies dedicated to the transition to the circular economy arise spontaneously from the territory and its communities.

For this reason, the main tool of BLUEfasma are the "Bluefasma Living Labs", participatory workshops where the themes, opportunities and processes that leads to innovation are discussed and implemented by the parties and not forced upon them. The transnational project will take place in Greece, France, Catalonia, Cyprus, Croatia, Portugal, Montenegro, Malta, Sicily and Sardinia. "The Bluefasma Living Labs consist of six phases: they start from sharing knowledge on what the circular economy is, how it can be put into practice and what are the opportunities for companies operating in these sectors, up to supporting the possible adoption in the company of circular economy practices” explains Vania Statzu, environmental economist and vice-president of the MEDSEA Foundation, who dealt with the creation and management of the BLLs.

Protagonists of the BLLs in Sardinia will be the Lo Squalo Cooperative, the Sant’Andrea-S’Ena Arrubia Fishermen Cooperative, Laguna di Nora, the Mediterranean Ostricola Cooperative and Niedditas. Consumer associations, tools manufacturers and research bodies will also take part to the Blue Living Labs, the first of which is scheduled online for February the 4th. In addition to the companies, the IMC Foundation and MEDSEA, Lega Coop Sardegna, Sardegna Ricerche and a BLUEfasma partner from Sicily, the Taormina Etna Consortium, will also be present.

“The BLUEfasma project proposes an excellent method, not only from a social and environmental point of view, but also for the economic opportunities that can arise from it. The implementation of the principles of the circular economy in the fish supply chains constitutes one of the key elements of European and international strategies for a development model based on sustainable production, capable of generating a positive and long-term impact on the health of our seas and our coasts”, states Paolo Mossone, project manager and director of the IMC Foundation.