UOC leads project to use AI to teach circular economy skills

Almost 7 million tonnes of clothing and footwear end up in the trash every year in the European Union, that's 16 kilos of textile waste for every European, according to European Environment Agency figures. Most waste is generated post-sale, but 18% comes from garments that are never sold and from the industry itself. The environmental, social and economic impact of this level of resource consumption and the waste generated by the global fashion industry is staggering. To reduce this impact, we need to develop a circular economy that generates less waste, reuses and recycles as much as possible, and uses resources more efficiently.

This is the main goal of the Circular Economy Action Plan adopted by the European Union in 2020, a strategy for driving the transition towards an economic system that reduces pressure on natural resources while strengthening sustainable growth and job creation in every sector. Education and the development of skills specific to the circular economy are central to this strategy.

The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) is leading academic support for this transition by coordinating the Eco Circular AI project. The project is co-financed by the European Union, and the Catalan Institut d'Estudis Financers (IEF) and the Cypriot consultancy firm Innovade LI are also partners. The project is being led by the UOC's Elisabet Ruiz Dotras and Josep Lladós Masllorens. They are members of the UOC's Faculty of Economics and Business and the Digital Business (DigiBiz) research group.

AI to forge closer links between the circular economy and education

The aim of the project is to develop a tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to develop skills and knowledge related to the circular economy. "It is an interactive tool that guides the teacher and the student through different challenges so that they can develop knowledge and skills in the field of the circular economy," explained Elisabet Ruiz Dotras. The tool is already at a fairly advanced stage of development. On 5 March a dry run of the platform was performed to assess aspects including its content, performance, and user-friendliness.

The tool's content centres on developing three circular economy skills: sustainably managing a company's natural and material resources, assessing the environmental and social risks associated with the company's activities, and developing ethical and sustainable business practices that have a positive impact on society and the environment. The tool focuses on four real areas that are key to people's daily lives:

1. The first is the basic and essential knowledge needed for an understanding of the circular economy.
2. The second is aimed at transforming one of the industries with the greatest impact, the electronics industry, to build a greener and more sustainable future. According to the eWaste Monitor, 62 million tonnes of electronic waste were generated worldwide in 2022.
3. The third area is the textile industry, in particular, the denim sector. According to the UN Environment Programme, manufacturing a pair of jeans consumes, on average, 3,781 litres of water and generates 33.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.
4. The fourth and final area concerns waste from the hospitality industry, including both food and plastics and other packaging materials. Every inhabitant of the European Union generates 186.5 kilos of food packaging waste, according to data from the European Environment Agency.

"We recently had a meeting with all the project partners to assess the results of the dry run and decide how we are going to implement the pilot project, which we should do before summer," said Ruiz Dotras. "The project ends in September, and it is already quite advanced. Then it will be very important to get the tool widely distributed, especially in vocational training colleges, to make it truly accessible to all teachers and students."

The potential of artificial intelligence in education

As a disruptive technology, artificial intelligence has the potential to change paradigms in every sector. In the circular economy it can help, for example, to optimize the use of resources and avoid waste, to improve waste management and recycling, to design more sustainable products, or to develop sharing economy platforms that encourage truly circular business models.

"In education, AI can help make learning more personalized, adapting it to the needs, pace and profile of each student. You can run simulations and enable learning in complex virtual environments that reflect real situations. And it also makes it possible to automate many tasks, analyse the results, and improve the learning system. Its potential is enormous, as in all areas," said Ruiz Dotras.

The tool being developed by this European project will also help students be better prepared to meet the demands of the labour market. "Sustainability and the circular economy are key aspects of the 2030 Agenda and in companies. If we provide students with knowledge and skills linked to the sustainable economy, we are preparing them for the demands of the labour market," she said.

Eco Circular AI is co-financed by the European Union (2023-2-ES01-KA210-VET-000180154). 

This UOC research contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, and 12, Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

UOC R&I

The UOC's research and innovation (R&I) is helping overcome pressing challenges faced by global societies in the 21st century by studying interactions between technology and human & social sciences with a specific focus on the network society, e-learning and e-health.

Over 500 researchers and more than 50 research groups work in the UOC's seven faculties, its eLearning Research programme and its two research centres: the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC).

The university also develops online learning innovations at its eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), as well as UOC community entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer via the Hubbik platform.

Open knowledge and the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serve as strategic pillars for the UOC's teaching, research and innovation. More information: research.uoc.edu.