1. Can you briefly introduce your team? What’s your story and what drives you?
The team consists of three partners. KYKLOS, an NGO based in Barcelona, Spain is working on the study and implementation of circular economy strategies. 3D Minerals is an enterprise who develops additive manufacturing systems to produce ceramic parts. Finally, the L'Association Granit et Pierres du Sidobre brings granite professionals representing the entire value chain as well as public local and regional authorities together.
We met around a simple observation: piles of mineral by-products sitting next to communities that need affordable, beautiful public-realm elements. What drives us is place-based circularity, turning a local environmental liability into local value, with benefits that citizens can see and touch.
2. In simple words, what is your project about and how is it linked with CIRCULOOS?
GRANULAR turns stone-industry by-products into useful building and urban pieces likebenches, planters, façade elements and paving modules, made and installed close towhere the materials arise. CIRCULOOS is our backbone for collaboration. It helps us mapthe value chain, match with partners, and document circular practices so others can replicate them.
3. How did you come up with this project idea/concept and what innovative benefits will it bring to the end users?
The idea came from the ongoing collaboration of 3D Minerals and the L'Association Granit et Pierres du Sidobre. Seeing residues stored for years while nearby towns buy new materials from far away. Our approach delivers practical benefits, reduced use of virgin resources, shorter supply chains, and products tailored to local identity. For end users (municipalities, architects, citizens) that means durable, aesthetically coherent elements, faster procurement, traceable origin stories, and a visible circular economy at street level.
4. What type of synergies do you want to explore/are already exploring with other circular economy partners?
We’re keen on teaming up with:
• Material suppliers and recovery operators (to diversify inputs).
• Municipalities and public-space designers (to co-create pilot sites).
• Distributors and builders (to integrate into existing procurement routes).
• Standards, certification, and impact-assessment experts (to ease adoption).
• Education and vocational-training partners (to upskill local workers).
• Other projects valorising construction and demolition streams (for cross-pilots and shared
storytelling).
5. What are your plans for the future when it comes to the development of your ideas projects?
Scale pilots into a small product catalogue, complete the compliance pathway for public procurement, and replicate the model in other stone-producing regions. We aim to develop a “micro-factory” playbook for local partners, deepen collaborations within CIRCULOOS, and build an investment-ready case that blends environmental impact with a resilient regional business model.