On 22 May, the kick-off meeting for the BMFTR-funded project “Pathways to the circular use of plant-based raw materials – Societal challenges and governance of new value creation networks in the Lausitz region undergoing structural change” (LauTra for short) took place as part of an online meeting. The meeting brought together Dr Alexandra Dehnhardt and Jana Holz (IÖW, Berlin), Professor Jakob Hildebrandt and Richard Neumann (ZIRKON, Zittau), and Professor Maja Dshemuchadse and Bernadette Rohlf (TRAWOS, Görlitz).

In addition to discussions and agreements on working methods, the public relations strategy and joint dates, we began to delve into the substantive content. We held in-depth discussions on the understanding of the transformation process, the significance of extractive logics on the path to a sustainable circular economy, and relevant actors in the fields of the bioeconomy and plant-based fibres. For the upcoming meetings, the focus will be particularly on mutual understanding and effective communication within the interdisciplinary collaboration.