make-a-thek Circular Makerspace for Craft & Fashion Recommendations

Deliverable 3.1 Circular Makerspace for Craft & Fashion Recommendations Disclaimer: The information and views set out in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. Neither the Commission nor any person acting on the Commission’s behalf can guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study, nor may they be held responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained therein. 1 Grant agreement number 101177660 Project name Modular Library Makerspaces for Heritage Crafts Innovation and Digitization Project acronym make-a-thek Type of action HORIZON-IA Project starting date 1st February 2025 Duration of project 36 months Due date of deliverable 31st October 2025 Version V1 Dissemination level Public Project website https://www.makeathek.eu/ Lead Partner GIG Author(s) Kirstin Wiedow, Ricardo Ruiz, Geraldine de Bastion, (GIG) Contributor(s) Melanie Chan (GIG), Sandra Mamitzsch (GIG), Jessica Guy (Institut d’Arquitectura Avançada de Catalunya), Cristina Biella (OD) Reviewer(s) Teresa Schaefer (Zentrum für Soziale Innovation), Marta Savoldelli (OD), Max Gilgenmann (Fashion Revolution) Table of Contents Table of Contents....................................................................................................................2 Revision of History................................................................................................................. 2 List of Abbreviations.............................................................................................................. 3 Executive Summary........................................................................................................................4 1. Introduction................................................................................................................................. 6 1.1. Methodology and Approach.........................................................................................................7 1.2. Scope...............................................................................................................................................7 2. State of the Art: Policies, Technologies and Spaces............................................................... 8 2.1. Policies and Literature Review...................................................................................................9 2.1.1. Circularity in Fashion...........................................................................................................9 2.1.2. Circularity in Craft............................................................................................................. 10 2.2. Technology and Innovation Scan: Tools, Educational Resources and Third Spaces.... 11 2.2.1 Open DIY Technologies for Circular Fashion and Crafts............................................ 12 2.2.2 Patterns, Designs and Educational Content................................................................14 2.2.3 Third Places: Innovation Hubs and Makerspaces at the Nexus of Circular Fashion & Crafts...........................................................................................................................16 2.3. Insights from the Mapping on Open Tools for Circular Fashion and Craft................... 22 3. Community and Target Group Needs and Interests...............................................................25 3.1. Pilot City Community Activation Sessions............................................................................ 25 3.1.1. ANTWERP - BELGIUM........................................................................................................25 3.1.2. BARCELONA - SPAIN........................................................................................................ 26 3.1.3. BERLIN - GERMANY.......................................................................................................... 27 3.1.4. BUDAPEST - HUNGARY.................................................................................................... 29 3.1.5.HELSINKI - FINLAND......................................................................................................... 30 3.1.6. KRANJ - SLOVENIA............................................................................................................31 3.1.7. KYIV - UKRAINE.................................................................................................................. 32 3.1.8. MILAN - ITALY.................................................................................................................... 33 3.1.9. OPOLE - POLAND..............................................................................................................34 3.1.10 REYKJAVIK - ICELAND......................................................................................................35 3.1.11 ZAPORIZHZHIA - UKRAINE...............................................................................................36 3.2. Online Community Activations............................................................................................... 38 3.2.1. Circular Adaptive and Inclusive Design and Fashion................................................ 38 3.2.2. Reimagine Local Textiles Storytelling, Circularity, and Community Textiles...... 39 3.2.3. Circular Design for Heritage Crafts..............................................................................39 3.2.4. Stories in Fabric: Crafting Futures with Motifs and Biomaterials.........................40 3.2.5. Digital Fabrication, Biomaterials and Ancestral Techniques...................................41 3.3. Lessons Learned from the Community Activation.............................................................42 4. Recommendations....................................................................................................................44 4.1. Research Insights: Gaps, Recommendations and Next Steps..........................................44 4.2. Key Take Aways for Stakeholders and Target Groups........................................................47 5. Conclusion and Next Steps.......................................................................................................51 ANNEX 1 Bibliography...............................................................................................................................53 ANNEX 2 Onand Offline Community Activations........................................................................... 59 ANNEX 3 Community Activation Guidelines.......................................................................................59 2 Revision of History Revision Date Contributors Organisation Description 0.1 03.10.2025 Kirstin Wiedow GIG Initial draft 0.2 15.10.2025 Kirstin Wiedow, Sandra Mamitzsch, Jessica Guy, Cristina Biella GIG Second version 0.3 26.10.2025 Kirstin Wiedow, Ricardo Ruiz, Geraldine de Bastion Max Gilgenmann GIG, Fashion Revolution Third version, RRI & Ethics 0.4 28.10.2025 Marta Savoldelli, Teresa Schaefer OD, Zentrum für Soziale Innovation Reviewers’ comments 0.5 30.10.2025 Kirstin Wiedow, Geraldine de Bastion, Ricardo Ruiz GIG Integration of reviewers’ comments 1.0 31.10.2025 Kirstin Wiedow, Geraldine de Bastion, Ricardo Ruiz GIG Final formatting & pdf submission List of Abbreviations Abbreviation Description CE Circular Economy EPR Extended Producer Responsibility DIY Do-it-yourself ECA European Crafts Alliance GIG Global Innovation Gathering e.V. NEB New European Bauhaus OD OpenDot Foundation ETS PP Precious Plastic R&D Research and Development WP Work Package 3 Executive Summary This deliverable (D3.1) presents the outcomes of the make-a-thek project’s mapping and community activation activities, examining how makerspaces and maker technologies can support circular fashion and craft ecosystems. It consolidates insights from desktop research, international policy and technology analysis, and community activation sessions conducted across partner countries and online. The findings provide an evidence base for the project’s next phases, informing the design of modular makerspaces (WP4), capacity-building materials (WP5), and community engagement strategies (WP6). State of the Art: Mapping Circular Innovation in Craft and Fashion The state-of-the-art analysis showed makerspaces can act as crucial intermediaries for circular transformation in fashion and craft. Across Europe and beyond, these hybrid environments combine digital fabrication tools (3D printing, laser cutting) with heritage techniques (weaving, mending, dyeing, embroidery) to foster material reuse, repair, and new forms of distributed production. At the policy level, the make-a-thek approach aligns with the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, the European Green Deal, and the New European Bauhaus (NEB), which emphasize sustainability as a cultural as well as technological challenge. However, the mapping identified persistent fragmentation in open-source resources, limited textile-focused maker education, and insufficient infrastructure for circular experimentation within public institutions. The innovation and technological scan covered over 386 open tools, resources like open patterns, and projects, showing strong potential for circular workflows, it also highlights the need for integration and curation. Makers often face barriers in linking tools across the full product lifecycle, from design and prototyping to repair and recycling. Opportunities lie in developing open toolchains-creating a set of interconnected, open-source tools that streamline a specific development or operational processshared documentation standards, and common taxonomies that connect makers, craftspeople, and educators around sustainable production practices. The analysis also underlined the cultural dimension of circularity: it is not solely a technical challenge but a process of reviving repair cultures, documenting tacit craft knowledge, and embedding care and creativity into local economies. In this sense, makerspaces act as cultural laboratories for reimagining production and consumption patterns. Community Activations: Insights from Practice The onand offline community activation sessions, held in fashion hubs, libraries, or makerspaces, and the online formats validated the desktop research findings through participatory engagement. Participants included librarians, craftspeople, designers, educators, and citizens from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. The 4 sessions confirmed that hands-on experimentation and peer learning are key drivers of engagement and skill transfer. Several key insights emerged: ● Libraries as civic innovation hubs: Libraries are ideally placed to democratize access to tools, materials, and circular knowledge, but staff training and infrastructure investment are needed. ● Peer learning over formal instruction: Informal, intergenerational exchange is more effective and inclusive than traditional teaching models. ● Access and material constraints: Many communities lack textile-oriented tools and local material streams; collaboration networks could help fill these gaps. ● Community demand for repair and reuse skills: Repair cafés, upcycling sessions, and material-sharing initiatives are the most requested activities. ● Need for localized approaches: Successful interventions adapted circular concepts to local heritage, culture, and resources—highlighting that one-size-fits-all models are ineffective. The activations also revealed gaps in digital literacy, open-source familiarity, and evaluation capacity—gaps that WP5 and WP6 will address through dedicated training-of-trainers modules and shared learning frameworks. Recommendations Building on these insights, the deliverable formulates targeted recommendations for four stakeholder groups: ● Makerspaces and Makers should adopt hybrid analog–digital infrastructures, curate open toolchains, and institutionalize peer learning. They are encouraged to prototype distributed circular production systems and develop shared impact metrics to document social and environmental outcomes. ● Fashion and Craft Practitioners are urged to embrace open knowledge exchange, combine traditional and digital techniques, and experiment with cooperative and service-based business models that prioritize longevity, repair, and local value creation. ● Libraries can become civic labs for circular practice by hosting modular maker zones, upcycling workshops, and material libraries. Training-of-trainers programs and evaluation frameworks should empower librarians as facilitators of sustainable innovation. ● Policy Makers and Funding Bodies should recognize makerspaces and libraries as critical public infrastructure for the circular economy, support micro-credentialing for circular skills, fund open-source tool development, and embed cultural and social metrics into circularity policies. Together, these recommendations position make-a-thek as a framework for integrating cultural heritage, maker technologies, and sustainability education. The project’s next phase will translate these insights into open training materials, modular makerspace designs, and community engagement toolkits—advancing Europe’s transition toward a more inclusive, circular, and creative future. 5 1. Introduction make-a-thek is a three year, EU-funded project establishing public libraries as creative infrastructures for circular fashion, traditional crafts, and local innovation. During the first six months of the project, foundational research was conducted in order to ensure the project activities are based on an in-depth analysis of the current state of the art regarding circularity in fashion and craft, especially regarding opportunities at the nexus between open technology, the maker movement and circular fashion and craft. Guiding questions for this research are: What open tools and technologies exist? What practices are emerging through digital manufacturing and digital innovation that can be harnessed for circular fashion and craft? Further, how makers, open technology innovators and makerspaces are connecting with circular fashion and craft communities?, what forms of collaborations and connections exist and how these can inform make-a-thek? In this context, our objectives were a) to catalogue relevant policies, innovative open technologies for circular fashion and craft and existing cooperations between makers, fashion and craft people and b) to explore needs and demands of circular fashion and craft communities and future cooperation potential of makers and digital innovators, fashion and craft people and third places, in particular libraries, to advance the adaptation of circular fashion and craft practices, in terms of reaching “prosumers”—individuals who blur the lines between consumer and producer by creating, customizing, and modifying their own clothing and fashion products—as well as product design, production mechanisms and product business models. This report captures the outcomes of the foundational research. The analysed data and documented community activations are described and key insights have been synthesised into recommendations intended to inform further make-a-thek steps. 1.1. Methodology and Approach A mix of methods has been employed to conduct the research on which this report is based. A broad desktop research including literature and policy review was 6 conducted to capture the state of the art that may affect make-a-thek, in particular the current EU policy frameworks for circular craft and fashion. For the innovative tools, educational resources and spaces scan, extensive research was conducted, employing 9 interviews with the network members within the make-a-thek consortium partners to map emerging tools, open-source datasets, and frameworks relevant to circular fashion and crafts. The review covered 3D-printing repositories, biomaterial databases, AI-assisted pattern-generation systems, and community fabrication toolkits. Onand offline community activation activities, including community meetings, workshops and focus group meetings hosted by make-a-thek followed two purposes: to connect with relevant stakeholders in the selected pilot cities and understand their needs, including circular fashion and craft people, makers and librarians and to help local stakeholders connect and form meaningful working relations fruitful for cross-border collaborations and broader participation. The community actions were instructed by the make-a-thek community facilitation guidelines (Annex 3), developed to ensure methodological consistency across the pilot sites. These guidelines outlined step-by-step instructions for inclusive event design, facilitation roles, accessibility considerations, documentation, and feedback collection. The online community sessions were recorded and are available online for future reference, together with a brief summary and analysis of each call. 1.2. Scope This document summarises the analysis and reflections arising from the early-stage research and engagement activities of the make-a-thek project. These include desktop research, technology and policy mapping, and 17 community activation events held between May and October 2025. Key insights from each chapter form the evidence base for the recommendations presented at the end of the report. These findings directly inform the development of WP4 (Modular Makerspace Approach) and WP5 (Capacity Development), by identifying existing technologies, services, networks, and tools for Circular Economy (CE) fashion and craft—as well as the adoption barriers, opportunities, and target group needs that will shape future interventions. The project reached its intended research scope by combining desk-based study with outreach to expert networks, including informal consultations with the GIG community. In addition, consortium members contributed from their own databases, past and ongoing projects, and professional networks. As a result, over 386 open resources were identified and compiled into a consolidated reference for the consortium. The community activities engaged more than 380 people across 17 events, 11 held in person and six online—spanning multiple regions and hosted by local pilot partners. Except for 1 session attended primarily by library professionals, all events welcomed a diverse mix of stakeholders including designers, students, artisans, makers, makerspace coordinators, librarians, and local residents. In many cases, 7 attendance exceeded expectations, with several sessions welcoming well over 20 participants. These engagements provided rich, grounded insight into user needs, cultural contexts, and collaborative opportunities across Europe and beyond. How to Use This Document: This report is intended for use by a wide range of stakeholders. Project teams leading WP4 and WP5 can draw on the findings to shape makerspace design, training tools, and engagement strategies. Library professionals, educators, and local policymakers can use case studies, recommendations, and mapped resources to design inclusive, circular craft initiatives in their communities. Makers, designers, and educators will find practical inspiration in the open tools and resources highlighted throughout. Finally, funders and policy stakeholders can use the insights to better understand the infrastructure and support needed to scale community-driven, circular fashion and craft ecosystems. 2. State of the Art: Policies, Technologies and Spaces The literature and policy review (Annex 1) mapped the state of the art of circular fashion and craft, their intersection with the DIY and maker movement, as well as relevant policy frameworks and developments. It drew on European and international frameworks such as the New European Bauhaus Compass, UNESCO Creative Learning Cities, and OECD research on library transformation, together with policy documents from European projects (e.g., NEB Lab, Circular Makerspaces, Fab City Hubs) and global initiatives (UNESCO Creative Learning, IFLA Innovation Agenda). To broaden the perspective, the review also considered prominent global initiatives and knowledge hubs including the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s work on circular fashion, The Fashion Pact, Circle Economy, Circular.Fashion, and Circular.Berlin. The Denim Deal was included as a tangible public-private commitment to close the loop in post-consumer denim recycling and exemplifies how multi-stakeholder frameworks can accelerate textile circularity. Additional insights were drawn from platforms like Fashion for Good, which supports industry innovation through collaboration between creatives, start-ups, and policymakers, and Ohana Public Affairs, which provides key perspectives on textile-related EU policy-making. Practitioner insights from within the consortium—rooted in real-world engagement—helped ground this review in applied experience. The technology and innovation scan of tools, educational resources, makerspaces, and technologies catalogued emerging open-source and DIY solutions relevant to circular fashion and craft. These include digital fabrication methods, open patterns and designs, datasets, and tools—ranging from 3D-printing repositories and biomaterial databases to AI-assisted design platforms and community-driven fabrication toolkits. In addition, the mapping highlights exemplary practitioners, communities, creative spaces, zero waste and upcycling design case studies, and 8 on-demand industrial knitting machines, supporting other startups like VORN/SHIFT to provide individual designers hands-on access to industrial knitting machines and digital tools, and enabling them to prototype, produce, and innovate sustainably within a real microfactory environment.. Projects like OpenFitLab experiment with on-demand, on-site clothing fabrication by generating patterns from 3D body scans in real time. In craft communities, there’s a trend of combining sensor technology or coding with traditional techniques (e.g. interactive textiles that respond to touch, or smart wearables crafted with e-textile methods). Here, it is important to emphasise that this trend of 'wearables' or 'fashion tech' is in special need of circularity, since it otherwise ends up bringing in electronic waste on top of all the other unsolved waste problems in fashion & textiles. Despite that, many such innovations are documented and shared on open platforms (GitHub, instructables, etc.), allowing others to learn and build upon them. The Fabricademy curriculum itself is a good reflection of current innovation priorities: it includes modules on circular fashion systems, bio-based materials, open hardware for textiles, and digital fashion, all taught with an open-source philosophy. By training emerging designers in everything from 3D printing clothes to crafting with biomaterials, and by publishing the documentation openly, programs like Fabricademy propagate a new generation of practitioners fluent in both craft techniques and digital fabrication. The mapping further highlights a growing ecosystem of open-access educational content tailored for craft-tech integration. Entries include modular training kits like the “Craft Toolkit”, which helps you learn new skills, as well as initiatives like KOBAKANT’s “How to Get What You Want” platform—an interactive learning archive for e-textiles and wearable electronics. Programs such as the Smart Textiles Hub from the University of Borås (Sweden)-and other universities like FIT (NYC), CSM and its Centre for Sustainability (London), or AMD and its Master for Fashion Sustainability (Germany), alongside technical universities such as the Recycling Atelier at ITA Augsburg, the School of Design Pforzheim, or the Texoversum of University of Reutlingen-provide free guides on embedding sensors in fabrics, bridging engineering and design. In parallel, community-powered initiatives like the Online Sewing Pattern Generator and Wikifashion offer step-by-step instructions for pattern alteration and garment production. In one hand, these resources collectively advance circular fashion literacy by offering structured, open-source training formats—from beginner to advanced—and lowering barriers to experimentation, but on the other hand, it widens the gap for students who have access to great tools & machines at their university but no longer on their professional career, unless they are lucky enough to directly work in a prominent position for a big textile company. Despite the excitement around these technologies, the research also discusses barriers and enablers for their adoption. On the barrier side, one common issue is the accessibility of technology–high upfront costs for equipment or materials, and the need for technical skills or training. Many craftspeople and small designers operate on tight budgets, so even though a tool might be “open-source”, they may struggle with purchasing a 3D printer or simply finding a local fab lab. The ECA 15 study noted financial constraints as a major hurdle, along with concerns about preserving traditional skills and identity. There can be skepticism: some artisans fear that digital fabrication could devalue the hand-made authenticity of their work or require steep learning curves. Additionally, a lack of structured support and knowledge transfer can impede implementation–for example, a lone designer might not know how to calibrate an open-source knitting machine without community help. Enablers identified include increasing the availability of training and digital literacy in crafts. Wider and more accessible training programs-such as workshops, online tutorials, or maker-in-residence schemes-can empower craftspeople to experiment confidently with new tech. Another enabler is fostering collaborative spaces – the idea of a mixed Fab Lab model where traditional artisans and digital makers co-create side by side. This kind of third-space (discussed in Section 2.1) can demystify technology for craft practitioners while also inspiring technologists to learn from master artisans. Policy support is also crucial: innovation vouchers, grants or incubators targeting craft-tech projects can provide needed resources, and policy can incentivize open-source development (for instance, funding projects that commit to open knowledge outputs). Finally, the open-source nature of these innovations itself is an enabler: by sharing designs and code freely, the community lowers duplication of effort and accelerates improvement. Anyone can take an open loom design, adapt it or fix bugs, and repost improvements–a collective innovation cycle that proprietary approaches lack. 2.2.3 Third Places: Innovation Hubs and Makerspaces at the Nexus of Circular Fashion & Crafts Circular fashion and craft do not exist in isolation—they thrive in communities where making is both social and educational. This section highlights exemplary makerspaces and hybrid initiatives that demonstrate how civic infrastructure, informal economies, and open-source ecosystems are already advancing circularity in practice. These examples were selected from the extensive desktop research and database mapping as well as the interviews with consortium members and their networks. Criteria for inclusion included demonstrated engagement with circular fashion or textile craft, commitment to knowledge sharing (often through Creative Commons or peer-to-peer formats), and replicable, real-world experience that can inform make-a-thek’s design strategies for modular spaces (WP4) and learning pathways (WP5). Whether based in public libraries, rural villages, or urban markets, these makerspaces act as living laboratories for sustainable practice. They exemplify how open education, localized production, social inclusion, and participatory design converge to empower prosumers to co-create solutions within their communities. From the civic models in cities like Oslo and Los Angeles to the countries being laden with the ecological effects of textile production and waste management such as Bangladesh and Ghana, each case offers actionable insight into how 16 physical spaces, cultural practices, and digital tools can be combined to foster circularity and community resilience. Together, they form a global constellation of inspiration that grounds make-a-thek’s ambitions in both diversity and pragmatism. Third places and open infrastructure have emerged as critical enablers at the community level. “Third places” are public places for collaboration outside home and work–like community hubs, libraries, and makerspaces are being leveraged to democratize circular design and craft. Similar trends are emerging globally: for instance, Singapore’s LAB25 library blueprint envisages libraries as “immersive hubs” blending physical and digital services to support lifelong learning and maker activities. Likewise, makerspaces and Fab Labs in cities are partnering with CE initiatives (e.g. the Pop-Machina project in EU) to promote repair cafes, material reuse workshops, and skill-sharing for upcycling. These third places lower barriers for citizens and SMEs to participate in sustainable/circular fashion and craft: a library card can now grant access not just to books but to sewing machines, 3D printers, or even “libraries of things” and clothing-lending services. For example, a public library in Oswestry, UK recently opened a “Shared Wardrobe” where patrons can borrow special-occasion outfits just as they borrow books. Such innovations illustrate the powerful nexus of community, craft, and circularity. The library setting provides trust and accessibility, the craft aspect engages people in making or mending, and the circular outcome is extended garment life and reduced waste. Moreover, libraries across Europe are evolving from traditional book-lending institutions into dynamic community hubs that tackle pressing social, digital, and environmental challenges. This transformation is driven by the belief that libraries can strengthen democracy, combat disinformation, support mental health, and bridge digital divides. Through initiatives like The Europe Challenge 2025/26, libraries are reimagining their roles—offering collaborative spaces, mentoring, and funding opportunities to empower local communities and foster cross-border innovation. Yet despite these advances, accessibility remains uneven. As Adriana Cristina Cabrera of FABRegion noted in a May 2024 interview, “There is still a lack of infrastructure that allows communities to repair and reuse textiles, which prevents clothing waste from being transformed positively.” She further emphasized that “the positioning of circularity and second-hand usage still lacks visibility, making it challenging to motivate the population about such subjects.” Her insights underscore the need not only for physical access to tools and spaces but also for broader cultural shifts and public narratives that normalize reuse, repair, and circular consumption. A set of comprehensive examples emerged from the scanning, as follows: 17 Octavia Lab – Los Angeles Public Library (USA) A Civic Model for Accessible Circular Making: The Octavia Lab, housed within the Los Angeles Central Library, exemplifies how public infrastructure can democratize circular fashion and craft. Designed as a fully public-access makerspace, it enables community members to experiment with creative reuse, sewing, embroidery, vinyl cutting, and laser engraving—all without user fees. This model lowers barriers by allowing participants to bring their own materials and reserve two-hour time slots for machine access. The lab is maintained by trained staff who offer safety inductions and creative guidance, helping users develop skills over repeat visits. For circular fashion, the Octavia Lab supports upcycling, garment repair, DIY pattern cutting, and sustainable prototyping through guided workshops and open lab time. It empowers individuals to transform discarded textiles into meaningful, wearable items—without needing personal equipment or formal training. Its multi-zone layout (textile workstations, digital production areas, finishing/photo corners) offers a structured but flexible space for making. Relevance to make-a-thek: Octavia Lab shows how low-cost, inclusive formats can support circularity and skill-building in under-resourced communities. Its free booking model, peer mentoring, and safety induction process offer a strong blueprint for make-a-thek’s modular setup. The civic-library setting demonstrates that high-impact sustainability practice can be embedded in trusted, non-commercial environments—key for WP4 (Modular Spaces) and WP5 (Capacity Building). ideaLAB – Denver Public Library (USA) A Distributed, Scalable Library-Makerspace System: ideaLAB is a pioneering network of makerspaces embedded across the Denver Public Library system. While each lab varies in size and capability, most feature sewing machines, textile workstations, and digital tools for creative repair, upcycling, and sustainable garment-making. Some larger branches also offer embroidery, CNC vinyl cutting, and 3D printing. Access is entirely free and does not require library membership, making it an equity-centered model of distributed circular practice. Workshops are hosted by library staff and community partners, and are documented through open-access guides that allow replication across the network. Many branches run textile-based classes like “Mend & Make,” DIY tote bag sessions, and clothing repair nights, creating hands-on pathways for community engagement with circular fashion values. In some locations, youth-focused programming introduces basic textile reuse and craft techniques alongside digital literacy. Relevance to make-a-thek: ideaLAB demonstrates how distributed, federated models can scale makerspace access while adapting to local needs. Its public documentation of workshop via open access guides and low-threshold programming offer tangible formats that can be reused or remixed in other library systems. For make-a-thek, this model reinforces the potential of a modular 18 approach embedded in civic infrastructure—where open-source toolkits and peer learning can evolve within a flexible, multi-site framework. The Edge – State Library of Queensland (Australia) An Openly Licensed Circular Learning Hub: The Edge is a dedicated digital and creative literacy lab within the State Library of Queensland that has become a reference point for circular fashion and craft education. It provides free public access to sewing machines, overlockers, vinyl cutters, and digital fabrication tools in a modular, flexible layout. Crucially, The Edge has developed a full suite of openly licensed (Creative Commons) workshop templates and induction guides—such as its “Tote Bag Induction”—to help participants learn foundational textile skills while using upcycled or low-impact materials. Workshops often incorporate circular practices like repair, reuse, and sustainable material sourcing, and are designed to be easily replicable by educators or community facilitators. Participants are guided through a scaffolded learning journey: from induction to self-led projects to community teaching. The space is a testbed for designing pedagogical resources that connect hands-on craft with systems thinking around sustainability. Relevance to make-a-thek: The Edge provides a clear model for Open Educational Resource (OER) integration within makerspaces, which is directly aligned with WP4’s modular learning components and WP5’s capacity-building goals. Its Creative Commons resources can be reused or adapted for make-a-thek pilots, reducing duplication and speeding up implementation. The Edge also models how state-supported institutions can champion repair and upcycling as public learning practices. Deichman Bjørvika – Oslo Public Library (Norway) Repair and Circularity as Civic Culture: Deichman Bjørvika is Oslo’s flagship public library, and its in-house makerspace plays a visible and symbolic role in promoting circular thinking. The textile repair and upcycling corner is integrated into the library’s atrium—intentionally placed in public view to normalize sustainable practices and draw in a diverse audience. Events such as repair cafés, co-creation workshops, and storytelling sessions blend creative craft with civic education. The library positions circular fashion and craft not only as practical skills, but also as narratives of belonging, care, and cultural identity. Its makerspace serves as a meeting point for communities to learn mending, adapt clothing, and discuss sustainability in accessible, non-commercial language. The space is supported by both volunteers and library staff, and regularly collaborates with local designers and NGOs. Relevance to make-a-thek: Deichman shows how spatial visibility and cultural framing can elevate circular making beyond utility into public discourse. Its placement strategy, use of co-creative formats, and integration into broader exhibition and event programming offer valuable design cues for make-a-thek 19 pilots in civic or educational settings. This model aligns closely with WP3–WP5 ambitions to build inclusive circular culture across community touchpoints. Stadsbiblioteket Malmö Makerspace (Sweden) Grassroots Repair Embedded in a Public Library: The Malmö City Library’s makerspace integrates textile upcycling and creative repair directly into its children’s and community zones, creating a vibrant, inclusive environment where sustainability feels familiar and fun. Participants can access sewing machines and materials through free sign-ups, with library staff and volunteers guiding workshops on circular textiles, visible mending, and DIY fashion projects. What distinguishes Malmö’s approach is its emphasis on social inclusion. The makerspace attracts youth, elderly, newcomers, and families alike—bridging generations and cultures through craft. Programming is adapted to the needs of diverse audiences, often pairing creative reuse with storytelling, digital literacy, or language learning. Relevance to make-a-thek: Malmö offers a powerful example of how grassroots repair and inclusive education can be woven into public space with minimal cost and high social return. Its inclusive design and facilitation strategies are adaptable to other library or community environments, making it a strong model for make-a-thek’s hybrid modular deployments. The space exemplifies how repair culture and circular craft can act as engines for community building, not just sustainability. Dipdii Textiles (Bangladesh) Rural Regeneration through Upcycled Heritage Fashion: Dipdii Textiles reimagines garment production in rural Bangladesh by transforming used saris and lungis into new textile designs rooted in cultural heritage and circularity. Developed through collaboration between local tailors, village women, and design researchers, Dipdii operates as a decentralized micro-network of home-based makers. Its signature products—kantha-stitched garments—carry layered histories while embracing zero-waste values. The initiative prioritizes open learning: skilled tailors mentor peers, and designs are exhibited and shared as replicable alternatives to export-led fashion. By embedding circularity into rural livelihoods and valuing craft as innovation, Dipdii challenges the idea that sustainable design is exclusive to high-tech labs or urban centers. Relevance to make-a-thek: Dipdii demonstrates how low-tech, distributed making models can activate circular fashion economies anywhere. Its open mentoring, decentralized setup, and emphasis on local knowledge transfer strongly inform make-a-theks participatory training frameworks—particularly for under-resourced or rural contexts. 20 Image 04: Determined to challenge the systems that perpetuate and reinforce waste colonialism, Accra’s next generation of young designers are turning waste to wealth - Source: Futures Fashion Lab. No More Fast Fashion Lab – Kantamanto Market (Ghana) Grassroots Circularity in the Shadow of Global Waste: The No More Fast Fashion Lab, embedded in Accra’s Kantamanto Market and facilitated by the OR Foundation, exemplifies bottom-up circular practice in response to fashion’s global waste crisis. Kantamanto is one of the world’s largest secondhand clothing economies, receiving over 15 million discarded garments weekly from the Global North. Within this deluge, the Lab and its surrounding community of tailors, upcyclers, and traders have pioneered adaptive reuse, garment transformation, and rapid repair methods—creating a CE grounded in necessity, not luxury. Through participatory design sessions, micro-apprenticeships, and open storytelling formats, the Lab works to uplift Kantamanto’s existing culture of reuse as a form of innovation, dignity, and resistance. Upcycled garments become vehicles for both expression and survival, while the Lab’s Creative Commons materials—including zero-waste pattern techniques and CE zines—support broader public understanding. Their work critically expands the definition of sustainable fashion to include informal systems, migrant labor, and repair as knowledge. Relevance to make-a-thek: The No More Fast Fashion Lab offers vital insight into repair culture as civic infrastructure. Its peer-learning methods, cultural storytelling, and justice-framed circularity strongly align with make-a-thek’s values. The Lab reminds us that the future of circular craft lies not only in technology but in revaluing care, community, and local ingenuity. ReCommerce Atacama – Atacama Desert (Chile) Turning the Atacama Desert’s fashion dump into a global platform for circular reuse and climate justice: ReCommerce Atacama is a grassroots Chilean initiative tackling one of the fashion industry’s largest waste sites. In Chile’s northern 21 Atacama Desert, tens of thousands of tons of discarded garments accumulate annually. Civil engineer Bastián Barria and NGO Desierto Vestido began venturing into the dunes to retrieve these piles – many pieces still in perfect condition. They launched an online ReCommerce shop where rescued clothes are offered at zero cost (buyers pay only shipping)–effectively recruiting global consumers to fund the desert cleanup. In effect, ReCommerce Atacama shows how circular fashion can double as climate activism. It literally cleans one of the world’s largest textile dumps (around 39,000 tonnes of fast-fashion waste a year) while teaching consumers to rethink consumption. By transforming waste into a shared story, the project offers a model of community-centered craft innovation – a playful, people-powered solution that turns industrial trash into collective learning and action. Relevance to make-a-thek: ReCommerce Atacama exemplifies many of make-a-thek’s core values. Its “rescue, don’t buy” ethos cultivates a global repair-culture for fashion, engaging grassroots creativity and local agency. By involving communities worldwide in reusing discarded textiles and sharing their stories, it fosters peer learning and collective problem-solving. This blend of hands-on reuse, social justice framing, and creative collaboration aligns directly with make-a-thek’s mission of empowering local innovation and community-centered sustainability. These cases were selected to reflect the geographic, infrastructural, and cultural diversity of circular fashion and craft ecosystems. The No More Fast Fashion Lab in Ghana was included as a powerful example of grassroots circularity under extreme conditions of global waste injustice. Embedded in Accra’s Kantamanto Market—a key node in the global secondhand clothing trade—it showcases how informal economies and local ingenuity can create viable circular systems rooted in repair, reuse, and survival. In contrast, cases like Octavia Lab in Los Angeles or The Edge in Brisbane highlight institutional models for accessible maker education, while projects such as Dipdii Textiles in rural Bangladesh or ReCommerce Atacama in Chile demonstrate how heritage, storytelling, and climate justice can converge in community-driven innovation. Together, these examples span high-tech labs, public libraries, and marginalized regions, forming a rich spectrum of models that inform make-a-thek’s vision for inclusive, modular, and replicable circular spaces. 2.3. Insights from the Mapping on Open Tools for Circular Fashion and Craft The catalogue of 386 open resources collected by make-a-thek demonstrates the wealth of available resources. However, the community feedback revealed several underrepresented areas and challenges for different stakeholders to use and adapt existing open resources. One major gap identified is the lack of inclusion of traditional, non-digital craft knowledge, such as techniques passed on by master artisans, which often remains undocumented or inaccessible. There is a need to translate this tacit expertise into open tutorials or collaborative repositories, bridging the divide between analog knowledge and digital platforms. Another 22 critical gap is the lack of open-source tools for textile recycling. While there are promising resources—such as DIY dye guides and small-scale yarn recycling devices—there is currently no textile-focused counterpart to the scale and global community of Precious Plastic (PP). PP has demonstrated the power of open hardware and distributed networks in tackling plastic waste, mobilizing thousands of makers to recycle tons of material annually. A similar movement in textiles is urgently needed. Developing and scaling open-source machines for fabric shredding, fibre regeneration, and local reuse would meaningfully expand the uptake of DIY open technology for circular fashion and craft. From a user perspective, the challenge lies not only in accessing individual tools but in connecting them into cohesive workflows. For example, downloading a zero-waste pattern and using an open loom are both possible—but there is often no guidance on how to combine these steps. Integrated pilots or “starter kits” could help bridge this gap by showcasing pathways from idea to finished product using open tools. Stakeholder interviews suggest that open tools hold great transformative potential, provided barriers to awareness, usability, and support are addressed. For fashion designers, open platforms like Seamly or the Zero Waste Pattern Library offer affordable entry points to custom, sustainable design. Makers benefit from thousands of free knitting patterns (e.g., Ravelry), or DIY looms and sewing hacks that lower costs and support skill-building. Libraries can use the tools to power sewing corners, co-create new programs like re-dyeing workshops or clothing swaps and host community events, a crucial action since people tend to better learn skills when together with peers in a 'safe' workshop environment. The convergence of crafts and open technology is still in a formative stage, but it shows a promising trajectory guided by early adoption and prototyping more than mass implementation, in which pilots such as a handful of libraries or FabLabs host open weaving looms, and niche designers use open patterns prove the concept. Here, make-a-thek's EU pilots offer opportunities for more mass orientated implementation based on a higher pressure from local needs and challenges. As a consequence, as more success stories emerge (a library makerspace that upcycles hundreds of garments, a craft SME that boosts income by selling digital fabrication craft kits, etc.), confidence in these innovations will grow. Educational content can be directly reused or adapted to power modular learning stations, workshops, and peer-to-peer training within pilot makerspaces. 23 They also reinforce the project’s aim to foster an inclusive, practical, and replicable infrastructure for craft education rooted in open knowledge. The consortium’s contributions highlight that a multifaceted effort is underway: Labs like Fablab Barcelona and OpenDot provide technical backbone, Fashion Revolution mobilizes communities and awareness, and ECA, GIG and Fab City-type networks work on integrating community, policy and infrastructure. The next steps likely involve scaling up what works (for instance, distributing open hardware kits or creating regional centers of excellence for craft-tech training) and continuing to break down silos between disciplines. If barriers can be mitigated–through funding, education, and sustained community support–the implementation of open-source fashion/craft technologies could spread rapidly, driving a more distributed and sustainable production model. The research findings here map the groundwork for that vision, identifying both the innovations making it possible and the work needed to make it practical at a larger scale. Furthermore, uptake remains limited due to lack of awareness, discoverability and confidence. Many artisans simply don’t know these tools exist. Others may be daunted by open-source software or digital fabrication methods without hands-on guidance. Evidence from this report shows that support networks—like local workshops, maker mentors, or integrated learning modules—dramatically improve adoption. Public libraries are ideally positioned to meet this need. By acting as accessible hubs, they can host introductory sessions, house shared equipment, and connect novices with expert makers. Examples like the Oswestry Library project demonstrate how libraries can bridge access, community engagement, and sustainability. Strategic investment in staff training, partnerships with maker organisations, and curated open-source collections would help further integrate circular design into library programming. Insights from policy and cooperation indicate that while frameworks like the proposed EU Circular Economy Act and the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles create valuable momentum, implementation at the local level remains uneven. The findings highlight that libraries, schools, and makerspaces often lack the capacity and coordination to embed open tools into everyday practice. Strategic partnerships with initiatives such as Fashion for Good, Circle Economy, and the Dutch Denim Deal offer a path forward, enabling shared infrastructure, knowledge exchange, and scalable models for collaborative adoption. In sum, the make-a-thek mapping is more than a repository, it is a foundation for building participatory, circular systems through craft, making and fashion through collaboration within the community. 24 3.1.6. KRANJ - SLOVENIA The Kranj community activation took place as a collaborative session organized by the City Library Kranj and supported by Carnica Institute and the Centre for Creativity. It hosted 21 attendees from Kranj and Ljubljana, including fashion designers, textile artists, makers, librarians, educators, and representatives from the creative industries. The session built upon the creation of a new makerspace in the Kranj City Library that should be opened in 2026. What is still lacking? Participants identified several gaps that hinder the scaling of circular fashion and craft in Slovenia. Sustainability as a “new concept” is viewed critically, as historically people lived in a more circular way than what is currently the norm in Europe. Further, there is a lack of dedicated infrastructure for circular textiles. While creative reuse is popular, the knowledge and resources to carry it out effectively remain fragmented. Participants noted that traditional crafts are often disconnected from digital tools and that rural communities may be underserved by current offerings. Furthermore, although libraries are increasingly open to hosting makerspaces, they lack resources for tools, machines and materials and staff capacity with expertise in circular design or textile practice. How can libraries help to involve people in CE textile/maker projects? Libraries are considered ideal anchors for community-based circular making initiatives, provided they receive appropriate support. Participants suggested that libraries could offer physical and digital pattern libraries, e.g. digitizing and publishing the existing national archives, organize repair and upcycling workshops, and foster intergenerational skill exchange, particularly as traditional craft knowledge is at risk of being lost, like working with hemp, horse hair and traditional patterns. It was recommended that the new library makerspace should start with building the community first before buying machines, partnering with local initiatives, highlighting participant stories in their social media, offering regular open days, workshops and programmes and creating a material bank supported by local companies. Expanding the library’s role to include facilitation, tool access, and resource circularity, especially for textiles, could democratize sustainable craft practices and establish Kranj as a circular textile innovation hub in the region. Image 10: Community Activation in Kranj 31 3.1.7. KYIV - UKRAINE The Kyiv community activation was held at the H. Skovoroda Central District Library. The event brought together 32 participants, including librarians, makers, artisans, and members of the local community already engaged with the library. This diverse gathering facilitated a rich exchange of ideas. Many attendees expressed surprise at the library’s existing programs and excitement about opportunities to shape its future direction. One maker remarked, “I didn’t know there was such an active community in the library. I’m happy to join and help people with my knowledge and skills.” Participants collaboratively imagined how the library space could be developed to support circular fashion and craft, brainstorming tools, activities, and potential partnerships. The international scope of the project also created enthusiasm and a sense of ownership. What is still lacking? There is currently no established network connecting libraries, makerspaces, sustainability practitioners, and design educators into a unified platform for circular economy innovation. Public understanding of the library’s evolving role as a civic maker hub is still limited, and awareness of circular fashion principles outside of niche communities remains low. Kyiv lacks a dedicated infrastructure, such as shared tools, repair labs, or open textile libraries, to support sustainable making at scale. In the absence of strategic policy support or city-level coordination, circular initiatives often rely on grassroots efforts without stable funding, formal partnerships, or institutional reinforcement. How can libraries help to involve people in CE textile/maker projects? Kyiv’s session showed that the library has strong potential as a space for participatory design and innovation. Libraries can better support CE textile and maker activities by ensuring that sessions are clearly moderated and diverse roles (librarians, artisans, makers) are balanced in group settings. As many attendees were unaware of current offerings, curated presentations and visual project overviews were especially effective. The team plans to conduct follow-up meetings to refine ideas and develop a focused pilot, ensuring community input remains central. Hosting future mixed-media workshops or developing visible installations (e.g. zero-waste textile showcases) may help deepen engagement and diversify participation. Image 11: Community Activation in Kyiv 32 3.1.8. MILAN - ITALY The Milan community activation was hosted at OpenDot, a local hub for digital fabrication and social innovation, and brought together 20 participants including librarians, designers, makers, and fashion practitioners. The event focused on reimagining the library’s role in enabling circular fashion and craft through collaborative tools and community engagement. A key takeaway was the opportunity to strengthen relationships between librarians and citizen makers, who found mutual inspiration in each other’s work. Librarians expressed renewed motivation to transform their institutions into community facilitators and creative hubs, while designers and makers were surprised by the breadth of services libraries already offer. What is still lacking? Despite Milan’s rich creative ecosystem, a number of challenges remain. Participants pointed to structural limitations - such as space constraints, bureaucracy, and a lack of financial and human resources - that make sustained innovation difficult. The absence of a city-wide sharing system of resources, skills, and infrastructure across Milanese libraries was also highlighted. This gap makes it difficult for potential users or partners to know what’s available where, and how to coordinate efforts. In addition, librarians noted a history of being asked to envision new services without effective follow up, leading to skepticism and the need for clear communication around project timelines. How can libraries help to involve people in CE textile/maker projects? Participants suggested libraries could serve as living repositories - not just for books, but for tools, materials, skills, and people. They could form the connective tissue between surplus resources (like discarded fabric from industry) and communities eager to reuse them. Events that enable cross-sector collaboration - such as joint workshops with local designers and librarians - were seen as vital. A long-term schedule of events, better digital coordination, and a repository of shared knowledge were proposed as ways to keep momentum. This session marked an important step in shifting libraries from passive service points to active nodes in a circular making ecosystem. Image 12: Community Activation in Milan 33 3.1.9. OPOLE - POLAND The Opole community activation was held at the Miejska Biblioteka Publiczna (Municipal Public Library). A diverse group of 15 people including craftspeople, designers, sustainability educators, librarians, and representatives from city administration and civil society attended. Participants noted a strong local culture of craftsmanship, particularly in textiles and natural materials, and expressed interest in preserving and adapting these traditions through collaboration with public libraries and educational institutions. What is still lacking? A lack of visibility and coordination between existing initiatives. Makers and sustainability actors often operate in separate spheres, with few formal spaces for collaboration. Stakeholders emphasized the need for continuity, community, and collaboration rather than one-off activities. Representatives from the city administration highlighted the importance of creating a stable community space that enables people to share and return regularly stating that “Workshops make sense only when people attend multiple times and gain transferable skills.” They also expressed the wish for greater citizen engagement “envisioning Reużytkownia as a hub of activity and learning, where people can exchange experiences, repair items, and talk—not just drop off or collect goods”. Libraries are largely perceived as book-lending institutions, their evolving role as active makerspaces or sustainability hubs is not yet widely recognized. Moreover, infrastructural support for textile or craft-focused circular projects is limited, there are few dedicated tools, and well equipped spaces. How can libraries help to involve people in CE textile/maker projects? The session revealed libraries’ potential as connectors between educators, creatives, and sustainability actors. Participants recommended that libraries offer themed programs (e.g., circular textiles, repair culture), partner with local NGOs, and host events that mix creative production with ecological education. The idea of establishing a permanent, flexible maker corner where visitors can sew, repair, or exchange materials, was well received. Libraries could amplify underutilized community assets, such as inviting experienced craftspeople to co-lead intergenerational workshops or using local textile waste streams for creative reuse projects. With clear communication and modest investment, Opole’s libraries could become trusted anchors in a regional circular craft ecosystem. Image 13: Community Activation in Opole 34 3.1.10 REYKJAVIK - ICELAND The Reykjavik community activation took place at Gerduberg Library, located about 40 minutes by bus from the city center. This distance, along with a general perception of Reykjavik being distinct from the rest of Iceland, contributed to a modest turnout—only eight participants attended. The intimate setting allowed for rich, grounded discussions about local needs and opportunities in circular craft and fashion. Participants emphasized the challenge of accessing materials, especially commonly upcycled ones like denim, and voiced a strong desire for a material library. This library would not only house donated textiles but also provide visual guidance and instructions for making clothing without formal patterns, thereby making creative reuse more approachable and intuitive. The free shop model, already active in the library system, was proposed as a possible site for textile collection and redistribution. Since the community activation, local textile artist Emma Shannon has hosted additional workshops at Gerduberg, which have drawn more attendees and helped to build interest. This growing engagement points to the potential for circular making to resonate more deeply if access and visibility improve. Following the first activation at Gerðuberg, Reykjavík’s second make-a-thek session in October invited participants to engage in creative mending—repairing their own garments. What is still lacking? What is still lacking is the accessibility and integration needed to fully support a circular textile and maker culture. Gerduberg’s location on the outskirts of the city poses a logistical barrier, especially for residents without private transport, limiting spontaneous or regular participation. Moreover, Reykjavik lacks a network of dedicated makerspaces focused on circular fashion and craft, and there is little infrastructure connecting existing initiatives into a cohesive system. Another gap identified is the imbalance in resource distribution: while individual crafters often struggle to access donated textiles, the library, when making public appeals, receives such an abundance of books and materials that many go unused or must be discarded. This signals a missed opportunity for redistributing surplus materials effectively to those who need them most. How can libraries help to involve people in CE textile/maker projects? Libraries, however, are well positioned to bridge these gaps and catalyze community 35 engagement. They are trusted, accessible institutions capable of collecting and redistributing resources at scale. Participants discussed how a mobile unit could be developed to bring tools, materials, and workshops to other libraries and community spaces across the city. This mobile resource could facilitate cloth swaps, on-the-go sewing or upcycling sessions, and provide decentralized access to donated materials. The idea of libraries hosting intuitive, pattern-free making workshops also emerged as a promising way to lower the entry barrier for those with limited formal training in craft or design. The workshops Emma Shannon has begun leading at Gerduberg demonstrate the appetite for such programming and its potential to grow. Further, the contrast between how readily libraries receive material donations and how little crafters receive when requesting them directly suggests that libraries could act as powerful intermediaries, collecting materials and ensuring they are shared equitably. With these kinds of innovations, Reykjavik’s libraries could evolve into dynamic community anchors for circular fashion and craft. Image 14: Community Activation in Reykjavik 3.1.11 ZAPORIZHZHIA - UKRAINE The Zaporizhzhia community activation took place at the Municipal Institution 'City Public Library System of Zaporizhzhia'. The session convened 17 librarians, local library users, graduates and current students from sewing courses, designers, and makers. The event was marked by enthusiastic community participation and informal networking. One designer said, “I live in the neighborhood, but I haven’t visited [the library] for many years. Now I know it’s an extraordinary space with a great community.” Group discussions emphasized how the existing library space could evolve into a more vibrant creative hub that reflects the community’s diverse needs and aspirations. What is still lacking? Zaporizhzhia has a well-functioning integrated library system that maintains strong connections with the city administration and cooperates effectively with other community cultural centers. However, there is almost no network that connects libraries with local makers and sustainability practitioners, meaning these two communities rarely intersect. Additionally, although there are already initiatives in Zaporizhzhia related to fashion and textiles, they do not yet incorporate the principles of circular fashion or sustainable development. Similar 36 to Kyiv, the city also lacks dedicated infrastructure—such as shared tools, repair labs, or open textile libraries—to support sustainable making at scale. How can libraries help to involve people in CE textile/maker projects? Libraries can play a central role by acting as connectors between sewing course graduates, everyday users, and professional creatives. Facilitating regular meetings, perhaps via a local online group, would help sustain engagement. Libraries could also benefit from tailored outreach strategies to attract underrepresented maker groups, ensuring materials and invitations clearly communicate the benefits of involvement. Importantly, this activation confirmed that libraries are trusted gathering places where residents feel empowered to contribute ideas—an essential foundation for building circular craft infrastructure. Image 15: Community Activation in Zaporizhzhia Across the eleven pilot cities, make-a-thek’s community activations affirmed the transformative potential of libraries as circular craft hubs when rooted in local ecosystems and empowered through collaboration. Despite diverse cultural, geographic, and infrastructural contexts, common themes emerged: the need for shared tools, intergenerational skill exchange, inclusive programming, and stronger coordination between makers, educators, and public institutions. Libraries were widely seen as trusted, underutilized platforms for fostering sustainable fashion and circular textile practices. By resourcing libraries with appropriate equipment, training, and partnerships, they can evolve into accessible spaces for experimentation, learning, and community resilience—helping to bridge the gap between heritage craft, digital tools, and circular innovation. Elevating the role of libraries is however a challenge when public funding is scarce and capacities are limited. This underscores the necessity to create ecosystems with existing makerspaces and maker initiatives to create sustainable infrastructures and services. The resources and good practice collaboration examples identified in the desktop research can help inform make-a-thek pilot libraries in this context. 37 3.2. Online Community Activations The online dimension of make-a-thek connects practitioners, designers, crafters, makers and libraries through virtual exchanges, linking global dialogue to local impact, complementing the local activations by enabling cross-cultural collaboration, shared learning, and distributed co-creation. The community calls are open learning spaces, and strengthen make-a-thek as a globally connected yet locally grounded model for circular innovation. The first community call involved presenting the project to the GIG network to involve the members and gain interest and insight. The following six community calls focussed on topics embracing cultural sustainability, heritage design and skills, maker technologies, inclusion and circularity. In total, the calls brought together more than 150 global participants. 3.2.1. Circular Adaptive and Inclusive Design and Fashion The first make-a-thek community call focused on the intersections of inclusive fashion, assistive technology, and circular design. The event featured Sema Gedik (Germany), founder of Auf Augenhöhe, and Saad Chinoy (Singapore), co-founder of SalvageGarden and Edible Makerspace. Gedik presented her work developing an adaptive sizing system for people of short stature and consulting fashion companies on inclusive and sustainable design. Chinoy showcased the SalvageGarden initiative, a volunteer-run makerspace within a public library that co-creates assistive devices through open-source and low-cost digital fabrication. The call offered perspectives on social inclusion and environmental sustainability, highlighting how co-creation processes—rooted in user participation, localized fabrication, and digital tools—can simultaneously enhance accessibility and reduce waste. Both presentations underscored how user-centered design and community engagement can foster sustainable systems of production and repair, aligning inclusivity with circularity. Further, it sparked future actions, such as open source garment pattern repositories, co-design manuals for inclusive fashion adaptation, and knowledge-sharing initiatives around assistive device fabrication. By engaging all stakeholders in co-creation, makerspaces can ensure garments are designed for diverse bodies from the outset, while using open-source tools for body measurement, clothing alteration, and digital fabrication further democratizes access to inclusive fashion. Libraries and community centers can be accessible fabrication hubs, supporting low-cost, modular interventions blending craft, technology, and sustainability. Take-away: make-a-thek can leverage insights from this call to build modular and scalable spaces fostering circular innovation through community engagement. Inclusion and circularity are mutually reinforcing, and interdisciplinary collaboration between designers, technologists, and citizens can operationalize sustainable, community-driven innovation across European libraries and makerspaces. 38 3.2.2. Reimagine Local Textiles Storytelling, Circularity, and Community Textiles This make-a-thek online activation, hosted by Fab Lab Barcelona, explored how storytelling can become a catalyst for reconnecting with local textiles and driving sustainable transformation. The session engaged designers, researchers, and community members in a hands-on, speculative design process centered on personal textile narratives. Using creative prompts and an “ID card” method, participants reflected on the origins, meanings, and potential futures of a textile object they brought to the session. A key tool was the “Fundstück Bag” pattern—a circular design concept that transforms found or repurposed materials into functional objects, blending reuse with self-expression. Through collaborative drawing and guided storytelling, participants were invited to visualize repair, adaptation, and reuse as generative acts, rather than loss or damage control. Participants expressed strong interest in using digital zines and comics to share textile stories, and one participant offered her community space for a follow-up workshop. Take-away: The Barcelona workshop demonstrated the value of combining circular design and storytelling as a participatory method. make-a-thek can adapt narrative-driven toolkits (e.g. repair storytelling, zine-making, textile ID cards) to engage citizens emotionally and practically in textile reuse, while libraries and makerspaces can act as safe and creative spaces for hosting these reflective, low-barrier entry points into circular craft. Image 16: Online activation hosted by FabLab Barcelona 3.2.3. Circular Design for Heritage Crafts The community call co-organized by GIG and the ECA, explored the intersections between craft heritage, sustainability, and social resilience, bringing together Salih 39 Mahmod, former Innovation Hub manager in Iraq, and Natalia Viter, a journalist and potter from Ukraine. Mahmoud presented on traditional architecture and crafts in Mosul, highlighting how local artisans and recycled materials are being used to reconstruct war-damaged heritage sites. Viter shared her experience in establishing Potter Water Studio near Kyiv, where pottery and art therapy practices support mental health and cultural recovery amidst the ongoing conflict. The call underscored how heritage-based crafts and design practices are powerful tools for both environmental and psychological regeneration, linking material circularity with cultural, emotional, and ecological sustainability. These practices foster community identity, intergenerational learning, and post-conflict healing, reinforcing a sense of agency and collective memory. Participants emphasized that crafts enable environmental regeneration—through creative reuse of materials and sustainable building techniques—and contribute to social resilience and cultural continuity, highlighting the urgent need to document and transmit endangered craft knowledge, integrating digital tools such as virtual reality (VR), 3D modeling, and open repositories of traditional techniques. By combining traditional craftsmanship with digital fabrication tools, makerspaces can bridge past and future—fostering sustainability, cultural continuity, and innovation. Take-away: Key recommendations included promoting vernacular methods and hosting intergenerational workshops to preserve and transmit artisanal knowledge. Community makerspaces can connect cultural heritage with modern sustainable challenges, where cultural preservation and technological advancement coexist, ultimately strengthening local economies and social resilience. Circularity in fashion and craft should encompass the circularity of knowledge and culture, beyond that of materials. Circular design is inherently social: it depends on preserving and transmitting know-how, narratives, and community identity through making. Integrating heritage crafts into modern production systems thus contributes to resource efficiency, cultural cohesion and wellbeing. 3.2.4. Stories in Fabric: Crafting Futures with Motifs and Biomaterials The session brought together Oamar Abdaleimmar (Egypt), co-founder of Chagara Textiles, and Rafael Calado (Spain), founder of Biolab Lisbon (Portugal). The speakers discussed how traditional craft practices and biomaterial innovation can jointly advance the transition towards circular and regenerative design. Abdaleimmar presented her architectural and artistic approach to block printing and natural dyeing, emphasizing how motifs and textiles serve as vessels for cultural memory and emotional expression. Calado, in turn, introduced the concept of community-based biolabs and repair cafés as environments for experimenting with sustainable materials derived from algae, bacteria, and plant residues across art, design, and environmental science. The discussion generated insights emphasizing that circularity must encompass cultural and affective dimensions alongside technical and environmental considerations. Heritage crafts and emerging biotechnologies share common ground in material storytelling, ecological 40 Heritage and crafts traditions are often not integrated into existing Maker Education Tailor outreach and training to show value of heritage and crafts on textile to maker contexts and build confidence through peer examples Libraries lack staff expertise in maker practices Develop a “skills and competencies compass” for librarians and makers to guide training in digital fabrication, craft-tech hybrid practices, and circular methods, and connect local makerspaces to jointly activities Networks Tools and resources are disconnected; no clear workflows Pilot integrated making journeys (e.g. from fiber recycling to pattern cutting to dyeing) that use multiple open tools and demonstrate how they work together Communities lack connection across disciplines Support cross-sector events—e.g. hackathons, meet-the-maker nights, repair cafés—that bring fashion, craft, tech, and sustainability groups together Unconnected worldwide networks of sustainable textile & crafts producers Foster global collaboration providing multi-language knowledge exchange modules featuring repair cultures and distributed production practices from the Global South Policy Public institutions underinvest in open craft infrastructure Advocate for libraries and cultural centers to be funded as part of national circular economy strategies (e.g. as reuse/repair/education hubs) Fashion and craft not well integrated in sustainability agendas Encourage EU/national policy frameworks (e.g. NEB, Green Deal) to explicitly include fashion and crafts within circular and regenerative innovation efforts Lack of meaningful KPIs on open craft innovation for the circular economy Build evidence and KPIs to demonstrate the social, economic, and ecological impact of open craft ecosystems 4.2. Key Take Aways for Stakeholders and Target Groups The make-a-thek project engages four key stakeholder groups—makerspaces and makers, libraries, fashion and craft practitioners, and policy makers—because together they form the ecosystem required to embed circular innovation in everyday cultural practice. Makerspaces and makers are catalysts for experimentation and open technological development; libraries serve as accessible civic infrastructures that 47 democratize access to tools, knowledge, and learning. Fashion and craft practitioners bring material expertise, cultural heritage, and creative entrepreneurship that connect sustainability to lived practice, while policy makers provide the enabling frameworks and resources needed to institutionalize these innovations. How to use the data we collected and learn from the insights collected: The research conducted and the collected data maps a wide array of open-source resources available to promote circular fashion and craft, including open design tools, freely shared patterns, how-to guides, and community platforms. These resources enable different actors to engage: designers can utilize open patterns and tools to innovate sustainably, crafters can learn and contribute in global communities, and libraries can adopt makerspace models to serve as circular economy hubs. make–a-thek aims for the collected data to be utilized by different stakeholders. All data is publicly available in different formats including the actual database in the form of an online document. Image 17: How to use the collected data ● We hope makerspaces can learn from the collaboration examples with libraries, fashion and crafters, learn from the open resources and adapt these into their portfolios (see Sections 2.2.1 and 2.2.3, for examples such as the Circular Knitic, HILO Spinner, Octavia Lab and Deichman Bjørvika) 48 ● We hope libraries will also be inspired by the different collaboration examples (see Section 2.2.3) and be able to choose tools, hardware, projects etc. from the open resource mapping (see Section 2.3) for their make-a-thek pilots. ● We hope that fashion and craft people too can use the data and adapt relevant tools, techniques and knowledge into their work, such as innovative production mechanisms, material sources or open patterns. (see Sections 2.1 and 2.2.2, and the open-resource database referenced in Section 2.3). ● We hope policy makers can learn from the different community and target group needs and insights into demands for third places derived from these. (see Sections 3.1 and 3.2.) Different recommendations emerge from the research conducted by this paper for the different target groups involved in make-a-thek. The following summarizes the learning for the different target groups. make-a-thek aims to support all target groups in the update of these recommendations during the further course of the project. For Fashion and Craft Practitioners ● Embrace open knowledge exchange: Inspired by existing ecosystem collaborations like the Denim Deal, craftspeople and designers should be encouraged to consider postand pre-competitive collaboration opportunities and where they can afford to open up their processes for instance through publishing patterns, material recipes, and process videos under open licenses. This democratizes access, fosters recognition, and ensures endangered skills become part of shared cultural infrastructure. (2.1, 2.3) ● Combine traditional techniques with digital augmentation: The research highlights “augmented crafts” as a future skill set. Practitioners should explore how CAD, 3D printing, or laser cutting can extend—rather than replace—manual expertise, enabling precision prototyping and repair at micro scale. (2.1 & 2.2.2) ● Form local cooperatives and alliances with makerspaces: Collaboration reduces equipment costs and expands visibility. Shared residencies or cooperative studios within library makerspaces can provide access to tools while contributing professional mentorship to citizen makers. (2.3) ● Experiment with new circular business models: Inspired by the VORN’s urban micro factory and other shared on demand production facilities as well as rental wardrobe concepts, artisans should test services such as on-demand customization, repair subscriptions, or digital design licensing, linking craftsmanship to sustainable income. (2.2.2, 2.2.3) ● Engage in community teaching and advocacy: Craftspeople are trusted cultural mediators. By leading intergenerational workshops and public demos, they help translate circular values into tangible practices and anchor sustainability within local identity. (3.1) 49 For Makerspaces and Makers ● Adopt hybrid analog–digital infrastructures: Makerspaces should evolve beyond high-tech fabrication to integrate textile-specific and low-tech craft tools (looms, sewing, re-dyeing, repair stations). The combination of digital precision (e.g. laser cutting, 3D patterning) and tactile making enables genuinely circular production cycles—from repair to redesign to material innovation. (2.2.1) ● Curate open-source toolchains for circular workflows: Mapping showed that makers often struggle to link open tools into coherent production chains. Makerspaces should develop and share tested “starter kits” that combine open software (Seamly, Zero-Waste Pattern Library) with open hardware (Circular Knitic, HILO Spinner, Precious Textiles-type recycling rigs) and publish them under Open Licenses (e.g. Creative Commons, GPL, TAPR OHL) for replication. (2.3) ● Institutionalize peer learning and mentorship: Community activations confirmed that peer-to-peer learning accelerates adoption far more than formal training. Makerspaces should establish micro-apprenticeships, open mentoring sessions, and rotating residencies pairing digital makers with traditional artisans to preserve tacit knowledge while transferring technical skills. (3.1) ● Prototype distributed circular production: Inspired by Dipdii Textiles and the Kantamanto Social Club, makerspaces can test small-batch, place-based manufacturing using local waste streams. Creating open documentation of these experiments—including material inputs, economic models, and social metrics—will help demonstrate viable pathways for decentralized fashion and craft economies. (2.2.3 and 2.3) ● Measure and communicate impact: To sustain funding, makers need simple metrics connecting craft-tech innovation to environmental and social outcomes (e.g. kilos of textile diverted from waste, number of repaired garments, community engagement hours). Developing shared dashboards or open data templates would strengthen visibility and policy relevance. (2.3) For Libraries ● Position libraries as civic labs for circular practice. Libraries should embrace making as part of their public-service mission—offering repair cafés, upcycling workshops, and material libraries alongside book lending. Visible placement of maker zones (as in Oslo at Deichman) normalizes circularity as everyday civic culture. (2.2.3) ● Develop modular makerspace formats. Building on The Edge (Queensland) and ideaLAB (Denver), libraries can implement scalable modules: Textile Corner, Repair Station, Bio-Corner, etc. Each module combines physical tools, open curricula, and local partnerships, allowing gradual implementation based on resources and demand. (2.2.3) ● Invest in staff upskilling and training-of-trainers (ToT). Librarians need confidence in facilitation, digital fabrication, and sustainability literacy. The project’s forthcoming ToT should embed blended learning—hands-on 50 practice, online peer groups, and open handbooks, so that librarians become facilitators of circular innovation rather than equipment custodians. (3.2) ● Establish material circulation systems. Libraries can repurpose their logistical expertise to manage flows of donated textiles and craft materials. Creating local “material commons”—with cataloguing, borrowing, and redistribution protocols—turns waste into community assets. (2.3 and 3) ● Integrate evaluation and storytelling. Continuous documentation (photos, repair logs, user stories) should feed into both impact assessment and community narrative both on-and offline. Framing circularity through relatable stories of care, heritage, and creativity strengthens public engagement beyond environmental rhetoric. (Annex 3) For Policy Makers and Funding Bodies ● Recognize libraries and makerspaces as essential public infrastructure for the circular economy. Include libraries in urban sustainability strategies, with dedicated budget lines for equipment, facilitation, and open-source knowledge production. For instance, during the Berlin community activation it became apparent that there are many resources, spaces, services and facilities for reuse and repair but not all of them are widely known or adapted because of the city's size, lack of central information systems and lack of coordination between city-district governments. (2.1) ● Support hybrid education and accreditation pathways. Policies should enable micro-credentialing for circular craft and maker skills—recognizing informal learning gained through library programs or community labs within vocational and lifelong-learning frameworks. (2.3 and 3.) ● Invest in open-source technology development and maintenance. Public R&D grants can ensure that critical open hardware (e.g. textile recycling machines) and software tools remain maintained, localized, and accessible, avoiding dependence on proprietary systems. Sustained support for collaborative, community-based development will help scale innovations like PP into textile-focused equivalents, expanding the circular toolkit available to makers and educators. (2.3.) ● Create incentives for cross-sector collaboration. Introduce small innovation vouchers or match-funding schemes for partnerships between libraries, SMEs, and craft collectives, fostering experimentation without high administrative burden. (2.3) ● Embed cultural and social metrics into circular-economy policies. Beyond material recovery rates, evaluate how circular initiatives strengthen community cohesion, cultural heritage, and inclusion—aligning with the New European Bauhaus principles of beauty, sustainability, and togetherness. (2.1.) 5. Conclusion and Next Steps This deliverable 3.1. has mapped the intersections between makerspaces, circular fashion, and craft, demonstrating that the convergence of heritage skills, digital 51 fabrication, and public learning infrastructures can drive a systemic shift toward sustainable production and consumption. The research and community activations underline that circularity is not only a technical challenge but a cultural and social transformation, requiring new modes of collaboration, access, and shared responsibility. Open-source technologies are lowering the barriers for innovation in fashion and craft, from hardware like open looms and knitting machines to digital platforms for sharing patterns and code. These tools enable a hybrid approach – merging digital fabrication with traditional making–that can democratize production and encourage circular design. However, barriers like lack of accessibility, training, and skills persist, but can be addressed through targeted support, such as targeted open education resources, meaningful connections between libraries and makerspaces, and policy incentives for open innovation. With the right support, open and digital innovations could be scaled up, embedding circular practices and craft heritage into the future of fashion production in an inclusive way. The findings establish a clear foundation for the upcoming work packages. WP4 will translate the insights into modular makerspace designs and open hardware configurations suitable for libraries and community hubs. WP5 will build on the identified training needs to develop capacity-building materials, toolkits, and train-the-trainer programmes that empower librarians, makers, and craftspeople as facilitators of circular learning. WP6 will extend these efforts into community engagement, evaluation, and dissemination, ensuring that the knowledge created is open, replicable, and adaptable across European contexts. As make-a-thek progresses, the project will move from mapping and activation to implementation and scaling, testing how distributed, locally embedded makerspaces can anchor circular innovation in everyday life. The next phase will thus not only refine tools and curricula but also model new forms of collaboration between culture, technology, and policy—turning the insights of this deliverable into tangible infrastructures for a creative, inclusive, and circular Europe. 52 ANNEX 1 Bibliography # Author / Source Year Title Type Relevance / Notes 1 European Commission 2022 EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles Policy Doc Core EU framework for textile transition 2 European Commission 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan Policy Doc Green Deal pillar for product lifecycles 3 European Parliament 2025 Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) Policy / Legal Foundation for Digital Product Passport 4 European Commission 2025 Waste Framework Directive (Revised) Policy Doc Introduces EPR for textiles 5 European Environment Agency 2023 Management of Used and Waste Textiles in Europe Policy / Data Baseline for EU textile flows 6 Global Fashion Agenda 2024 EU Policy Matrix for Fashion Policy Overview Tracks pending and adopted textile policies 7 Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2022 Circular Economy for Fashion Global Framework Design principles and pilot programs 8 SCIRT Consortium 2022 Vision and Roadmap towards a Circular Fashion System EU Project / Research Transition roadmap 9 Metabolic / CIC 2023 Circular Innovation Collective EU Project Municipal best practice 10 FashionSEED S Consortium 2023 Education for Sustainable Fashion EU Project Pedagogical framework 11 CRAFT-IT4SD Project 2022 Craft Innovation for Sustainable Development EU Project Technology and SDG craft pilots 53 12 ETF – European Training Foundation 2022 Crafting the Future: Five² Report Research / Skills Vocational skills in craft transition 13 Sustainabilit y Journal (MDPI) 2021 Circular Design Competencies Study Academic Competence framework 14 Community Canvas 2019 Community Canvas Guide Tool / Framework Structure for community building 15 DDC (Danish Design Center) 2021 Circular Value Chain Tool Design Tool Visual value chain mapping 16 Textielhub Amsterdam 2022 Open Textile Lab & Material Research Platform Lab Case Circular materials 17 Fabricademy / Fab Labs 2023 Textile and Biomaterial Academy Network / Education Smart textile training 18 CraftAtlas 2021 CraftAtlas Database Cultural Mapping Global craft data resource 19 New Industrial Order 2022 Local Manufacturing Platform Network / Startup Urban production models 20 NetFas Network 2021 NETFAS EU Textile Network EU Network Cross-sector innovation 21 Distributed Design Platform 2023 Distributed Design Platform Europe EU Network Creative exchange 22 European Spaces of Culture 2021 European Spaces of Culture Programme Cultural Network Transnational collaboration 23 LAB25 Singapore 2021 Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025 (LAB25) Policy / Library Strategy Public library innovation 24 Reset the Trend Campaign 2023 Reset the Trend – Sustainable Fashion EU Campaign Outreach Campaign Citizen awareness 54 25 EEB – European Environment al Bureau 2024 Circular Textiles Policy Review Policy Review EU policy analysis 26 Metabolic Institute 2021 Tailored mapping tools for circular regeneration Toolkit Circular ecosystem design 27 Design Council UK 2022 Design for Planet Report Report Sustainable design principles 28 EIT Climate-KIC 2022 Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) EU Programme Regional pilots 29 Fab Lab Barcelona 2021 Open-Source Fabrication Network Lab Exemplar Digital fabrication 30 Malmö Makerspace / STPLN 2024 Malmö Municipal Circular Fashion Programme Lab Exemplar Municipal integration 31 University of the Arts London 2021 Centre for Sustainable Fashion Lab Exemplar Education and practice integration 32 TextielLab Tilburg 2022 Material Reuse and Craft Heritage Lab Lab Case Material innovation 33 ReFab Berlin 2021 Upcycling and Repair Hub Innovation Hub Circular design practice 34 Fab City Foundation 2022 Fab City Hub Toolkit Toolkit Distributed manufacturing framework 35 Makerverse 2023 Online Collaborative Maker Network Platform Digital collaboration 36 Hilo Studios 2022 Circular Fashion Workshops – Berlin Pilot Network Case Mentorship and community activation 37 Adriana Cabrera 2020 Socially Engaged Craft Practice Network Case Hybrid analogue–digital methods 38 mAkE / MakeAfricaE U.org 2023 Maker Passport and Network Outcomes Network Case EU–Africa open hardware exchange 55 39 Open Source Circular Economy Days (OSCE) 2020 OSCE Toolkit Open Toolkit Global circular community 40 Fab Foundation 2021 Fab Academy Syllabus Education Network Digital fabrication training 41 Repair Café Foundation 2023 Repair Café Global Network Communit y Model Citizen repair movement 42 UNESCO / ICCROM 2020 Creative Economy Report Policy / Culture Cultural heritage economy 43 OECD 2022 Global Policy Toolkit on Circular Economy Policy Toolkit Cross-sector implementation 44 United Nations Environment Programme 2021 Global Textile Value Chain Review Global Policy Sustainability baseline 45 United Nations 2023 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Industry Insight Private-sector innovation 46 EIT Raw Materials 2023 Textile Recycling Innovation Challenge Innovation Challenge Circular materials 47 Textile ETP’s Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA) 2024 Strategic Research Agenda for Textiles 2025-27 Research Strategy R&D priorities 48 European Circular Textile Coalition 2024 Coalition Launch Statement Industry Coalition EPR coordination 49 European Environment Agency 2024 Circularity of the EU Textiles Value Chain in Numbers Data Report Quantitative evidence 50 Design Council UK / RSA 2021 Regenerative Design Framework Framework Design thinking and circularity 51 Fablab Lisboa Ongoing Fablab Lisboa Case Study Local repair lab 56 welcoming of participants ● Registration needs to be captured on the provided participants sheet 00:15 Introduction to the project, the host and relevant partners ● Projector/screen and sound equipment required 00:30 Community Introductions ● Round robin for participants to introduce themselves, their community and their interest in the activation session 00:30 Facilitated Q&A related to the topics outlined and capturing key insights and needs of the various community members ● Whiteboard/flipchart and pens required 00:15 Highlighting main insights and closing off the session with next actionable steps ● Photograph/s to capture the group in attendance ● Registration sheet should include a tick box for visibility in the photograph which will be shared on social media 63 ONLINE Community Activation Guidelines make-a-thek creates modular makerspaces in local libraries that promote innovative and sustainable fashion and crafts. These spaces encourage community engagement with local fashion and heritage crafts while co-developing circular fashion solutions. In alignment with the New European Bauhaus (NEB), diverse community representatives will help reflect on restoring and preserving traditional heritage linked to fashion design and production. During May - September, a series of community activation sessions will be supported in the pilot locations as well as online to co-create the make-a-thek vision and implementation journey from the start with a diverse group of community stakeholders participating in the events. These sessions will take the form of meet-ups located in existing makerspaces, or public libraries with makerspaces, fostering a collaborative environment for idea exchange and needs identification. Who to invite? Each co-creation should have a minimum of 20 participants. The target audience includes individuals working in the following segments: ● Circular Economy - makers, manufacturers ● Fashion Design - producers, ● Crafts ● Libraries - librarians and user representatives Format of the meetup Virtual community activation sessions can be hosted online using platforms like Zoom, Teams among others. The session should provide space for presentations to be shared and include interactive polls and Q&A elements as much as possible. What to talk about? Within the mapping sessions, we require implementing partners to facilitate discussions and activities focused on mapping out areas of opportunities in the following areas: ● Data: Identify data requirements for circular design and manufacturing. ● Hardware: Understand the necessary tools and equipment for implementing circular practices. ● Skills: Identify the skill sets and competencies required for librarians, crafts and fashion designers to embrace firstly making and secondly circular innovation, with relation to (i) traditional crafts, design and maker techniques, (ii) innovative technologies, digital fabrication and digital crafts and fashion, including use of data and (iii) circular and regenerative making techniques. ● Involvement: Levels of interest from participants, community segments represented, buy-in elements and engagement topics. ● Networks: Explore the existing and desired networks for collaboration and knowledge exchange. ● Policy Frameworks: Investigate the regulatory and policy landscapes affecting circular practices in crafts and fashion. Feedback Expected: The events will incorporate feedback mechanisms for participants and will share ways on how community members can participate in make-a-thek activities such as hosting workshops, debates, talks or other types of exchanges. All online community activation events need to submit the following after the event: ● Registration sheets (eg. eventbrite) ● Screenshots of the online event ● Recording for social media publishing eg. YouTube project channel 64 ○ Take note that the host must mention that the session will be recorded and used for social media for the project Considerations for Inclusivity ● Accessibility - Ensure the session is accessible to individuals with disabilities by providing accommodations like sign language interpretation or accessible locations. ● Language diversity - Translate materials and provide interpreters if necessary to cater to different language groups. ● Cultural sensitivity - Be mindful of cultural norms and practices to create an inclusive environment. Key Elements of Community Activation Sessions Before the Session: ● Define clear objectives - Clearly state the purpose of the session, including desired outcomes and key questions to be addressed. ● Identify target audience - Understand the demographics and needs of the community members you want to engage. ● Promote participation: Utilize various communication channels to widely advertise the session, including details like date, time, location, and registration information. For online events registration is advised. ● Gather relevant information: Conduct pre-session research to understand existing community issues, concerns, and potential solutions. During the Session: ● Welcome and introductions: Start with a warm welcome, allowing participants to introduce themselves and share their connection to the community. ● Share that the session will be recorded and confirm consent. ● Set ground rules: Establish clear expectations for respectful dialogue, active listening, and open sharing of ideas. Community needs assessment: Facilitate discussions to identify key community challenges and priorities aligned to the mapping topics. ● Idea generation - Encourage participants to brainstorm potential solutions and actions to address identified needs. ● Decision-making - Use consensus building or voting mechanisms to prioritize actions and next steps. ● Action planning - Develop concrete action plans with assigned roles and responsibilities for implementing identified solutions. Post-Session: ● Follow-up communication - Share session summaries, key decisions, and next steps with all participants. ● Action implementation - Monitor progress on action plans and ensure accountability for assigned tasks. ● Evaluation - Gather feedback from participants to assess the effectiveness of the session and identify areas for improvement. ● Documentation Template: Community activation documentation template.docx 65 Sample Agenda (1h) Time Activity Other Information 00:05 Online sign-in of guests and informal welcoming of participants ● A screengrab needs to be captured of the attendees with cameras on for a more engaging visual 00:15 Introduction to the project, the host and relevant partners ● Ensure a strong internet connection and test all microphones, video and screen sharing before the call 00:05 Community Introductions ● Poll or comments collected 00:20 Facilitated Q&A related to the topics outlined and capturing key insights and needs of the various community members ● Using online polls and interactive tools is advised to ensure a vibrant session takes place ● Mentimeter 00:15 Highlighting main insights and closing off the session with next actionable steps ● A screengrab needs to be captured of the attendees with cameras on for a more engaging visual ● Registration sheets should be shared with the project team 66