YEFECE

Youth Entrepreneurship in Furniture Up-Cycling for Employment within Circular Economy

Project Locations

Project Dates

Project Status

ongoing

Project Contact

Author

Lydia Baumgartner

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Youth Entrepreneurship in Furniture Up-Cycling for Employment within Circular Economy

What is YEFECE?

YEFECE project aims to enhance circular economy practices, focusing on furniture waste management in alignment with the Waste Framework Directive. It targets youth workers and youth at risk of social exclusion, empowering them with circular entrepreneurship skills and up-cycling knowledge. Through innovative approaches and partnerships, YEFECE bridges educational and practices gaps in circular economy, fostering social inclusion while addressing environmental issues

Objectives

1. Provide young educators with appropriate knowledge, tools and methods to implement trainings for the development of furniture up-cycling businesses within circular economy.

2. Provide young people at risk of exclusion as persons with lower income, lack of education or belonging to ethnic minorities with knowledge, skills and competences in the field of circular economy and entrepreneurship for the transformation of furniture waste into up-cycled furniture.

3. Develop up-skilling, entrepreneurial mindset and practical solutions for young people at risk of exclusion as persons with lower income, lack of education or belonging to ethnic minorities in pursuit of developing a career or entrepreneurship from furniture waste management. To achieve the objectives above mentioned, the project will develop the following results:

Develop up-skilling, entrepreneurial mindset and practical solutions for young people at risk of exclusion as persons with lower income, lack of education or belonging to ethnic minorities in pursuit of developing a career or entrepreneurship from furniture waste management.

Expected Results

To achieve the objectives above mentioned, the project will develop the following results:

R1: Toolkit. The toolkit comprises of a set of approaches, tools and methodologies for educators to support to young people in the development of up-cycling furniture business.

R2: Training Format. The TF will contain NFE activities for design thinking, business planning and experiential learning to transform furniture waste into up-cycled furniture.

R3: Hub platform for young entrepreneurs, containing digital learning opportunities and space for sharing ideas, initiatives, and networking.

R4: National conferences for the promotion of the project methodology and deliverables with stakeholders.

Project Partners

Circulab: Design studio on circular economy solutions; transformation strategies towards greener solutions. Clients include L’oreal and IKEA.

LTET Gheorghe Marzescu: Institute integrating primary, secondary and vocational education.

ECREC: Consultancy dedicated to research, training and promotion of green growth.

Wonderland: Institution focused on researching urban spaces and enhancing their use.

Cetem: is a non-profit private innovation and technological furniture association.

Objectives

Expected Results

Project library

Research and advocacy are at the heart of everything we do. Each of our projects is a journey into understanding— both technically as well as socially—and we’re always looking for creative ways to share what we learn. From films and interviews to visuals, manifestos, publications, and hands-on manuals, our outputs take many forms, depending on the people involved and the story being told.

Our project libraries reflect this diversity, and we’ll keep adding to them as our work evolves. But it’s not just about knowledge—it’s also about action. We use what we learn to advocate for change, support bottom-up initiatives, and create space for citizen participation. Because a fairer, more sustainable future needs everyone at the table.

Project partners

Every project we take on is an opportunity to expand our circle—bringing in new collaborators, exchanging ideas, and learning from the experiences and expertise of others. These partnerships are essential to our work and help us keep growing, questioning, and creating with fresh perspectives. We value collaboration not just for the outcome, but for the process: sharing knowledge, building trust, and working together toward common goals. Below, you can meet the people and organizations we’ve partnered with on this project. Feel free to explore their work—we’re proud to be in such great company.

Circulab

Design studio on circular economy solutions; transformation strategies towards greener solutions. Clients include L’oreal and IKEA.

LTET Gheorghe Marzescu

Institute integrating primary, secondary and vocational education.

ECREC

Consultancy dedicated to research, training and promotion of green growth.

Wonderland

Institution focused on researching urban spaces and enhancing their use.

Cetem

is a non-profit private innovation and technological furniture association.

Funding partners

Wonderland members active in this project

Bahanur Nasya

Bahanur Nasya is an architect, researcher, project manager, and film producer. She has studied in Vienna and Barcelona, specializing in sustainable architecture, just and fair community-centered-scenarios, and future-proof development concepts.

Mary Sarsam

Mary Sarsam is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and project manager who explores ecological and historical narratives through spatial approaches, combining her academic background in sociology and fine art with practical experience in social work, cultural programming, and performance. She is actively involved in the Broudou School collective and global seed-saving initiatives, bridging creative research with grassroots environmental action.

Maria Pischlöger

Musicologist, music teacher, publisher

Robert Körner

Robert Körner is an ongoing urbanist with a background in architecture, carpentry, and spatial research. His work focuses on inclusive urban practices, youth-led transformation, and participatory processes.

Marlene Rutzendorfer

Architect and curator of Architektur.Film.Sommer, head of movies in wonderland itinerary festi-val and film productions. Marlene lectures at the Institute for Art and Architecture / Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna.

Yilmaz Vurucu

Film and video artist, researcher, writer. Subjects of interest include community activation, social inclusion, sustainability, hyper-capitalism, individuality and precaritization, totalitarian systems of thought (cults), and coercive thought reform. My methodology includes ethnographic research, reflection, categorization of common patterns and the creation of what I call “poetic moments of visual exploration through fiction.”