The Confederation of Citizen Enterprises (CONECT) organized the first open day and workshop on January 12, 2023, under the ENI CBC MED European project Cluster4Green. The event was held in Gabes, which is one of the most polluted regions in the country, in order to co-design a regional approach to the circular economy and create an alliance for sustainable investment. The goal was to support the implementation of sustainable investments at the national, regional, and international levels through national and regional partnerships.

The event featured an engaging panel discussion moderated by Mr. Sadok Thabet, President of CONECT Gabes, who is not only an experienced Switchmed trainer and CSR-label CONECT expert but also a respected thought leader in the field of circular and green economies.

The open day and workshop organized by CONECT aimed to not only raise awareness about the importance of the circular economy, but also to provide a platform for actors in the ecosystem to benefit from a wide network at the local, regional, national and international, level. A total of 68 participants attended the open day and 31 participants attended the workshop, all of whom were in the regional and national entrepreneurship and environmental ecosystem, public authorities, SMEs, NGOs and Civil society.

The open day program began with a warm welcome address given by the organizers, followed by an informative presentation on the CLUSTER4GREEN project. The discussion that followed was centered around the added value and tangible examples of how the circular economy can be implemented in real-world scenarios, led by speakers in the field such as Ms. Chourouk ben Salah, an agronomist and Switchmed trainer, Mr. Hakim ben belGacem, a Switchmed trainer and regional director of the Industry Promotion Agency (API), Mr. Wajdi Borghel an expert in the field of circular economy, Mr. Dhaouadi Habib   The Mayor of Gabes City and Mr. Abdesslem Bsissa The General Manager of the Environment, Agriculture, and Pest Control Company in Gabes.

These experts shared their valuable insights and practical examples on how the principles of the circular economy can be applied in various industries and sectors. Attendees were then exposed to an array of existing projects and initiatives in the field of green entrepreneurship, and had the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of success stories from accomplished green entrepreneurs who have successfully managed to run sustainable and eco-friendly businesses also presented their start-ups' testimony such as: 

• Ms.Rebeh Dabbaghi the CEO of BYOKOB Cosmetics a production company of essential oils and cosmetics Bio-products.
• Mr. Lassaad Hadj Mabrouk : Manager at GEIS Environnement Hazardous & Non Hazardous waste Management
• Ms. Malek Fkih: CEO of Eco-feed

The workshop program, which was the second segment of the open day, was designed to provide attendees with a more in-depth understanding of the concepts and benefits of circular economy. It began with a session that focused on the various advantages and incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt circular economy practices, highlighting the potential for cost savings, increased efficiency, and improved environmental performance. This was followed by a discussion on the reasons why public authorities, business support organizations, NGOs, and other stakeholders should become actively involved in the Cluster4Green Network. The session included a comprehensive presentation on the Memorandum of convergence with Cluster4Green and its Constituent Network, which provided a detailed overview of the objectives, strategies and partnerships being developed to promote and support the circular economy at different levels.