EcoCEO(TM): Understand the Circular Economy by Playing

While Europe is working on the transition toward a more sustainable business model, concepts such as linear and circular economy are rarely dealt with in secondary schools. Here we present an educational game, ecoCEO(TM), that aims to transfer knowledge about circular economy and sustainable entrepreneurship in a hands-on and fun way. During the game, players act as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a company that extracts raw materials and produces microchips. They are asked to make decisions on employees' allocation, resource management, production processes, investment strategies and revenue models. EcoCEO(TM) has been developed in the framework of the project "SmartPlaCE@Schools - Serious game Platform for education on Circular Economy in high schools" funded by the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT RawMaterials). It is a useful tool for making youngsters aware of the complexity and interrelation of economy with environmental sustainability issues and with the benefits of closing material loops. By playing it, students from high schools get to know concepts such as critical raw materials, recycling, take-back systems, reuse and repair activities. Furthermore, they are induced to practice discussion and trading to reach shared decisions. The gaming approach introduces students to these matters in an interactive, enjoyable and self¬-explanatory way, motivating them to delve even deeper into the raw materials sector and the circular economy autonomously or by using the educational materials that SmartPlaCE makes available to them and to their teachers.