E-circles is an international project for the promotion and development of local economies through the formation of Cooperatives, Business Networks, Networks of distribution points for local products in the municipalities of the territory. We offer innovative services to producers, shops and buying groups.
Participate in a Buying Group
A Buying Group is a group of people who buy together from local producers and artisans. Delivery takes place at a Withdrawal Point or at home. You can participate in a Buying Group in the area where you live, or start one yourself, with a group of friends.
Visit the manufacturers Stands
Buy quality, eco-sustainable and ethical products, selected by the Buying Groups. If you are a manufacturer whose mission is quality, respect for the environment and workers' rights, you can start an E-Commerce and propose your products to registered Buying Groups.
Enter the Stores
Find a store near home and order online, picking up in the shop or requesting home delivery. If you are a store owner, you can put your business online using the pricelists of your suppliers to easily build easily build that of your shop.
E-circles.org is the Circular Marketplace
where you can buy and sell quality products, respectful of the environment and workers' rights.
We support companies in their Ecological Transition path.
If you like the project and want an active role, become an E-circler!
Whether you are a private individual, an entrepreneur or are part of an association, E-circles can offer you some useful services. Let's see in detail what these services are and how to obtain them:
If you are a private user you can
- Participate in an Buying Group, obtaining guaranteed quality products at the right price
- Find high quality products, also environmental and social, selected by the Buying Groups
- Start a new Purchase Group and manage a network of Withdrawal Points in the area
- Obtain economic income by managing orders and deliveries in one or more Withdrawal Points
- Start a new cooperative business in your area
- Get to know personally the producers of the food and other products you buy and new people who share with you the sensitivity regarding health, environmental and ethical issues
- Offer and receive services in our Time Bank
- Use the solidarity spending method to help families in financial difficulty
- Contribute in various ways to the achievement of the European objectives of the 2030 Agenda
- Non-profit Associations can collect donations in exchange for products
If you run a business you can
- Sell your products to Buying Groups or to individual users through E-commerce
- Offer your services to companies and private users
- Make your company visible online and promote it in Italy or abroad
- Receive requests for information or quotes from users, buying groups or other companies
- Describe your company in the best possible way, highlighting its ethics in the treatment of employees, your path of ecological transition and social equality
- Describe your products in the best possible way, specifying their production methods, organic or territorial certificates and the origin of the ingredients
- Selling products by weight, receiving electronic payment after weighing
- Share production waste with other companies
- IT support for the creation and management of business and cooperative networks
- Receive consultancy for participation in regional and European calls
We achieve the goals of the European Green Deal and the
2030 Agenda in the Territories, to help stop the Climate Change.
Our Mission is to promote the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean and circular economy by creating dedicated jobs.
- 1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
- 3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination
- 8.4 Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10‑Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead
- 8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
- 10.1 By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average
- 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
- 11.6 By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
- 11.a Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
- 12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
- 12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
- 12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
We start with individuals and/or companies strongly motivated to implement a new development model in their territory. The ecological transition takes place in small, self-sustaining steps from a financial point of view, thanks to new models of Cooperative.
Here is a summary of how our project on the Territories develops, in seven steps:
- Business digitization: we provide producers and shops with a web page and a free E-commerce to allow them to better tell themselves and promote and sell products online
- Formation of Social Purchasing Groups: we provide the tools to form a Social Purchasing Group that allows to buy together from local companies, shortening the supply chain and reducing CO2 and pollution
- Formation of Business Networks: companies are stronger if they collaborate with each other. The most digital entrepreneurs can help the less able to promote and sell their products together. This makes the offer more varied and interesting and allows to optimize transport
- Formation of Buying Groups: once a certain number of users is reached, the Purchasing Group withdrawal point can evolve into a shop, and a cooperative is formed between companies and buyers
- Evolution to Circular Coops: the store adds new eco-friendly services such as the sale of bulk products, the reuse of packaging, the use of renewable energy, the super-differentiated collection of some types of waste, the training of people and the creation in the field of forgotten professions (cobblers, tailors, repairs of technological tools, etc.)
- Transition towards Circular Communities: thanks to the presence of the Circular Coops and our promotional activity, we will make aware an increasing number of people and companies of the principles of the Circular Economy. We will propose new solutions to local institutions in the field of waste, energy, transport, etc. and we will participate in their realization
- Circular Europe: a network of Circular Territories is formed which can collaborate with each other in planning and construction of new eco-compatible infrastructures
E-circles also includes the most complete management software for Buying Groups, developed starting from the experience of foodcoopers who love to make things simply. You can choose between payment on delivery, or by credit card.
Advantages for Buying Groups
- Direct relationship with producers, no commission on purchases
- It simplifies collection of orders and management of withdrawal points
- You can communicate with all food coops members and producers
- It automates hospitality, logistics, cash and volunteer management
Tools for Buying Groups
- Order of products by manufacturer or by category, with images and rich descriptions
- Price lists always updated directly from manufacturers and customizable
- Shipments Tracking
- Management of internal lists, for exclusive use of own Buying Group
- Welcome Group to contact and inform the new members
- Organization of home delivery
- Quality Group for Internal Certification of Producers
- Management of shareholders and payment of membership fees
- Collecting orders from individual referrals or pickup points
- Automatic opening and closing of orders, at intervals or programmed
- Management of volunteer shifts with specific job assignments
- Packages completion mode
- Simple internal communication management through notifications
- Sending automatic notifications an hour before product withdrawal
- Restore capability of the already archived orders
- Ability to delegate orders or to order for someone else
- Possibility to order products to be donated to the Solidarity Spending project
- An internal notice-board for quick communications
- Real-time chat with the staff for quick troubleshooting
- History of orders, volunteer turns and statistics
Advantages for the Producer
- Sell your products to Foodcoops and Purchasing Groups
- Simple management of pricelists, orders and inventory
- Sell your products online with the utmost simplicity
- Promote your company in Italy and abroad
Tools for the Producer
- Business page with a free E-Commerce
- Quick pricelist management from one page only
- Warehouse management, packages, minimum order quantities
- Customization of sales, delivery, payment methods
- Automatic compilation of custom excel order forms
- Possibility to contact Food Coops
- Change in amounts for products sold by weight
- Possibility of receiving contacts from customers and quotation requests
- Possibility to tell the good practices of Circular Economy and Biological Transition
E-circles in numbers
Registered Companies
2773
Registered Buying Groups
577
Kg of CO₂ saved
1.025.521