Berlin, July 22 – Official Announcement of make-a-thek pilots on Earth Overshoot Day (July 24).

Written By Hanna Gebauer

PRESS RELEASE

Berlin, July 22 – Official Announcement of make-a-thek pilots on Earth Overshoot Day (July 24).

Berlin, July 22, 2025 – As the world hits Earth Overshoot Day on July 24th, earlier than ever before—the date when humanity has used up all the natural resources Earth can regenerate in a year (source: Footprint Network)—the EU funded project make-a-thek is offering a hopeful response to the planetary and societal crises. The project, centered on circular economy, cultural innovation, and the preservation of traditional craft skills, reimagines public libraries in Europe and beyond as inclusive community spaces where the concept of regional circular economies becomes tangible: through repair, upcycling, and circular fashion practices, people are empowered to create, share, and innovate new circular business models locally. 

"What libraries hold isn't just knowledge—it's the seed of
circular futures, rooted in community and environmental care."
Ilona Kish, Director, Public Libraries 2030

Today’s linear economy—based on extraction, production, consumption, and disposal—is fueling a global resource crisis. It accelerates climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, social injustice and cultural separation. Fast fashion, throwaway products, and planned obsolescence drive unsustainable demand for raw materials. On Earth Overshoot Day, we cross the planet’s ecological limits with consequences that are severe.

But there is another path: a circular economy that reduces environmental impact while fostering social innovation and resilience as well as deepening the cultural relevance of conscious consumption and relationships between makers and consumers. According to the European Commission, circular economy strategies in textiles, plastics, and electronics could cut EU industrial emissions by up to 56% by 2050. But systems alone aren’t enough—behavioral change by people is key to shift from linear to circular cultures and economies. make-a-thek helps turn this vision into practice by creating spaces where circularity becomes part of everyday life, and communities shape a future with a human consumption culture that stays within our planetary boundaries.

make-a-thek brings modular, easily replicable makerspace concepts into public libraries, with a special focus on fashion and crafts. These spaces will offer communities access to circular design practices, repair techniques, and traditional heritage crafts as well as modern technologies like 3D printing and laser cutting. The project is open-source and develops toolkits that enable other libraries and community spaces to implement the concept themselves—fostering wider adoption and local adaptation of circular, community-driven practices.

In addition, the project emphasizes community building and co-creation within local networks in public libraries. It aims to strengthen communities, support existing circular practices, and foster collaboration. Through co-creative processes, it will promote green living, sustainability, and the preservation of heritage crafts, building a vibrant network for local, sustainable change.
The project’s overall goal is to trial regional circular business models based on purposeful real life products for interested consumers from local communities.

Pilot libraries announced
Over the coming months, new “make-a-theks” will be established at the following public libraries, either building on existing makerspaces or developing new concepts:

In addition to these pilot sites, at least three public libraries outside Europe will participate as international partners. A mobile makerspace in the form of a bus is also planned, enabling flexible workshops and activities in different, more remote, regions.

Open Source and Scalable for All Libraries
make-a-thek is designed as an open source initiative: all resources, materials, and concepts developed during the project will be freely available to any library interested in setting up its own make-a-thek. This approach aims to create lasting impact and build a wide-reaching network for local consumer-driven circular business models and impactful co-creation in libraries.

Opening from Early 2026
Preparations for the new infrastructure at pilot sites are already underway. The first make-a-theks are scheduled to open in early 2026, offering citizens and local professionals opportunities to take part in workshops, access materials and machines, learn about design and processes for circularity, and collaboratively develop creative solutions to trial  circular consumption models with fashion and craft products.

What is make-a-thek?
make-a-thek is a project that creates modular, easily replicable makerspaces in public libraries, with a focus on fashion and craft products. It promotes open access to circular design and making through community co-creation, offering practical toolkits and free educational resources and machinery for libraries.

Piloted in at least 12 libraries (9 in Europe, 3 internationally), the project aims to combine traditional heritage craft knowledge with modern digital tools and machinery to share and trial circular consumption and economy concepts with interested local communities.

Rooted in New European Bauhaus values:
Inclusivity – opening access to creative technologies and inviting communities to shape the green transition and to engage in local real life trials
Sustainability – encouraging hands-on participation in a circular society
Enrichment – supporting personal and shared creativity through fashion and crafts

Long-term goals:
- Empower a new generation of prosumers as catalyst for circular consumption
- Position libraries as hubs for the shift from linear to circular economies through knowledge-sharing, hands-on experiences and the co-creation of new circular business models
- Preserve and adapt heritage crafts through digital innovation, new technologies and decentral production eco-systems
- Foster circular and green innovation in fashion and crafts

To ensure lasting impact, make-a-thek will also develop a scaling guide to help libraries and cultural institutions adopt and expand this approach also beyond the
project’s current timeframe.

"Creating permanent makerspaces in public libraries is a powerful way to push back against an economic system built on waste and destruction. These spaces help build a future-oriented consumption culture—one that reconnects people with producers and purpose with products. One that works for all generations and that is worth passing on to the next generations."
Hanna Sin Gebauer, Head of Communications, make-a-thek

The 9 Partner organizations behind make-a-thek:
Zentrum für Soziale Innovation, Global Innovation Gathering, Fashion Revolution Germany, OpenDot, Public Libraries 2030, Ukrainian Maker Association, European Crafts Alliance, Fab City Foundation, Fab Lab Barcelona at IAAC


Press Contact:
Hanna Sin Gebauer, Fashion Revolution Germany, hanna.gebauer@future.fashion

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Hanna Gebauer