The CAST project aims at investigating the sustainability of metal, metalworking activities and circular economy of metal among the Late Copper Age and the Bronze Age communities of Northern Italy. Aarchaeological key-sites in the Po plain will be investigated by combining archaeometric analysis, 3D reconstructions and experimental archaeology to develop a comprehensive methodological approach to ancient metalworking activities addressing the whole chaîne opératoire. In particular, the provenance analysis of metal objects will provide data about mechanisms of supply and potential recycling of raw materials; by analysing copper and bronze artefacts and metalworking tools, specific technologies and possible cross-craft interactions will be explored and supported by experimental activities. Traceology and experimental archaeology will help to shed light also on the use, reuse and durability of metal objects and metalworking tools. Geochemical analysis of soil sequences and human remains will clarify the impact of metals on the environment and human exposure to metal pollution.