AMSTERDAM, 17 October 2018 – Today the City of Amsterdam, Circle Economy and Copper8 launch ‘Amsterdam Circular: evaluation and action perspectives’ a comprehensive consolidation of insights from the practical implementation of 70+ circular projects in the circular City of Amsterdam and is validated by 100+ local businesses. The in-depth insights of the full report span eight municipal instruments applied over five value chains and offers practical action perspectives for cities to effectively accelerate their transition towards a circular future. Further buildings on these insights, City of Amsterdam and Circle Economy also launch a digest ‘Municipal policy for the circular economy: Lessons learned from Amsterdam’ which translates the key learnings Amsterdam’s circular projects into 17 practical actions for urban policymakers to accelerate circularity.[cta link="https://www.circle-economy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/amsterdam-evaluation-EN-20180328.pdf" ]Download the full report[/cta][cta link="https://www.circle-economy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Municipal-Policy-for-the-Circular-Economy-Lessons-learned-from-Amsterdam-FINAL.pdf" ]Download the digest[/cta]Sharing learnings from Amsterdam’s 70+ projectsThe ‘Amsterdam Circular: evaluation and action perspectives’, is the second release in the three-part series that shares the most recent insights from Amsterdam’s pioneering journey towards a circular economy. With the momentum behind the circular economy only growing, it is important to consolidate and share these on-the-ground learnings of a frontrunning city to identify key municipal instruments that can accelerate a city’s transition towards circularity. Policy to boost the circular economyThe transition towards a circular economy is no easy feat, and can only be realised through effective engagement of, and collaboration between business and government alike. Throughout their journey to become fully circular by 2050, the City of Amsterdam has recognised the importance of such a holistic approach; actively encouraging the experimentation and implementation of circular strategies, enabled through a number of municipal instruments. This proactive ethos has resulted in the completion of over 70 circular projects throughout the city. Ultimately, in order to help spark a circular transition globally, it is important to consolidate these pioneering insights into practical actions that other city leaders can adopt. Evaluation of 100+ businesses in 73 circular projects over 5 value chains. The Amsterdam Circular: evaluation and action perspectives is the outcome of an extensive and collaborative project carried out by Circle Economy and Copper8 in 2018. The study, commissioned by the City of Amsterdam and the first of its kind in the world, conducted a thorough evaluation of the 73 completed circular projects in the city through participatory workshops and interviews with the 100+ companies involved. The report Amsterdam Circular, evaluation and action perspectives not only provides a thorough evaluation of eight key municipal instruments, but also analyses the progress of the circular economy in five value chains of the national Transition Agenda, including construction, consumer goods, and biomass. From these detailed insights, five key actions perspectives were created to continue the city’s momentum towards becoming a fully circular city.
We are facilitating and supporting people who actually want to do business in a circular economy, who want to reuse things, who want to have a minimal footprint. We have started 70 projects, from which we learn. Learn both from the mistakes we make but also from the successes we have, to make sure that these projects are examples, and they can inspire others to do the same.” - Marieke van Doorninck Deputy Mayor Sustainability of Amsterdam.- Marieke van Doorninck, Deputy Mayor Sustainability of Amsterdam
17 practical actions to boost the circular transition in citiesResulting from the practical evaluation of Amsterdam’s diverse portfolio of over 70 circular projects, the City of Amsterdam and Circle Economy also, today, launch ‘Municipal policy for the circular economy: Lessons learned from Amsterdam’ a practical consolidation of the full Amsterdam Circular, evaluation and action perspectives report. The summary generates 17 actionable recommendations for urban policymakers throughout the world to boost circularity. Focusing on five of the municipal instruments that have been instrumental throughout Amsterdam’s circular journey, the Municipal policy for the circular economy report highlights tangible actions to boost circularity through Legislation, Spatial planning, Circular public procurement, Business support and Knowledge instruments. Illustratively, the insights generated from Amsterdam’s experiences highlight not only the market demand that can be generated through the incorporation of circular economy criteria into the tendering process but also importance for alignment over municipal departments.[cta link="https://www.circle-economy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/amsterdam-evaluation-EN-20180328.pdf" ]Download the full report[/cta][cta link="https://www.circle-economy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Municipal-Policy-for-the-Circular-Economy-Lessons-learned-from-Amsterdam-FINAL.pdf" ]Download the digest[/cta]
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The launch of the two reports, Amsterdam Circular: evaluation and actions perspectives, and the Amsterdam Evaluation Digest marks the second chapter in a three-part series that aims to break down three of the key questions that cities face when transitioning towards a circular economy. Each entry in the ‘Circular Journey of Amsterdam’ series sees the launch of, partner, Circle Economy’s latest report and insights from the City of Amsterdam and will tackle three key questions;
Interested in Amsterdam's full circular journey?
[cta link="https://circle-economy.com/amsterdam-circular-journey"]Explore[/cta]
[hr]For questions and press inquiries please contact: melanie@circle-economy.comFor more information please contact annerieke@circle-economy.com
When it comes to circularity, it seems we need to go back to school as an entire industry - hundreds of apparel brand and textiles businesses worldwide are striving to adopt the circular economy but many lack the know-how to assess their current state and to measure progress, have limited knowledge and understanding of best practices and circular strategies and struggle to establish the right partnerships in order to move from intent to action. In short, and as echoed in the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) Status report, while the 'why' of the circular economy is understood, the 'how' is left largely unanswered.At Circle Economy, we've been furiously working on the development of Educational Trainings to teach not only designers but product developers, buyers, sales and marketing teams alike. Today, Circle Economy launches just that, titled: On Course: Circular Fashion and consists of 5 separate modules each focussing on a different key theme:
The trainings, which may be taken individually or as a suite, focus on educating and empowering teams across work streams to apply circular strategies in a practical and relevant way. The modules use design thinking tools to not only build skillsets but help in the integral mindset shift needed to accelerate circularity.
But the need for education doesn't stop there. Long-term industry change will not happen if current and upcoming fashion students continue to be trained for 'business as usual'. If Industry is at a crossroads, then so too is education. It's the classic chicken and egg conundrum.Schools, colleges and universities are at the helm here - they play a vital role in enabling the circular mindset and skillset of the next generation of industry professionals and ultimately securing the possibility of long-term sustained change. Educational Institutes can no longer shy away from the vast and damaging impact the industry has and must equip the next generation of fashion professionals with the values, perspectives, knowledge (and audacity!) needed to mend this ship we have set sail on, or to build a smarter, vehicle for change.That's exactly why Circle Economy and the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) partnered in 2016. As a like-minded, action-orientated partner, AMFI is just as eager to kick-start a revolution and to rethink how we produce, design and sell clothing.This partnership has manifested in two distinct projects;In 2016, spurred on by the common belief that collective power disrupts, AMFI and Circle Economy redesigned Beyond Green in order to bridge the gap between Industry and education to move both parties further and together. Three editions later, we are taking the 2019 edition to the next level - watch this space!In 2018, AMFI, Circle Economy and Fashion For Good collaborated to re-build The AMFI Master Fashion Enterprise Creation into the world’s first master’s degree focused on circular fashion entrepreneurship. This pioneering MAFEC brings together a multi-disciplinary and international class of students, who all share in the pursuit of re-designing the fashion industry and becoming a global force for good. So, here we have it. The On Course: Circular Fashion trainings, our contribution to and development of circular curricula and a new and improved Beyond Green. All concrete steps for the industry to take to achieve their circular goals. Which step are you going to tread on?
Want to get involved?
[cta link="http://www.circle-economy.com/circular-textiles-in-action"]Sign-up now[/cta]
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A new strategic framework has been developed through a collaboration with the Dutch Green Building Society (DGBC), Metabolic, SGS Search and Circle Economy that defines circular buildings. It describes indicators that could be included in the sustainable certificate BREEAM-NL to better evaluate circular buildings. The frameworks are detailed in the report ‘A Framework for Circular Buildings: Indicators for possible inclusion in BREEAM’.
“Scaling is what we need right now to make the built environment circular. This report presents an overview of practical strategies to construct and design circular buildings around the world. Incorporating just one of these strategies in a leading sustainable building standard like BREEAM represents a massive opportunity to future-proof our built environment."
Ben Kubbinga, Lead Built Environment Program Circle Economy
Presentation during Expo RealThe first copy of the new report was presented to Shamir Ghumra, director of BREEAM on 9 October 2018 during the real-estate trade fair Expo Real in Munich. The report includes a framework for defining circular buildings and concepts for developing measurable indicators. The essential indicators that define a building’s circularity were developed by an expert group with six indicators developed in more detail. The indicators will be field-tested in follow-on studies.
Steven Traast (SGS Search), Edwin van Noort (DGBC), Clemens Brenninkmeijer (Redevco), Annemarie van Doorn (DGBC) presenting the report to Shamir Ghumra (BREEAM) during Expo RealCooperationThe author organisations, supported by the Redevco Foundation, investigated how circularity can be incorporated in the urban environment using BREEAM-NL, which is a sustainability certificate for buildings that has been widely adopted by the market since its introduction in The Netherlands in 2010. Over nine million square meters of real-estate have been certified to BREEAM-NL standards. The certificate has a holistic approach to sustainability and includes many concepts which can be used for circular buildings.Exceptional developmentShamir Ghumra, director of BREEAM: “Material resource efficiency and circularity lie at the heart of much of the research carried out by BRE over the years, work that continues today with leading roles in projects such as the BAMB (Building as Material Banks) project. It is great to see the DGBC, as our BREEAM National Scheme Operator in the Netherlands, proactively researching issues such as this and thereby contributing to the ongoing evolution of BREEAM with this report.”Edwin van Noort, development manager at DGBC, calls the framework an exceptional advancement: “Over the years, many definitions have been proposed for sustainable buildings, but practical definitions hardly ever materialised. That has now changed.”Clemens Brenninkmeijer, board member at Redevco Foundation says, “Redevco Foundation supports initiatives that aim to increase the understanding of and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable, low carbon-emission and circular built environment. We are very happy with the outcome of this research project and the proposed incorporation of these measures within the existing BREEAM-NL framework – and hopefully the BREEAM International framework too. It will encourage even more parties to think about tangible measures to make our real-estate sector more resource-efficient, less wasteful and more competitive.”[cta link="https://www.circle-economy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/A-Framework-For-Circular-Buildings-BREEAM-report-20181007-1.pdf"]Download the full report[/cta]
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In 2015, the City of Amsterdam embarked on their journey to become fully circular by 2050. Three years and over 70 circular projects later, the City shares its experiences with the world inviting other cities to share, learn and join Amsterdam on their circular journey. Fully Circular by 2050 - Learnings shared by a global frontrunnerOn September 25 2018, the City of Amsterdam and Circle Economy have launched the Circular Journey of Amsterdam, an interactive storyline that brings together interviews from key stakeholders throughout the city; from the deputy mayor, and local SMEs, to corporates and research institutions. Throughout their journey, Amsterdam has embraced a learning by doing approach. Based on this open and collaborative ethos, insights, projects and partnerships have resulted in experiences and learnings of the past years. This launch marks the first in a three-part series in which Amsterdam and Circle Economy share the key building block to becoming a fully circular city. Recognising the potential of the circular economy to help create a livable, resilient and competitive city of the future, the City of Amsterdam has committed to becoming fully circular by 2050. But ambition and action are two very different things. Thus, the city became the first in the world to develop a vision accompanied by a roadmap and action agenda to realise their ambitions. Now, three years later, Amsterdam has implemented over 70 circular projects throughout the city. These projects are evaluated across 7 policy instruments and 5 sectors.
“The City of Amsterdam is engaging with the circular economy because it is the only way to have an economy in our future. The circular future of Amsterdam is a city without waste. It’s a city with a very small footprint. And it’s a city where we understand that we need fewer resources and more welfare for everyone.- Marieke van Doorninck Deputy Mayor Sustainability of Amsterdam
A fact-based approach towards a circular city in 4 stepsAs a pioneering city, the experiences and insights that Amsterdam has gained throughout their journey to become fully circular can serve as both inspiration and guidance to other cities looking to kick-start their transition towards a circular economy.
“Over the past three years, the City of Amsterdam has firmly established itself as a global frontrunner. Sharing the experiences of the City’s circular journey can play a vital role in catalysing the transition towards a human-centred and resilient circular future.” - Annerieke Douma, Director Programmes at Circle Economy
The Circular Journey of Amsterdam showcases four key steps that have helped kickstart Amsterdam's transition:
[cta link="https://circle-economy.com/amsterdam-circular-journey"]Circular Journey of Amsterdam[/cta]
For questions and press inquiries please contact: melanie@circle-economy.com
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The launch of the Circular Journey of Amsterdam marks the first release of a three-part series that aims to break down three of the key questions that cities face when transitioning towards a circular economy. Each entry in the ‘Circular Journey of Amsterdam’ series will launch partner Circle Economy’s latest report and insights from the City of Amsterdam and will tackle three key questions;
Interested in Amsterdam's full circular journey?
[cta link="https://circle-economy.com/amsterdam-circular-journey"]Explore[/cta]
[hr]About Circle Economy’s Cities ProgrammeAt Circle Economy’s Circle Cities Programme, we believe in prosperity for all within our planetary boundaries. Our mission is to future-proof cities by creating a livable environment with economic, ecological and social prosperity for its citizens through practical and scalable implementation of the circular economy. We do this by connecting and empowering a global community of cities with insights, measurement tools and services to catalyse the systemic transformation of our linear economy into a circular economy.For more information please contact annerieke@circle-economy.com
AMSTERDAM, 26 July 2018 – Experts bundle their knowledge to tackle challenges in the construction sector to finance circular construction. The Community of Practice 'Financing Circular Construction’ will provide a practical roadmap to design and create a viable and financeable circular residential housing project in Amsterdam.A circular building is designed in a way that it can be entirely disassembled and individual components can be readily repaired, reused or repurposed. In the construction and use phase, resources are optimally used and the use of raw or toxic materials is minimised.
Community of Practice (CoP)The working group format Community of Practice (CoP) is an initiative of NederlandCirculair! and emphasises the importance of a collaborative approach, connecting relevant industry stakeholders. The Circular Construction CoP follows the 2017 Circular Phone CoP, where accountants, legal and financial experts created several practical, open-source tools that support entrepreneurs in their ambition to realise service-based business models.
After the successful Circular Phone CoP last year, we are happy to have, once again, gathered such an impressive group of experts that will help overcome legal, financial and valuation barriers for the construction industry. We are very optimistic that we will be able to create practical tools that accelerate a circular built environment.- Fieke de Haan, Lead Finance Program Circle Economy
Focus on construction sector; participation Eigen HaardCircle Economy's Circularity Gap Report states that the built environment is the largest consumer of raw materials, using 42.4 billion tonnes annually. This is 40% of our total annual resource use. Social Housing corporation Eigen Haard is aware of the impact of the built environment on the environment. Circularity in constructing and maintenance is one of its long-term goals.
At Eigen Haard we have recently defined our circular ambitions. This CoP offers an ideal opportunity to source and apply expert knowledge to one of our residential housing projects and accelerate our circular ambitions.- Jeffrey Hirs, Projectcontroller Eigen Haard
A new model for the construction sectorThe CoP aims to develop new, circular business models that accelerate the transition to a circular construction sector. To do so, the sector has to evaluate aspects like design, material choice, and possibilities of maintenance and reuse. Circular strategies force the industry stakeholders to redesign the way they work together, change cash flows and risk evaluation mechanisms. Questions that will be tackled during the CoP focus on harvesting, circular design, new perspectives on ownership, legal constructions and the valuation and financing of buildings. The outcomes and practical tools following the project will be published in an open source whitepaper.The 'Financing Circular Construction’ CoP takes place from June until October 2018, is co-funded by NederlandCirculair! and brings together ING, Allen & Overy, Eigen Haard, The Royal Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants, Alfa Accountants and Advisors, RICS, Madaster, Arcadis, Arup, Sustainable Finance Lab, DOOR Architecten and Circle Economy.
For more information about the CoP Financing Circular Construction, contact us:
Aglaia Fischer: aglaia@circle-economy.com
Webinar centres around urgency for businesses and investors to take 'Linear Risks' seriousWelcoming an international audience Circle Economy was happy to co-host the 'Linear Risks' webinar together with PGGM, KPMG, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development after launching the 'Linear Risks' Essay in June 2018. Over 120 participants from various corporations, SMEs, governmental organisations, NGOs, and advisory firms attended the webinar to learn more about ‘Linear Risks’ from the perspectives of Circle Economy as a circular economy expert, WBCSD as a global business network, PGGM and EBRD as financial institutions, and KPMG as an advisory firm.Key discussions from the webinar centered around the urgency for businesses and investors to take ‘Linear Risks’ into account in their decision making, particularly as companies and government agencies are increasingly coming to realise the impacts of ‘Linear Risks’. Questions from the audience highlighted the need to start developing more concrete metrics, models, and disclosure guidelines for ‘Linear Risks’, as well as start to adapt and improve existing risk management models and ESG frameworks to incorporate ‘Linear Risks’.As the 'Linear Risks' essay demonstrates, linear economic business practices are creating real business threats, including risks associated with the use of scarce and non-renewable resources; prioritisation and sales of products produced with virgin resources; the failure to collaborate; and failing to innovate or adapt. These are all factors that will negatively impact the ability of organisations to continue business as usual and prevent us from closing the circularity gap.With the ‘Linear Risks’ webinar, we started taking the first steps to raise awareness and engage in a constructive dialogue with the financial and business community to better understand and model ‘Linear Risks’. We were very happy to see so much interest, engagement, and feedback from the community, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to ensure that ‘Linear Risks’ become an integral part of financial and business decision-making.
[cta link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWuXl1Y36M4"]Watch the Webinar[/cta]
As part of Circle Economy's ambition to place circularity on an international stage and bring the topic to a wider audience, we are proud to announce our official partnership with Helsinki Fashion Week. Helsinki Fashion Week is the world’s first Fashion Week aiming to be 100% sustainable and is taking a ground-breaking stance by putting the circular economy front and center. Circle Economy is thrilled to become an official knowledge and content partner to this progressive platform. Circle Economy will support Helsinki Fashion Week in presenting the topic of circularity to a wider fashion audience. This year’s event, that takes place from the 20-25th July, rests on the twin pillars of the circular economy and sustainability. 30 brands, who are all integrating environmental and social sustainability at their core with garments crafted from recycled materials or natural and reusable fabrics, will be brought together in a celebration of all things circular. Pick of the bunch is The New Normal project, a closed loop fashion collection produced in collaboration with WFF and the Infinited Fibre Company. Since an estimated 80% of a product’s environmental and economic impact is determined at the design stage, empowering designers to make the right decisions, and rewarding those who are already are, will undoubtedly accelerate the industry's transition to a sustainable and circular economy.
We are thrilled to be able to support Helsinki Fashion Week in becoming circular and applaud the bold stance they've taken. It's time that the concept of the circular economy reached the wider fashion community and partnerships like ours are critically needed in order to bring this urgent topic from books to the runway. Circular fashion needs to be the new normal. - Jade Wilting, Head of Partnerships Textiles Programme, Circle Economy
This year’s runway spectacle will be supported by The EcoVillage infrastructure, utilizing green technologies and renewable energy sources to provide for a ‘zero waste’ event. By showcasing the latest developments and innovation in technology, electronic transportation, mobility and robotics, the village will offer unique experiences by questioning the nature of being, existence, and reality in the evolving world and the fashion industry. Circle Economy is thrilled to see these innovations implemented in practice.
"It is most vital to work and collaborate across industries. It's the ultimate key to realise a circular economy in all sectors and aspects of human life. Circle Economy is a great partner whose knowledge and expertise spans many different sectors and industries and has the ability. Together, I believe we have the power to inspire people to see the benefits and adopt a circular lifestyle."- Evelyn Mora, Founder Helsinki Fashion Week
Helsinki Fashion Week are clearly focused on and dedicated to creating a more circular and sustainable fashion industry through cross-industry partnerships. If you want to hear more about their commitment to the cause, their Advantage podcast series offers insightful discussions on the challenges and rewards of implementing circularity within the industry and everyday life.
Learn more about our work within textiles here: [cta link="https://www.circle-economy.com/textiles/"]Circle Textiles[/cta]
About Helsinki Fashion WeekHelsinki Fashion Week 2018 showcases sustainable fashion designers to international buyers, press, and other professionals in the fashion industry. The event offers new experiences and information to visitors through the EcoVillage platform which is built based on circular and sharing economies. The event aims to inspire sustainable urban development and cross-industry solutions to current and future environmental challenges in the fashion business.About Nordic Fashion Week AssociationNordic Fashion Week Ry (NFW) is an internationally recognised, not-for-profit nongovernmental fashion organisation, working to advance the Nordic and international export of sustainable fashion and business. NFW collaborates and consults several organisations, enterprises, research institutes and other industry events on the themes of circular economy and sustainability. NFW's yearly main project Helsinki Fashion Week (HFW), is held during July 20–25th. The event supports Finnish and international designers by offering them a sustainable and free-of-charge platform, to showcase their creations for the international fashion buyers and press.
As the recognition of the circular economy continues to grow internationally, so too does Circle Economy's reach; this time into the Czech Republic. Here, Circle Economy will lead city changemakers within Prague through a multi-phase process, from orientation to implementation aimed at creating a practical roadmap for the transition towards a circular city. The innovative methodology has been applied to cities and regions throughout Europe, including Amsterdam, Glasgow and Bilbao-Bizkaia. This new additionally follows the announcement of Circle Economy expanding to China.In late June 2018, Circle Economy and INCIEN officially kicked off Prague’s Circle City Scan with a collaborative workshop marking the beginning of the city’s journey towards a circular economy. The project focuses on the creation of an inclusive circular vision for the Czech capital and supports the co-development of tangible circular strategies, weaving circularity into the fabric of the city. Launching the project in the same spirit in which it will continue, the kick-off brought together stakeholders from a broad array of sectors, including local government, waste management, innovation and urban development. Hosted at the United Nations Information Centre, the collaborative workshop aimed to collectively determine how the circular economy can synergise with the character of the city. Similarly, the project will be conducted in partnership with INCIEN; a Czech, non-profit organization that focuses on innovative environmental management and on projects that share a common goal; to transition from a linear to a circular system.
"We are really excited about the collaboration with Circle Economy. With this partnership, we can combine unique circular knowhow, and experience, within a local context and network in order to develop scalable solutions with a positive impact on the local economy and the environment. We hope Prague is just the beginning and other cities in Czech and Slovakia will soon follow. " - Vojtěch Vosecký, Co-founder, Operations Manager, INCIEN
Importantly, no two cities are identical. Therefore, the workshop provided an important first step to rooting local knowledge and ambitions for the city within the core of the project. This approach allows the identification of key areas in the city with the greatest transformative potential.
“Prague’s rich history and dynamic recent growth present a compelling opportunity to embed circularity into the city’s future development. Combined with its strategic location within Europe, Prague can act as a circular beacon, helping to accelerate the broader growth of the circular economy over the continent. The knowledge and commitment of INCIEN are invaluable and we are excited to work together to develop Prague’s circular vision. ” - Ilektra Kouloumpi, Senior Project Manager, Circle Cities Programme
Building on the momentum of the kick-off workshop in Prague, this project will move on to further scope the inner material workings of the city, analysing its resource flows and pinpointing the sectors within the city that hold the greatest potential for impact in the circular transition. The third and final phase identifies tangible pilot projects to be implemented within the city which serve as a starting point for the transition towards a circular economy. An Action Agenda is created to provide an overview of the immediate actions that the municipality and its stakeholders must take, both in the short and the long term.
“The creation of a circular vision for the City of Prague will provide a foundation for the realisation of new and purposeful collaborations between government, businesses and citizens to implement circular strategies. A city that works for all of its citizens cannot be realised in isolation. We, therefore, call upon Prague’s citizens, businesses and city officials to join us in this collective journey towards the creation of an inclusive and circular Prague.”- Annerieke Douma, Director Program and Business Development, Circle Economy
Learn more about our work with cities here:
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