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Circle Economy and ICLEI have partnered up to initiate the go to knowledge hub of case studies about the circular economy in cities. The Cities Collection is a repository of case studies that demonstrate the role of cities in the circular transition, and includes policies, business cases and research articles. Cases in the Collection flow into an ecosystem of digital products which support users in transitioning cities to circularity, for example [Ganbatte](https://ganbatte.world/cities/) and <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/" target="_blank">ICLEI Circulars</a>, both part of the <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/circle-lab-for-cities/" target = _blank">Circle Lab for Cities Programme.</a>




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Circular Cities

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Policy case

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Direct and indirect reduction in economic costs

Cost Savings

Scalability

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Reduced use of fossil fuel energy sources and/or increased use of renewable energy

Reduce Energy Consumption

Providing public and private education and support services at any level or for any profession, and governmental and public administration services, including judicial, regulatory, and legislative activities, taxation, defence, public order and safety, immigration services, foreign affairs and the administration of government programmes

Education and Government Services

Providing air, water, rail, and land transportation and related services for the distribution of goods, such as air freight, air courier and logistics services, maritime freight, marine courier and logistics services, rail freight, rail courier and logistics services, land freight, land courier and logistics services, including package and mail delivery and customs agents, as well as storage and warehouse facilities

Logistics Services

Upgrade, repair, and maintenance while in-use

Maximise lifetime of products in-use

Developing or utilising online platforms to enable circular economy opportunities through information, product or service offering

Online platforms

Other

'Inform' increases the overall levels of awareness and builds the necessary skills and knowledge around the circular economy to foster long-term change.

Inform

Implement innovation programmes

'Manage' influences the use and function of physical and material elements within the urban environment. 

Manage

Infrastructure

Develop infrastructure to support sustainable lifestyles

'Mobilise' sets the direction of and builds momentum towards long-term change, while also determining how this direction is determined and governed.

Mobilise

Govern the Transition

Cross-departmental collaboration and engagement

Use longer and more often by extending and intensifying use of existing resources, products, spaces and infrastructure

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Reuse

Create and support online platforms and physical spaces for sale, sharing and exchange of spaces, items and materials.

Facilitate second-hand markets, sharing & exchange platforms

Manufactured goods, such as vehicles, textiles, appliances and equipment and their associated production processes are big employers but:
- production processes often rely on fossil fuels and currently drive one-third of the overshoot on the climate change planetary boundary due to its GHG production, 
- material- and energy-intensive industrial activities are linked to deforestation and drive 15% on both the land use and freshwater planetary boundaries, 
- manufacturing goods results in substantial amounts of hazardous industrial waste and leaks chemicals into the environment.

Here, circular solutions must tackle the full value chain, but material demand must also shrink: this will necessitate a societal shift to favouring sufficiency over excess and reducing consumption to sustainable levels. Our four key solutions for manufactured goods are:
- Mainstream industrial symbiosis and efficiency : Achieve process improvements, scrap diversion and reduction in yield losses through greater industrial symbiosis and efficiency. Foster tighter collaboration within and between industries to deliver powerful material and emissions savings.
- Extend the lifetime of machinery, equipment, and goods: Maximise the lifetime of goods that serve our daily needs to bring a number of environmental benefits. 
- Buy what's needed: Reduce the number of purchases of common electronic goods, appliances, and other equipment to sufficiency levels. 
- Eschew fast fashion in favour of sustainable textiles: Drastically reduce new clothing purchases. All used clothing should go on to be repaired, reused or, if needed, recycled appropriately. Prioritise natural and local textile manufacturing, as well as higher-quality and more durable garments. 




👕📱 Consumer Goods

Businesses

Communities

Impacts

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Industries

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A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policies

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A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

Urban Opportunities

The Circular City Actions Framework provides urban changemakers with five complementary strategies they can use to start working towards a more circular system. 

The framework is action-based to provide users with concrete strategic directions and showcase the desired outcomes of each strategy. 
The framework consists of five complementary **strategies**, under which **sub-strategies** provide further detail. Finally, each sub-strategy consists of a diversity of tangible **solutions** which are framed in relation to key thematic areas. 

Note: solutions are currently focused on:
- 🍏 **Food systems**
- 🏢  **Built environment**
- 👕📱  **Consumer goods**
- ⚡ **Energy Systems**
- 🚌 **Mobility Systems**
- 💧 **Water Systems**

More thematic areas are coming soon...

'Click through each of the five strategy cards below to explore the framework and circular economy case studies in more depth!'



This framework was developed in collaboration with ICLEI, Metabolic and Ellen MacArthur Foundation with support from the MAVA Foundation. Read more about it [here]( https://circulars.iclei.org/action-framework/). 



Circular City Actions Framework

An action-based framework for local governments working towards circular cities

Thematic Areas

City Stakeholders

The purpose of the Sharing City initiative is to create a playground for pilot projects. An urban living lab where all stakeholders pilot with this new phenomenon and share insights and experiences. Amsterdam already houses a large number of promising sharing economy platforms, but it’s also up to more ‘traditional’ organizations like for instance SMEs, NGOs and local governments to start addressing the sharing economy. From startups to corporates,from community center to public library, from an insurer to the airport: they’re all ambassadorsputting Amsterdam on the map as a city that has sharing on its mind.OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGESThere are numerous opportunities that grow out of thecollaborative/sharing economy and the Sharing City initiative, such as:an increased sustainable- and efficient use of scarce resources;an enhanced affordability and accessibility of products and services for consumer;nurturing innovation of products & services;attracting creative industries and fostering a knowledge economy;increasing social cohesion and safety;improving efficiency of space and mobility;creating opportunities for new public-private partnerships;enabling growth of local economic investments;identifying possibilities of new means of existence;making accessibility easier and empowering for example entrepreneurs. The collaborative/sharing economy can create challenges such as:an unfair playing field;a risk of market dominance;exponential growth and monopoly;doubts and difficulties regarding social security and labour laws;questions concerning when to be considered a consumer/citizen and when an entrepreneur;difficulties in monitoring quality, safety, disturbance and when to intervene;oversimplified image;there is not enough attention on the perspective of the user;a difficulty to predict the development of the trend and impact.The Action Plan that was agreed upon by the Mayor and Executive Board of the municipality of Amsterdam in 2016, also describes the opportunities and challenges. IMPLEMENTATIONOn February 2nd 2015, Amsterdam was pronounced the first Sharing City in Europe. With this,Amsterdam positions itself as a leader in the field of the sharing (or ‘collaborative’) economy. Amsterdam Sharing City was initiated by shareNL and is a joint initiative from the city municipality an ‘ambassadors’ from all corners of the city to work together: from startups to corporates, from community center to public library, and from knowledge institution to the municipality. Part of the plan of Pieter van de Glind and Harmen van Sprang was not only to come up with a vision, but also to create a network of ‘ambassadors’ throughout the city. In their eyes, the city is formed by not only its citizens and the municipality. Not in the least, also entrepreneurs, enterprises and for example knowledge institutions shape the city of today. So what the co-founders of shareNL did, was involvingall these ‘players’ and let them accede the network of ambassadors.There are numerous projects and initiatives taken since the launch of Amsterdam Sharing City.

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Amsterdam

shareNL

Amsterdam Economic Board

<p>The project Amsterdam Sharing City was launched to take advantage of the benefits that sharing offers in the areas of sustainability, social cohesion and economy. The project was initiated in response to several observations, such as a willingness to share in the city of Amsterdam (84% of Amsterdam residents showed motivation to share) and an established digital infrastructure, with more than 90% of residents having internet access. In collaboration with the Amsterdam Economic Board, a position paper was put together and a diverse network of ambassadors from a variety of sectors was established. With the City of Amsterdam on board, Amsterdam Sharing City was launched in February 2015. There have been several sharing economy projects launched including: Sandd (provides logistics to sharing economy startups), Peerby Go (a pilot with renting instead from neighbors instead of purchasing new) and Airbnb &amp; Library (introductory workshop for senior citizens).</p>