Policy case

Impact on increased knowledge and understanding as a result of the case study

Increase Awareness

Impact on the quantity or quality of jobs, and shifts in the labour market

Jobs

Direct and indirect reduction in economic costs

Cost Savings

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)

Producing and providing business and consumer goods and services

Goods and Services

Upgrade, repair, and maintenance while in-use

Maximise lifetime of products in-use

Give products and parts another life after their end-of-use

Maximise lifetime of products after use

Develop infrastructure to support resource cycling

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

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Reuse

Maintain and repair city-owned spaces and infrastructure to increase longevity, and support opportunities for residents to do the same for privately owned items and property

Support reuse, repair, remanufacturing, maintenance of existing resources, products, spaces & infrastructure

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

Communities

Recent years have witnessed a shrinking of the lifespans of consumer goods, following trends in fast-fashion and planned obsolescence in consumer electronics. These patterns of unsustainable consumption lead to many consumer goods being thrown away after only a small amount of time, while perfectly usable.

Reuse hubs and networks can present a tangible solution to support the reuse of consumer goods. Reuse hubs provide a physical location to collect and offer consumer goods that are repaired, repurposed, reused. Consumer goods could range from furniture, to electronics, to clothing, and other consumer goods. Reuse hubs could even go as far as becoming a fully circular shopping centre, offering access to all different types of consumer goods. What is more, reuse hubs and supporting repair activities can be connected throughout a city to form a network to enable access to such goods and services throughout the entirety of a city. 

Local governments can support the development of reuse hubs by providing both financial and in-kind support, zoning particular areas for experimentation and reuse. Local governments can also play a key role in connecting existing activities throughout the city. What’s more, local governments can play a key role in promoting reuse and repair activities throughout a city to reduce marketing costs of these businesses and raise awareness for residents. Local governments may also stimulate skills development and make training available to repair and reuse organisations.


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👕📱  Reuse centres and networks

With the economic drive to sell more products, items that are cheaper to produce and sell are often prioritised over higher quality items that last a long time. These patterns of unsustainable consumption lead to many consumer goods being thrown away after only a short time, while still being perfectly usable. 

Second-hand markets can present a tangible solution to support the reuse of consumer goods. Second-hand markets can provide a physical location to collect and offer consumer goods that are repaired, repurposed, reused. Consumer goods can range from furniture, to electronics, to clothing, and other consumer goods. Second-hand markets can even go as far as becoming a fully circular shopping centre, offering access to all different types of consumer goods. What is more, second-hand markets and supporting repair activities can be connected throughout a city to form a network to enable access to such goods and services throughout the entirety of a city. 

Local governments can support the development of circular centres by providing both financial and in-kind support, and zoning particular areas for experimentation, repair and resale. They can also play a key role in connecting existing activities throughout the city, for example using digital platforms. Furthermore, local governments can play a key role in promoting reuse and repair activities throughout the city—reducing marketing costs for the businesses themselves and raising awareness for residents. Local governments may also stimulate skills development and make training available to repair and reuse organisations.


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👕📱 Circular centres, shops and malls for repair, restoration and resale of consumer goods

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

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

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

Thematic Areas

City Stakeholders

Today, 6 June 2019, Circle Economy and INCIEN launch Circular Prague, a visual roadmap that identifies the strategies that are best positioned to kick-start the Czech capital’s transition towards a circular economy. The collaborative Circle City Scan process has highlighted the potential to promote circular lifestyles in ReUse Hubs, using public procurement, boost the construction through circular procurement, and utilise the city’s food waste as biomethane to power the city’s waste collection fleet. To capitalise on the growing circular momentum, the report provides tangible steps to take these projects from concept to reality, and kick-start Prague’s circular transition.

  The Czech capital of Prague has fast become a trailblazer in establishing a local circular economy. Circle Economy’s ‘Circle Scan’ analysed the material flows, GHG emissions and value generation of Prague’s economy to set priorities and measure the scale of issues. Besides the Circle Scan, political endorsement and stakeholder management was instrumental in embedding the circular economy into daily decision-making processes. 

 Lying at the heart of Europe is a city otherwise known as the City of a Hundred Spires, renowned for its abundance of gothic architecture and UNESCO world heritage stamp. But one thing you may not know about the Czech capital of Prague is that it has fast become a trailblazer in establishing a local circular economy. 

 Cities are the consumption centres of the world: hotspots of resource use and global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They’re also rapidly growing – Prague’s population alone has jumped by 11% in the past 40 years. The circular economy, with its suite of strategies suitable for urban policymakers, can deliver substantial climate mitigation opportunities, social benefits and economic opportunities.
  Today, Prague boasts a population of nearly 1.5 million and an economy that has swapped industrialism for a high-tech, trade and services-oriented character. To tap into the momentum its new service-economy offers, while addressing urban challenges, supporting nature and securing social benefits, the city has placed the circular economy at the heart of its city planning and climate mitigation ambitions. 

 To support this goal, in 2019 the Amsterdam-based impact organization Circle Economy, in collaboration with the local NGO INCIEN and the City of Prague, analysed the material flows, GHG emissions and value generation of Prague’s economy. Their goal? To provide the city with action plans for key industries to embed the circular economy into their practices. Two years have passed since the ‘Circle Scan’ and the circular transition in Prague is well underway.

 “The Circle Scan helped us set priorities and measure the scale and issues of what we were dealing with. This allowed us to focus on what matters. So, we’re not just focusing on plastic straws, but on larger flows like closing the biomass loop, or looking at our tonnes of construction and demolition waste. There are so many bigger problems – and opportunities,” Petr Hlubuček, deputy mayor of Prague for the environment.

 A second life for the city’s bulky waste

 Each year, Prague households consume approximately 307,000 tonnes of non-food products. Of this, nearly 10% is bulky waste – materials or items too large for household waste, such as electrical goods, appliances and furniture – which are destined for landfill. And as the average household income has risen, so has the level of tossed bulky waste. The Circle Scan identified the potential to reuse 70% of this, giving furniture and appliances a second life and reducing the overall demands for brand new products.

 Bringing to life the action plan laid out in the Circle Scan, Prague now touts a growing network of Re-Use Points throughout the city: cashing in on the value this ‘waste’ provides when the circular strategies of reuse, refurbish and repair are utilised. In only half a year of the pilot being active, nearly 2,000 pre-loved items were processed: the equivalent of 14 tonnes. These reuse points have been integrated into collection yards – so far, three out of the 19 in the city – and upgraded to feel vibrant and accessible for all citizens. Praguers can drop off their unwanted yet still-functional furniture, sports equipment or appliances, amongst other items, which are then uploaded to an online portal and can be collected for free by residents, NGOs and charities. 

 The city also plans to recreate a Reuse shopping centre – a reuse wonderland where everything sold is second-hand or repaired. Watch this space, notes Hlubuček.
      A material flow analysis from the Circle Scan that shows the material flows through households in Prague.   Image: Circle Economy      Swapping in food waste for fertiliser and biogas

 The Circle Scan pinpointed a major waste stream in the Czech capital with huge untapped potential: food waste. In Prague, households consume more than 950,000 tonnes of food each year – with roughly 100,000 tonnes of domestic food and kitchen waste entering low-value recycling streams such as being burned for energy. In an ideal circular city, material flows would be collected separately to retain their value at the highest level for as long as possible – food waste can be returned to the soil as organic fertiliser or converted to biogas, for example. 

 To use its tonnes of food waste as a resource, Prague set the ambitious goal of separating 70% of municipal waste at the source by 2035; current separation rates stand at 31%. To start, it became the first Czech city to implement household food waste collection. This is currently in the pilot phase in three districts and hopes to be city-wide by 2026. 

 The collected food waste is converted into biogas and used to power waste management trucks. With the instalment of a large bioCNG plant planned, the city hopes to see the entire fleet of waste management trucks powered by household food waste in the future, utilising waste as a resource and cutting GHG emissions (the trucks release 58% fewer pollutants into the atmosphere than diesel-fuelled trucks). 

 Also, excess energy will be pumped back into the grid and excess waste transformed into fertiliser for local agricultural projects. The city also targets minimising consumer food waste habits: waste prevention is touted by city billboards, urging residents to “buy only what you eat”, and environmental campaigns are integrated into schools.
      The action plan laid out in the Circle Scan: how to turn waste biomass into bioCNG.   Image: Circular Economy      Only organic farming for acres of city-land

 Given that 80% of all food is expected to be consumed in cities by 2050, operating in a circular manner where food production regenerates rather than denigrates and where food waste is designed out can bring massive environmental benefits. Current farming practices across Europe can be GHG emissions-intensive, contribute to a loss of grassland biodiversity and use dangerous pesticides, which can also result in pollution leaking out into water supplies. In Prague, the City Scan identified that agricultural and material extraction alone were responsible for 234,360 tonnes of GHG emissions a year.

 We’ve already seen how Prague is tackling household food waste, but it’s also innovating with a circular procurement strategy to regenerate ecosystems and provide healthy food for the locality on city-owned land. 

 The city owns 1,650 hectares of agricultural land – currently, 500 hectares of this is leased to farmers – yet it comes with a sustainable catch. Farmers must follow organic and circular agricultural principles, namely: no pesticides, no fungicides, use of organic fertilisers and respecting crop rotation. Engaging with farmers and giving priority to organic and circular practices is a strong avenue for cities to take in moving to a circular food system. Co-benefits of the practice can include diversifying a city’s food supply, fostering biodiversity, reducing packaging needs and shortening supply chains.
    sustainability What is the World Economic Forum doing about the circular economy?    The World Economic Forum has created a series of initiatives to promote circularity. 1. Scale360° Playbook was designed to build lasting ecosystems for the circular economy and help solutions scale.
      Scale360° Playbook Journey   Image: Scale360° Playbook      Its unique hub-based approach - launched this September - is designed to prioritize circular innovation while fostering communities that allow innovators from around the world to share ideas and solutions. Emerging innovators from around the world can connect and work together ideas and solutions through the UpLink, the Forum's open innovation platform.

 Discover how the Scale360° Playbook can drive circular innovation in your community.
  2. A new Circular Cars Initiative (CCI) embodies an ambition for a more circular automotive industry. It represents a coalition of more than 60 automakers, suppliers, research institutions, NGOs and international organizations committed to realizing this near-term ambition.

 CCI has recently released a new series of circularity “roadmaps”, developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), McKinsey & Co. and Accenture Strategy. These reports explain the specifics of this new circular transition.Connect to Learn More →

 3. The World Economic Forum’s Accelerating Digital Traceability for Sustainable Production initiative brings together manufacturers, suppliers, consumers and regulators to jointly establish solutions and provide a supporting ecosystem to increase supply chain visibility and accelerate sustainability and circularity across manufacturing and production sectors. Connect to Learn More →
   
 A clear circular strategy for the win

 In only three years, Prague has become a regional leader in circular innovation. This successful journey has been a result of various factors. Besides the Circle Scan, top political endorsement and stakeholder management has been instrumental: with a dedicated committee and steering group for circular economy, the circular economy has been embedded into the daily decision-making processes of the city. 

 For many cities with sustainable and circular ambitions, knowing where to start can be the biggest barrier. While there may be experts on circular activities taking place, a holistic overview of a city’s overall resource consumption and waste patterns is often lacking. This type of high-level view of the interconnected systems can support the city in locating priority challenges and opportunities. Involving diverse stakeholders is also key, and understanding how they can contribute to a more circular city. 

 “The magic of the Circle Scan is giving the space and energy needed to get relevant stakeholders aligned around the topic of the circular economy, and to identify the business case for the city and turn it into reality,” says Vojtech Voseky, chairman of the circular economy steering group in the city. 

 “This has happened in Prague and kickstarted all these pilots,” he adds.
 

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Prague

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Municipality of Prague

Bringing to life the action plan laid out in the Circle Scan, Prague has developed a growing network of Re-Use Points throughout the city, where circular strategies of reuse, refurbish and repair are utilised. In only half a year of the pilot being active, nearly 2,000 used items were processed: the equivalent of 14 tonnes. The reuse points are integrated into three collection yards and upgraded to be accessible for all citizens. Praguers can drop off their unwanted yet still-functional furniture, sports equipment or appliances, amongst other items, which are then uploaded to an online portal and can be collected for free by residents, NGOs and charities.

Reuse points in Prague

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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>

Circular Cities

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Circular food systems entail that the food is produced regeneratively and, where appropriate, locally. Food and packaging waste are designed out entirely, while healthy, low-impact diets are promoted and easy to access. 

[Circle Economy](https://www.circle-economy.com/) is a not-for-profit organisation working to accelerate the circular transition. Through the *Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative*, our mission is to deliver an annual global Circularity Metric that measures the state of the world economy and identifies key levers to transition to global circularity. With nature as our guide, we work alongside cross-sector stakeholders from academia, businesses, NGOs and governments to provide a powerful combination of practical and scalable interventions that transform circular opportunities into realities. 

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Circular Food

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Limes and lemons - Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Producing agricultural products and processing them into food and beverageproducts for consumption

Agri/Food

Collecting waste from households and businesses by means of refuse bins, wheeled bins, containers, etc., and providing treatment, incineration, materials recovery and reclamation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste

Waste Management

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within the same industry

Valorise waste streams - closed loop

Recover waste energy or generate fuels and energy from waste streams

Energy recovery from waste

Information campaigns

Includes a variety of actions (e.g. campaigns, information sharing, public events) that encourage city residents and visitors to build sustainable practices into their daily lives

Enable sustainable lifestyles

Ensure that household and business waste is collected and appropriately sorted (by type, label, etc.) to allow for maximum recovery of value.


Collect and sort waste to facilitate recovery

Process waste into valuable industrial inputs or consumer products; distribute processed waste to users.

Process waste and ensure its re-entry into industry at its highest value

The food system nourishes populations and employs 50% of the global workforce, but:
- it currently drives a quarter of the overshoot on the climate change planetary boundary due to its greenhouse gas (GHG) production, 
- animal farming alone uses over one-quarter of all land, equivalent to the size of the Americas,
- nearly a quarter of freshwater resources are lost due to rampant food waste, and
- it is the single largest driver of biodiversity loss.

A circular food system must address the whole value chain, from production to consumption to waste management. The four key solutions for the food system are:
- Put healthier, satiating foods first: Prioritise satiating and healthy foods with a lower environmental impact—ideally shifting calories from meat, fish, and dairy towards cereals, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
- Go local, seasonal, and organic: Prioritise the production and consumption of local, seasonal, and organic produce (sometimes in combination with GMO to reduce pests and disease loss on crops), which can lead to a significantly reduced need for chemical inputs, fuels, and processing services that contribute to environmental impacts.
- Mainstream regenerative agriculture: Scale up agricultural practices that regenerate ecosystems, recirculate nutrients and sequester carbon by design. 
- End avoidable food waste: Minimise food loss and valorise waste following the food waste hierarchy along the supply chain and at the consumer level through better management of transport and storage, more refrigeration and smart planning, and technology at the consumer and food service levels.



🍏 Food Systems

Governments

 By: Laxmi Adrianna Haigh, Circle Economy
Lying at the heart of Europe is a city otherwise known as the City of a Hundred Spires, renowned for its abundance of gothic architecture and UNESCO world heritage stamp. But one thing you may not know about the Czech capital of Prague is that it has fast become a trailblazer in establishing a local circular economy.
Cities are the consumption centres of the world: hotspots of resource use and global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They’re also rapidly growing – Prague’s population alone has jumped by 11 percent in the past 40 years. The circular economy, with its suite of strategies suitable for urban policymakers, can deliver substantial climate mitigation opportunities, social benefits and economic advantages.
Today, Prague boasts a population of nearly 1.5 million and an economy that has swapped industrialism for a high-tech, trade and services-oriented character. To tap into the momentum its new service-economy offers, while addressing urban challenges, supporting nature and securing social benefits, the city has placed the circular economy at the heart of its city planning and climate mitigation ambitions.
To support this goal, in 2019 the Amsterdam-based impact organisation Circle Economy, in collaboration with the local NGO INCIEN and the City of Prague, analysed the material flows, GHG emissions and value generation of Prague’s economy. Their goal? To provide the city with action plans for key industries to embed the circular economy into their practices.
Two years have passed since the ‘Circle Scan’ and the circular transition in Prague is well underway.
‍“The Circle Scan helped us set priorities and measure the scale and issues of what we were dealing with. This allowed us to focus on what matters. So, we’re not just focusing on plastic straws, but on larger flows like closing the biomass loop, or looking at our tonnes of construction and demolition waste. There are so many bigger problems – and opportunities,” said Petr Hlubuček, deputy mayor of Prague for the environment.
‍A second life for bulky waste
Each year, Prague households consume approximately 307,000 tonnes of non-food products. Of this, nearly ten percent is bulky waste – materials or items too large for household waste, such as electrical goods, appliances and furniture – destined for landfill. And as the average household income has risen, so has the level of tossed bulky waste. The Circle Scan identified the potential to reuse 70 percent of this, giving furniture and appliances a second life and reducing the overall demand for brand new products.
Bringing to life the action plan laid out in the Circle Scan, Prague now touts a growing network of Re-Use Points throughout the city: cashing in on the value this ‘waste’ provides when the circular strategies of reuse, refurbish and repair are utilised. In only half a year of the pilot being active, nearly 2,000 pre-loved items were processed: the equivalent of 14 tonnes.
These reuse points have been integrated into collection yards – so far, three out of the 19 in the city – and upgraded to feel vibrant and accessible for all citizens. Praguers can drop off their unwanted yet still-functional furniture, sports equipment or appliances, amongst other items, which are then uploaded to an online portal and can be collected for free by residents, NGOs and charities.
The city also plans to recreate a Reuse shopping centre – a reuse wonderland where everything sold is second-hand or repaired. Watch this space, notes Hlubuček.
A material flow analysis from the Circle Scan that shows the material flows through households in Prague
Turning food waste into biogas
The Circle Scan pinpointed a major waste stream in the Czech capital with huge untapped potential: food waste. In Prague, households consume more than 950,000 tonnes of food each year – with roughly 100,000 tonnes of domestic food and kitchen waste entering low-value recycling streams such as being burned for energy. In an ideal circular city, material flows would be collected separately to retain their value at the highest level for as long as possible – food waste can be returned to the soil as organic fertiliser or converted to biogas, for example.
To use its tonnes of food waste as a resource, Prague set the ambitious goal of separating 70 percent of municipal waste at the source by 2035; current separation rates stand at 31 percent. To start, it became the first Czech city to implement household food waste collection. This is currently in the pilot phase in three districts and hopes to be city-wide by 2026.
The collected food waste is converted into biogas and used to power waste management trucks. With the instalment of a large bioCNG plant planned, the city hopes to see the entire fleet of waste management trucks powered by household food waste in the future, utilising waste as a resource and cutting GHG emissions (the trucks release 58 percent fewer pollutants into the atmosphere than diesel-fuelled trucks).
Also, excess energy will be pumped back into the grid and excess waste transformed into fertiliser for local agricultural projects. The city also targets minimising consumer food waste habits: waste prevention is touted by city billboards, urging residents to “buy only what you eat”, and environmental campaigns are integrated into schools.
The action plan laid out in the Circle Scan: how to turn waste biomass into bioCNG
Organic farming
Given that 80 percent of all food is expected to be consumed in cities by 2050, operating in a circular manner where food production regenerates rather than denigrates and where food waste is designed out can bring massive environmental benefits. Current farming practices across Europe can be GHG emissions-intensive, contribute to a loss of grassland biodiversity and use dangerous pesticides, which can also result in pollution leaking out into water supplies. In Prague, the City Scan identified that agricultural and material extraction alone were responsible for 234,360 tonnes of GHG emissions a year.
We’ve already seen how Prague is tackling household food waste, but it’s also innovating with a circular procurement strategy to regenerate ecosystems and provide healthy food for the locality on city-owned land.
The city owns 1,650 hectares of agricultural land – currently, 500 hectares of this is leased to farmers – yet it comes with a sustainable catch. Farmers must follow organic and circular agricultural principles, namely: no pesticides, no fungicides, use of organic fertilisers and respecting crop rotation. Engaging with farmers and giving priority to organic and circular practices is a strong avenue for cities to take in moving to a circular food system. Co-benefits of the practice can include diversifying a city’s food supply, fostering biodiversity, reducing packaging needs and shortening supply chains.
Circular strategy
In only three years, Prague has become a regional leader in circular innovation. This successful journey has been a result of various factors. Besides the Circle Scan, top political endorsement and stakeholder management has been instrumental: with a dedicated committee and steering group for circular economy, the circular economy has been embedded into the daily decision-making processes of the city.
For many cities with sustainable and circular ambitions, knowing where to start can be the biggest barrier. While there may be experts on circular activities taking place, a holistic overview of a city’s overall resource consumption and waste patterns is often lacking. This type of high-level view of the interconnected systems can support the city in locating priority challenges and opportunities. Involving diverse stakeholders is also key, and understanding how they can contribute to a more circular city.
“The magic of the Circle Scan is giving the space and energy needed to get relevant stakeholders aligned around the topic of the circular economy, and to identify the business case for the city and turn it into reality,” says Vojtech Voseky, chairman of the circular economy steering group in the city.
“This has happened in Prague and kickstarted all these pilots,” he adds.
Image: Jack Hunter on Unsplash 

Prague became the first Czech city to implement household food waste collection. To use its food waste as a resource, Prague set the ambitious goal of separating 70% of municipal waste at the source by 2035; current separation rates stand at 31%. This is currently in the pilot phase in three districts and hopes to be city-wide by 2026.The collected food waste is converted into biogas and used to power waste management trucks. Excess energy will be pumped back into the grid and excess waste transformed into fertiliser for local agricultural projects. The city also targets minimising consumer food waste habits: waste prevention is touted by city billboards, urging residents to “buy only what you eat”, and environmental campaigns are integrated into schools.

Converting food waste into biogas and fertiliser in Prague

Direct and indirect effects that increase revenues or the potential for new revenues, for example from new products, customer segments, partnerships or business models

Revenue Potential

Contributing to the improvement of biodiversity including species diversity, total number of protected species, and ecosystem health

Biodiversity

Producing and gathering crop and animal products from land and water through farming, hunting, and fishing

Agriculture

Utilise bio-based, reusable, non-toxic and non-critical materials

Regenerative materials

Circular use of public-owned assets (land, buildings and equipment)

Includes measures that protect and enhance ecosystems and biodiversity both within and beyond city boundaries, as well as actions to restore degraded ecosystems.


Protect and restore local ecosystems

Prioritize solutions that use the power of functioning ecosystems as infrastructure to provide natural services to benefit society and the environment; consider nature-based replacements for grey infrastructure.

Promote solutions inspired and supported by nature


       Prague is launching a pilot project for organic urban agriculture, which will hopefully become an example for other Czech municipalities. Prague is offering 398 hectares of its agricultural land for rent under organic farming conditions.  Advertisement  

   According to Prague City Hall, organic farming not produces quality food, it is also based on sustainability, and is environmentally friendly. At the same time, it also maintains and develops the natural diversity of the landscape and emphasizes the preservation of natural cycles. It is also one of the ways to combat drought and climate change and, because of the absence of synthetic chemical pesticides in the soil, also to protect water resources.“The new conditions are based on the principle of a responsible approach to the landscape. In today’s time of climate change and a fundamental deterioration of the quality of agricultural land, it is important to take such measures that will help us in the long run in the fight against drought and climate change,” Prague Deputy Mayor Petr Hlubuček (United Force for Prague), responsible for the environment, said.Although organic food is becoming increasingly popular, organic farming is still only a small part of agricultural production. The reason is stricter management rules and lower yields. Organic produce is more expensive because more energy is needed to grow it. An organic farmer also does not have access to industrial fertilizers or growth regulators, City Hall states.Prague is preparing support measures for future lease holders. For example, there is no minimum lease fee in the currently announced competition. The city also plans to offer potential lease applicants assistance with the sale of organically grown crops, especially in Prague schools.	“Prague’s profit from the lease of land will be minimal, however, the ecological benefit of the project has a special value for us,” Hlubuček said.The new rules for farming on agricultural land are significantly stricter than the tenants have been accustomed to so far. Among the most important is the division of large fields into smaller fields with a maximum size of five hectares. The city also proposes how to divide these lands using hedges, grass borders, and planting fruit or deciduous trees.Other conditions include the preference for crops whose cultivation does not increase soil erosion and increases crop diversity, or the obligation to carry out deep plowing once a year to reduce weeds. The inability to use pesticides and herbicides is also a significant benefit, with the exception of natural insecticides and fungicides. The economic stability of the applicant is also considered.Furthermore, inorganic mineral fertilizers cannot be used and disinfection to reduce weeds is prohibited. This ban on the use of chemicals saves up to 1,700 liters of pesticides per year.  Advertisement  

   The land should not be used for monoculture crops, but instead has to have a variety or rotated plants.Frequent inclusion of perennial clover contributes to the improvement of soil fertility and structure. In order to reduce erosion and reduce weeds, it is important to have a widest use of intermediate crops that retain water in the soil and also deflect sunlight, reducing soil dehydration. It is important to follow the principles of crop rotation and observe the minimum time intervals within the sowing procedures.This new way of access to urban agricultural land is also expected to gradually develop the ecological and recreational potential of the landscape around Prague. The fields are connected to the built-up areas in the city and thanks to its new boundaries and tree lines, it can offer inhabitants an easy escape to places that did not attract anyone until recently.   Publish your story to Expats.cz Find out more                                  
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Prague launched a pilot project for organic urban agriculture, by offering 398 hectares of its agricultural land for rent under organic farming conditions. According to the city, organic farming not only allows to produce quality food, but it also maintains and develops the natural diversity of the landscape and emphasizes the preservation of natural cycles. It is also one of the ways to combat drought and climate change and, because of the absence of synthetic chemical pesticides in the soil, also to protect water resources.

Expanding organic urban farming in Prague

This collection is being created to regroup all case studies related to the packaging industry (CAT purpose)

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Packaging collection

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Starter Kit collection

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 social fabric of the community and well-being of the individuals and families.

Social Impact

Impact on the health and happiness of human populations

Well-being

Reduced use and withdrawal of water and rate of recycling and reuse of water

Save Water (SDG6)

Ensure renewable, reusable, non-toxic resources are utilised as materials and energy in an efficient way

Prioritise regenerative resources

Replace freshwater with less impactful alternatives and enact water efficiency measures

Regenerative water

Enacting measures that optimise water use

Water efficiency

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

Mobilise

Visions and Ambitions

Roadmaps and strategies and targets

Govern the Transition

Participatory governance mechanisms

 Convene Towards Action

Advocate for circular change

Voluntary agreements around circular ambitions

 Public Procurement

Asset Management

Redesign systems to lay the foundation for circular activities and enable the transition to a circular economy 

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Rethink

Facilitate cross-collaboration by engaging city departments, industries and businesses on ambitious, closed-loop circular projects.

Support closed-loop systems and cross-sectoral synergies

High-level changes to policy and practice (such as taxation systems, investment and procurement guidelines and criteria) that disincentivize activities that perpetuate linear economic systems, as well as vision-setting (goals, roadmaps) to catalyze
action on circularity across the city

Eliminate linear incentives and set goals and incentives for circularity

Incorporate extended use in project planning phases; create or update city policies to allow for extended use.

Design and regulate for extended use

The city of Prague has started to place the circular economy at the heart of its city planning and climate mitigation ambitions, delivering substantial climate mitigation opportunities, social benefits, and economic opportunities.