THE PROBLEM

As the need for resilience in the face of global emergencies – from the current COVID-19 pandemic to climate change – becomes ever more pressing, the circular economy is increasingly gaining momentum within cities and regions as a viable strategy to create cities that are liveable, thriving, and resilient. However, data and evidence of the current state of the circular economy in cities is not readily available to decision-makers, and most are struggling to get insights on what the most relevant circular solutions for their context is. 

THE SOLUTION

The Circle City Scan was developed by Circle Economy to develop practical and scalable solutions in cities to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Together with city officials, local businesses and non-governmental changemakers, the tool identifies circular opportunities based on socio-economic and material flow analyses. Considering the city’s individual context, these opportunities are translated into a visual roadmap for action.

The tool builds on Circle Economy’s expertise helping cities and regions develop circular economy action plans over the last five years, including cities such as Amsterdam, Glasgow, Basel, Almaty, Philadelphia, and more.  

The tool was developed in collaboration with organizations at the forefront of the circularity transition in their cities, in Switzerland, Finland, Czech Republic, Ghana, US, Canada, and Spain. 

Circle Economy is now welcoming local governments, circularity consultants, project developers and circular solution providers to join their closed beta program and help co-create the future of the tool. Interested parties can contact them to join through the tool’s contact form. 

CASE STUDY EXAMPLES

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability

To ensure the tool can be adapted to fit different regional contexts, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is testing the tool in 10 pilot cities across three regions (Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe). Under the guidance of Circle Economy, staff from ICLEI regional offices will help the pilot cities to use the tool, support local data collection and facilitate stakeholder engagement. The process will provide the pilot cities with an overview of how much of the materials flowing through their jurisdiction are consumed and wasted, and where they can intervene to shift their economies toward circularity. The learnings from this process will be used to further improve the tool.