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The Circular Cities Declaration (CCD) Report 2024 was launched at the World Circular Economy Forum 2024 in Brussels. The report examines the implementation, measurement, and impact of circular policies in cities that have signed the declaration, committing themselves to the circular transition.
In 2023, signatories of the CCD were asked to report their progress in transitioning to the circular economy. In response, 54 signatories from across Europe—cities with a combined population of 16 million—submitted detailed insights on circular policies and initiatives. Based on these submissions, the implementation and impact of circular economy strategies in urban settings were assessed and summarised.
The CCD Report 2024 underscores a widespread adoption of circular economy strategies among reporting cities, with over 200 measures already in motion. Over half of the CCD signatories have embraced the circular economy as a pivotal instrument in bolstering their nature and biodiversity preservation initiatives. Moreover, cities are increasingly leveraging circular practices to advance climate objectives and build resilience while ensuring a just transition.
The report identifies a challenge in accurately measuring and reporting on the progress of circular initiatives. Despite this, over two-thirds of cities have either developed or are in the process of formulating indicator frameworks to better assess circular impacts. These frameworks include governance, behavioural, material flow, and broader societal and environmental indicators.
Drawing from the findings of the report, six priority actions have emerged to accelerate the circular transition in cities:
Read the full report here.
About the Circular Cities Declaration
The European Circular Cities Declaration is a project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The declaration aims to accelerate the transition from a linear to a circular economy in Europe, and thereby create a resource-efficient, low-carbon and socially responsible society. It was developed by a consortium of European stakeholders, including ICLEI Europe, Circle Economy, Circular Flanders, Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production, ECERA, EIT Circular Economy Community, European Committee of the Regions, European Economic and Social Committee, European Investment Bank, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Eurocities, Metabolic, Metabolism of Cities, ReLondon, RRA Podravje - Maribor, and the UN Environment Programme.
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[Brussels, 15 April 2024] - During the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2024, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) presented their Circular Economy Working Group’s emerging shared vision on the role of MDBs in supporting circular economy.
The shared vision was unveiled at a session titled 'Shaping a global vision for circular finance' which saw Directors from the MDBs emphasise the critical role of MDB support to clients in facilitating the uptake of circular economy approaches. The MDBs recognised that circularity is important to achieving sustainable and just development in the 21st century.
Working together for more circularity, the MDB Working Group will continue to:
About WCEF
The annual World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) presents the world’s leading circular economy solutions with business leaders, policymakers and experts participating from around the world. Circular economy approaches can help businesses seize new opportunities and gain a competitive advantage, as well as contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. WCEF2024 is organised by Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, and produced with Circle Economy Foundation (programme partner) and the International Resource Panel (science partner), in close collaboration with international partner organisations.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Amy Kummetha (amy@circle-economy.com)
For content inquiries, please contact:
Marvin Nusseck (marvin@circle-economy.com)
ENGLISH
Amsterdam, 26 March 2024—Circle Economy’s Circularity Games platform now offers an introductory training program for circularity in the built environment as part of the BUS-GoCircular project. BUS-GoCircular, funded by the European Union's Horizon Research and Innovation Programme, addresses the challenges of promoting skilled labour in the field of green energy and aims to offer hands-on training and capacity building to increase the number of skilled workers throughout the value chain.
This online training programme is just one of several training materials, workshops and initiatives that have been developed. The training program is divided into six modules, each encompassing reading materials, interactive video content and educational game features. The modules introduce players to the concept of circularity, its urgency and the possibilities of a circular economy. The training addresses the problems and opportunities for the built environment and the importance of a change in mindset.
The training is designed around the ‘Key elements of the circular cconomy framework’. This framework defines the learning objectives for the practical implementation of circularity in the built environment. While the training serves as an introduction to the circular economy, all key elements are covered, with the primary purpose of the training being to encourage change.
The introductory training on the Circularity Games platform aims to stimulate discussion around applying circular principles within the built environment. The training provides insight into which financial and practical circular applications are valuable. If, after completing the built environment introductory training, there is still more to discover and discuss using the Circularity Games platform, organisations can develop a follow-up specification training program in collaboration with Circle Economy. The focus of this training could be on sector-specific topics or the further discovery of specific key elements and the business models that apply to particularr contexts.
For more information, visit the Circularity Games website and contact Sreeja Raghunathan (sreeja@circle-economy.com) or Alice Lunardelli (alice-l@circle-economy.com)
DUTCH
De Circle Economy Foundation heeft een inleidend trainingsprogramma ontwikkeld beschikbaar op het Circularity Games platform als onderdeel van het BUS-Go Circular project. Dit trainingsprogramma is onderverdeeld in zes modules, die elk lees materiaal, interactieve video-inhoud en educatieve game-functies bevatten. De modules laten je stapsgewijs kennismaken met het concept, de mogelijkheden en de urgentie van een circulaire economie. De training behandelt zowel de problemen en kansen voor de gebouwde omgeving als het belang van een mentaliteitsverandering.
De training is ontworpen rondom de "Key Elements of the Circular Economy Framework". Dit framework is op het BUS-Go Circular afgepast en definieert de leerdoelen voor de praktische implementatie van circulariteit in de gebouwde omgeving. Hoewel de training dient als introductie op de circulaire economie, komen alle Key Elements aan bod. Met als belangrijkste doel van de training: verandering stimuleren.
De Nederlandstalige training heeft als doel de discussie te stimuleren over het toepassen van circulaire principes op de manier van werken binnen de gebouwde omgeving, en geeft inzicht in de waarde van circulaire toepassingen, zowel financieel als praktisch. Mocht je na het volgen van het inleidend trainingsprogramma het gevoel hebben dat er nog meer te ontdekken en te bespreken valt aan de hand van het Circularity Games platform, dan zou jouw organisatie in samenwerking met de Circle Economy Foundation een vervolg specificatie training kunnen ontwikkelen. De nadruk van deze training zou bijvoorbeeld kunnen liggen op sectorspecifieke onderwerpen binnen de gebouwde omgeving, het verder ontdekken van specifieke Key Elements of de businessmodellen die van toepassing zijn binnen de sector.
Voor meer informatie bezoek de circularity games website en neem contact op met Sreeja Raghunathan (sreeja@circle-economy.com) of Alice Lunardelli (alice-l@circle-economy.com)
The World Circular Economy Forum 2024 is hitting Brussels on 15–18 April!
Thousands of experts and decision-makers will come together at the SQUARE convention centre to explore practical and impactful circular solutions. This year, Circle Economy is proud to co-host the forum and co-design its programme based on insights from the Circularity Gap Report 2024! With government representatives, the finance community and labour organisations on our guest list, we’re looking forward to bringing the report’s recommendations to life. Please check our sessions below and register to participate—in person or online.
Up to US$700 billion could be generated by circular textile business models, which address the impacts of discarded textiles on nature and health. However, little is known about the current destinations, uses and impacts of globally traded used clothes. This workshop sheds light on this murky subject, exploring collaborations, policies and real-world examples to make the worn clothes trade more circular.
Date and time: 15 April 2024 at 09:30–10:45 CEST
Organisers: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Circle Economy
Learn more and register here
The Circularity Gap Report 2024 detailed tangible solutions to accelerate the global circular transition. Now is the time to act upon its insights! This opening plenary session will feature a critical discussion with global policy and thought leaders. They will define the role of governance, economics and society in building a just, circular future.
Date and time: 15 April 2024 at 11:00–12:00 CEST
Organisers: International Resource Panel, Circle Economy and Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund
Learn more and register here
This session will give the stage over to directors of multilateral development banks (MDBs) from different regions to discuss a shared vision for the role of finance in the circular transition. They will convene for a first-ever public talk on circular finance aimed at building a common approach to the circular economy.
Date and time: 15 April 2024 at 13:30–14:30 CEST
Organisers: Circle Economy, Circularity Exchange Network (Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank), UNEP Finance Initiative and Invest-NL
Learn more and register here
In this session, you will hear from people putting the circular economy into action: entrepreneurs, policymakers, trade union leaders and business people. They will share inspirational insights on what is needed to unleash the potential of a people-centred, jobs-rich circular economy.
Date and time: 15 April 2024 at 13:30–14:30 CEST
Organisers: International Labour Organisation and Circle Economy, with the Solutions for Youth Employment Programme of the World Bank
Learn more and register here
Circular economy approaches can support peacebuilding, community resilience and dialogue. However, shifting to less extractive and less interdependent economic systems might also stir geopolitical tension. This session will analyse the risks and opportunities of the circular economy for international relations and peacebuilding.
Date and time: 16 April 2024 at 09:00–10:00 CEST
Organisers: Circle Economy and International Resource Panel, with Carnegie Europe
Learn more and register here
Urban planning is a key lever for the circular transition in cities. However, a common understanding of circularity in urban planning is still lacking. This session explores how cities can go from high-level policy to implementation to steer their circular development.
Date and time: 16 April 2024 at 10:45–11:45 CEST
Organisers: ICLEI Europe and Circle Economy
Learn more and register here
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In celebration of Circle Economy Foundation’s 13th birthday, we are thrilled to introduce you to our new CEO, Ivonne Bojoh. With a background in digital technology and professional services, Ivonne brings a unique perspective to the forefront of our mission. In this interview, Ivonne shares her vision for the future, her passion for the circular economy, and the transformative impact she envisions for Circle Economy Foundation.
As a former start-up and scale-up professional, Ivonne Bojoh was always fascinated by cutting-edge technology. However, as she progressed in her career, she became increasingly aware that technology and economic growth can also have detrimental effects on nature and humanity
‘This happened when I went on a weekend trip with my husband in 2019,’ Ivonne recalls. ‘With ample time for introspection, I contemplated what truly energises me and aligns with my heart's desires. It became apparent that I wanted to do something on a global scale to address the societal and environmental challenges that I had observed in Southeast Asia, where I lived at the time.’
After this pivotal moment, Ivonne stepped down as a co-founder and CTO and came to the Netherlands in pursuit of her next opportunity. It was during this phase that she crossed paths with Martijn Lopes Cardozo, the previous CEO of Circle Economy Foundation.
‘When Martijn introduced the concept of the circular economy to me, I didn’t immediately grasp its meaning,’ confesses Ivonne. ‘But then he illustrated it with an example from nature, where waste essentially doesn’t exist. I thought: “This is so simple, anyone can understand this! Anyone can see how a dead tree serves as a home for small animals, or that elephant dung is an incredibly energy-rich fertiliser. It’s a beautiful system. Why isn’t everyone living in this system?” This is when my admiration for the circular economy started.’
Given Ivonne’s extensive experience in digital scale-ups, it came as no surprise that Martijn Lopes Cardozo invited her to develop a digital strategy to accelerate Circle Economy Foundation’s impact, and later to join the organisation as Director of Digital. In 2021, she also became interim COO, and in December 2023 succeeded Lopes Cardozo as Circle Economy Foundation’s CEO.
Reflecting on her new role as CEO, Ivonne points out: ‘Circle Economy Foundation has grown quite quickly in the past couple of years. What we need right now is to refine our internal structure and operations, ensuring we sustain the momentum needed to accelerate the global circular transition. At the same time, I see a tremendous opportunity for extending the foundation’s impact beyond the Global North. My roots are in Indonesia, so I have an intrinsic motivation to bring our work to Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. In addition, there are a lot of opportunities for us to support the circular transition in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.’
Prior to assuming the position of CEO, Ivonne played an important role in developing the foundation’s new impact strategy. According to her, while its core vision remains unchanged—building an economic system that ensures the planet and all people can thrive—the organisation's role in this systemic transformation has become better defined. Over the next eight years, it will deliver on three specific goals for the four priority systems (housing, nutrition, manufactured goods, and mobility):
‘I believe that laser focus is far more effective than trying to be everything to everyone. There are far more objectives that are needed in this global transformation, but these are the three objectives we feel we can contribute to best,’ says Ivonne.
While doubling global circularity to around 17% by 2032 may appear a daunting task, Ivonne remains optimistic in light of the growing awareness of the adverse impacts of the linear economy: ‘If humans were made without the gene that causes greed, our jobs would be easier. Unfortunately, we are who we are. During the era of industrialisation, our unchecked greed took centre stage, and we kept on producing more, thinking that more is better. We’ve unknowingly gotten stuck in a finite system—we can’t continue like this forever. But the good news is that, increasingly, policymakers and industry leaders are aware that this system is tremendously flawed. The question is “Do you know and act or do you know and look away?”’
Amidst the complexities of her role, Ivonne finds solace in the proximity of a protected dune area, with 3400 hectares, the Amsterdam Waterleidingduinen are one of the largest connected hiking areas in the Netherlands. Describing her experience, she states, ‘Being able to just take a walk in nature and hear birds, see animals… it really calms me.’ For her, the ability to connect with nature fosters creativity, allowing her to recharge and approach the foundation's mission with renewed energy.
The path to a circular economy is both new and profound, demanding a different perspective, experimentation, and the courage to choose a circular future. The Dutch circular finance initiative, known as the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren, is a public-private partnership that unites Dutch frontrunners in circular finance towards a common goal: Establishing circular financing as the norm by 2030.
The circular economy aims to minimise the use of new raw materials and products, maximise reuse, and reduce waste by creating a closed loop of production and consumption. It is essential for staying within the ecological boundaries of our planet, while simultaneously reducing the Netherlands' reliance on resources from other parts of the world. Financiers, investors, and other financial sector service providers play a key role in driving the circular transition. The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren addresses the challenges in financing circular entrepreneurs in the Circular Finance Roadmap 2030 (NL), to ensure that circularity becomes an integral part of financing assessments and investment decisions.
Since its inception in 2020, Invest-NL has been actively involved in financing circular propositions. The intensive collaboration with this diverse group of financiers and investors has yielded knowledge, new connections and valuable experience. This makes us a unique transition network, and this is how we make financing a circular future possible, says Anne Mieke van der Werf, Director Business Development at Invest-NL and Chair of the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren.
At the moment, one of the main challenges is to incorporate linear risks and circular opportunities in financing decisions (e.g. resource depletion, rising raw material costs, environmental damage). The group emphasises the importance of integrating circularity into the assessment of financing requests and investment decisions, to ensure business continuity.
The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren has collaboratively developed an open-source Circular Risk Scorecard. This scorecard aims to collect data to demonstrate that the risks of circular businesses are currently overestimated, while the opportunities are not adequately considered in financing or investment decisions. The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren calls on the financial sector to use the scorecard, providing insight into the circular risk score of the business (or project) to be financed and incorporating this score into decision-making for financing and investments.
To get started with the scorecard or for more information, please refer to this page (EN) or this page (NL).
Furthermore, the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren organises two deep dive sessions,
free to attend, on:
Tuesday 5 March from 16.00-17.00h;
Wednesday 27 March 16.00-17.00h.
Please register via Jeroen@copper8.com.
For general inquiries, contact: Hilde Sijbring (hilde.sijbring@circularfinancelab.nl).
For scorecard-related inquiries, contact: Jeroen van Muiswinkel (jeroen@copper8.com).
The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren is part of the Sustainable Finance Platform of the Dutch Central Bank.
About the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren
Established in 2021 under the Sustainable Finance Platform of the Dutch Central Bank, the Dutch circular finance initiative Kopgroep Circulair Financieren employs a project-oriented approach with core values being action, connection, and anticipation. The group operates with dedicated teams on impactful projects contributing to at least one goal on the Circular Finance Roadmap 2030. Members include representatives from financial institutions such as ABN AMRO, European Investment Bank, ING, Invest-NL, Royal Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants (NBA), Dutch Banking Association, Sustainable Water Bank, Rabobank, Regional Development Agencies, and Triodos Bank. Strategic partners include the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Province of Utrecht, and Municipality of Amsterdam.
The Netherlands has made notable progress in recycling and waste management over the past years. However, the nation’s sheer volume of waste production hinders its goal of having a fully circular economy by 2050. On average, Dutch households produce 524 kilogrammes of waste per capita, which is above the European average of 517 kilogrammes per capita. This constitutes a total of 9.1 million tonnes of household waste generated in the Netherlands annually and underscores the need for robust waste prevention strategies.
Waste prevention is a far more impactful circular strategy than recycling and energy recovery. That is why the Netherlands is making efforts to cut waste at its source, encouraging its citizens to practice reduce, reuse and repair—the most effective circular R-strategies.
As part of these efforts, Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), the executive agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, asked Circle Economy Foundation to investigate how cities can be designed to promote waste reduction among residents and small businesses.
The resultant report, titled 'Zero Waste Cities of the Future,' highlighted five circular urban policy instruments to realise a vision for a waste-free city. A city geared towards waste prevention would forgo certain features to make space for new, innovative facilities and logistic networks. These instruments can reshape the urban environment, making waste prevention appealing to both consumers and producers.
By implementing these urban policy instruments, Dutch cities can lead the way in sustainable, circular practices, creating an inspiring model for the rest of the world to follow.
The report can be downloaded via this link in Dutch and English.
Amsterdam, 24 January 2024—Over the past five years, the number of discussions, debates and articles related to the circular economy has almost tripled in spite of the global circularity rate falling from 9.1% to 7.2%. This is according to the Circularity Gap Report 2024, launched by Circle Economy Foundation today. The report moves from theory to action by identifying how the three main enablers of policy, finance and labour can drive sustainable progress worldwide.
In the last five years, humanity consumed a whopping 500 billion tonnes of materials—nearly equal to what was consumed during the entire 20th century. The global circularity rate has fallen steadily from 9.1% in 2018, when Circle Economy Foundation began measuring, to 7.2% in 2023. This means that out of all the materials consumed worldwide, we’re consuming more virgin materials than ever—while the share of secondary materials is in decline.
Accelerating progress toward a circular economy means addressing the root causes of linear impacts and changing the rules of the game to favour circular practices. The Circularity Gap Report 2024 outlines how policy, finance and employment reforms can reshape global systems to promote circularity.
‘Leveraging the Circularity Gap Report, stakeholders are able to prioritise their circular roadmap based on a data-driven analysis. Policymakers, industry leaders, and financial institutions can agree on focus areas and work collaboratively on the systemic change needed to stay within our planetary boundaries,’ says Ivonne Bojoh, CEO of Circle Economy Foundation. ‘To ensure the transition to a circular economy is just and fair, circular solutions must be designed with the world’s most vulnerable populations in mind, then these solutions will reduce inequalities across workforces and increase job opportunities worldwide.’
Ultimately, the report proposes a strategy to break free from flawed economic practices known to be socially and environmentally exploitative. This will require unlocking capital, rolling out bold, contextually appropriate policies and closing the sustainable and circular skills gap.
Policies and legal frameworks can incentivise sustainable and circular practices while penalising harmful, linear ones. Wealthy countries could achieve the most impact by adjusting regulations in the construction and manufacturing industries. Examples include incentivising retrofitting and reusing buildings (and their components and materials), developing certification and warranties for secondary building materials, setting standards for product durability, and strengthening the Right to Repair legislation.
In middle-income countries, fostering circular agriculture and manufacturing will be a top priority. Local governments could, for example, impose and enforce public bans and limits on pollution, mandate Extended Producer Responsibility schemes and require a minimum amount of recovered materials for all new production while directing funds to regenerative farming.
Lower-income countries could prioritise sustainable development through circular policies in construction and agriculture. These include relieving debt and improving access to development and transition capital, securing smallholder farmer rights and incentivising the use of local, organic and secondary materials in construction.
To unlock finance for circular construction and manufacturing in high-income countries, the study suggests rethinking accounting standards and practices as well as rolling out taxes to increase the price of unsustainable products.
In emerging economies, governments can shift subsidies away from polluting practices in agriculture and manufacturing and towards clean, regenerative ones. In addition, they can ensure all future investments align with ecological and social wellbeing standards.
Development and transition funds could be used in lower-income countries to support circular measures across key sectors like agriculture and construction—regenerative farming and smart urban planning, for example.
Finally, the report underscores the need to enable a just transition by bridging labour and skills gaps. This means education curricula—especially for vocational education—should include green disciplines and skills. Short-term courses could be a solution to meet the immediate and growing demand for green jobs, from renewable energy technicians to repair specialists.
In addition, developing countries could formalise informal employment and focus on making emerging jobs decent, inclusive and well-paid to ensure a just transition for all.
Read the report at https://www.circularity-gap.world/2024
We are a global impact organisation with an international team of passionate experts based in Amsterdam. We empower industries, cities and nations with practical and scalable solutions to put the circular economy into action. Our vision is an economic system that ensures the planet and all people can thrive. To avoid climate breakdown, our goal is to double global circularity by 2032. The Circularity Gap Report (CGR®) is brought to you by Circle Economy Foundation.
Structured evidence about circular strategies and their impacts—economic, environmental and social—is often not available to decision-makers. Instead, decision-making is oriented around linear data that does not adequately consider the quality of life and wellbeing of people and the planet. The Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative aims to bridge these knowledge gaps.
For questions and interviews, please contact Ana Birliga Sutherland, Writer and Editor at Circle Economy Foundation, at ana@circle-economy.com.
