17 January 2018, Amsterdam. This month ecos and Circle Economy are launching the Circular Cities Switzerland project that aims to expand the breadth and depth of the circular economy dialogue in Switzerland. The project focuses on the development of tangible circular strategies in the cities of Bern and Basel - two of Switzerland's most iconic and forward-thinking cities. The 'Circular Cities Switzerland' project is supported by MAVA, a family-led philanthropic foundation, with a key focus on sustainable economy. The 'Circular Cities Switzerland' project runs for 8 months and aims to systematically prepare the ground to implement compelling and internationally visible circular economy projects. These so‐called “lighthouse projects” will demonstrate the economic, social and environmental benefits of the circular economy and accelerate the narrative at a national level.
“I am excited that we have been able to create this partnership between ecos and Circle Economy in which we bring together leading expertise on the topic of the circular economy and sustainable development. The partnership will demonstrate how Swiss cities can join the exciting journey towards circular material flows”, said Holger Schmid, Director Sustainable Economy, at MAVA.
The Circular Cities Switzerland project will firstly provide a baseline analysis and strategy development using Circle Economy's Circle City Scan to bring together key municipal and local business stakeholders, guiding them step-by-step from orientation to implementation toward the practical realization of a circular city.
"We are proud to be part of this partnership and grateful for the support of MAVA, which will allow us to accelerate and advance our work by combining CE's methodology and ecos' local expertise to solve the most pressing challenges to cities of our time" said Marc de Wit, Director Strategic Alliances, at Circle Economy.
After the analysis and strategy development process the project will prepare local businesses to implement circular strategies. The outputs of the Circle City Scan will give the most progressive Swiss cities and their stakeholders practical tools and knowledge to set an explicit “circular city agenda”, and take first meaningful steps with local stakeholders to realize new forms of collaboration between businesses, the government, NGOs, and citizens. All learnings will be captured in a handbook that provides a sound framework to start implementation of the circular economy in Swiss Cities.
