Policy case

Providing residential and non-residential construction services, such as architectural, engineering, planning, real-estate, contracting, and inspection services

Construction and Real Estate Services

Producing building materials and finished and semi-finished building products for construction

Construction Materials and Products

Putting in place purchasing guidelines for procurement departments and evaluating suppliers on circular economy principles

Circular procurement

Working together with stakeholders and parties in other unrelated industries to implement circular economy strategies and opportunities

Cross-industry projects, pilots

Engaging in discussions with industry stakeholders to share circular economy best practices and push the industry towards greater circularity

Guidance, dialogue with industry stakeholders

Participating in government programmes that support and advance the circular economy

Government programmes

Facilitate discussions and meetings between internal team members to identify circular opportunities

Dialogue with internal stakeholders

Industries

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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

 One step can lead to a thousand miles, so goes the popular adage. For Kevine Kagirimpundu and her colleague Ysolde Shimwe, their passion for fashion paid off when they started a handcraft shoe company in 2013 after studying creative design at University of Rwanda’s School of Environmental Design and Architecture. Through a friendship that blossomed into a business partnership and what started as an idea, is now producing fruits. Sunday Magazine’s Joan Mbabazi talked to the duo about their handcraft shoe company which now produces 200 pairs of shoes a day. What inspired you to start this company? We had the enthusiasm, brains and capital (through our saving), but fashion is something that cannot be under looked since it is what makes people’s daily lives. We also were and still look forward to show casing quality on the International map through our high quality handmade flip-flops. But most importantly we had a burning desire to employ youth and women. How are you working towards fashion development in the country? We train a number of Rwandans to use products needed on the market and we have been conducting a number of trainings for the last few years. We have a six months training that is starting on Monday that will teach people how to make footwear so that they develop skills that would help them startup companies provided they have capital or get jobs. Skills attained will help youths focus on work and reduce on the rate of drug abuse which is mostly caused by idleness. Tell us more about your company Our company is located in Gahanga where we manufacture the shoes from but we have fashion shops located at Kigali heights and Kigali airport Duty free, we have 35employees. Our footwear prices range from Rwf20,000 to Rwf25,000 a pair but the prices can be reduced depending on the quantity ordered by the client. How do you make these shoes? Well, after cutting materials like plant leather, canvas, fabrics and liners with a machine, our team starts the production process of sewing, designing, weaving and proper finishing, until the final stage where shoes are ready for sale, we work tooth and nail to produce at least 200 pairs per day. Any challenges encountered on the way? No road is smooth; our main problem is lack of skills which we are trying our best solve through our business trainings. For the last five years, is there anything you have achieved? Through hard work, we have been able to reinvest, give employment to youths and women who have been able to cater for their households but we also attracted customers both locally and internationally through trade shows. Who do you look up to? (Kagirimpundu), My father is my role model because he owned a fashion house and influenced me to venture into fashion while Shimwe appreciates her mother who pushed her to work tirelessly even when she thought like giving up. We also appreciate the president that he makes it easy for us to import raw materials from other countries. What is that moment that shaped you in to employers? At first, we only had the theory of making shoes but unfortunately lacked the practical experience but that didn’t ruin our desire and hunger for starting a business, but after a short while, we were trained by a shoe making expert on how to make shoes. If we had given up, the company could not be in existence. What does the future hold for you? We are looking forward to promoting our brand internationally so that Rwanda is recognised for its unique fashion. We will still train Rwandans to make shoes and will be able to improve the quality of shoes continuously. We also yearn to employ more workers in order to reduce unemployment. 

Netherlands

Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment

This report explores the relevance of the concept of the ‘circular economy’ for the Netherlands’ construction sector, and also the reverse, what the construction sector could contribute to the circular economy in general. In various ‘Green Deals’ and other societal initiatives, the circular economy is the main theme, or at least an important side issue. The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (IenM), the commissioning party for this survey, wants to know in particular what the role of the Dutch government should be in the efforts to make the economy in the construction sector circular. As the basis for this report, the frontrunners and sector organisations in the area of circular economy as related to the construction sector were asked to help the government to answer this question.&nbsp;

Circular economy in the Dutch construction sector - A perspective for the market and government

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This collection features a selection of case studies, mainly based on the [2024 Circularity Gap Report](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2024). 

In this year’s Report, we shift from exploring the what to the how: exploring the different ways that we need to ‘change the rules of the game’ and create a set of conditions that discourage the overshoot of planetary boundaries and ‘undershoot’ of human development. This process has resulted in us spotlighting 12 of the original 16 solutions, highlighting the country profile that they are most relevant to, as well as placing people at the centre of this story for the first time. Based on extensive interviews and desk research, this Report aims to show governments and industry leaders that if they want to turn theory into action and scale an economy that delivers on needs within the safe limits of the planet, they need to dismantle harmful entrenched processes and align enabling elements. 

[Circle Economy](https://www.circle-economy.com/) is 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. 

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. 

To learn more about these interventions to accelerate the circular transition, read the [latest Circularity Gap Report 2024](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2024), as well as previous editions of the global [Circularity Gap Reports](https://www.circularity-gap.world/global).

Global Circularity Gap Report 2024

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Producing building materials and providing services to create residential and non-residential infrastructure and real estate


Construction and Infrastructure

Provide guidance or professional training to educate employees to use circular economy principles

Training on the circular economy

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

Inform

Integrate principles of circularity into primary, secondary and tertiary curriculum and conduct workplace trainings

 Education and Curriculum

These countries are home to around a quarter of the global population, yet consume over one-third (34%) of raw materials. Shift countries’ material footprint per capita is 4.6 times that of Build countries (largely due to the overconsumption of consumer goods imported from Grow counties) and 1.6 times that of Grow countries.

These are high-income countries in the Global North, as well as in the Gulf, Australia, and Oceania. Examples include:
- Member States of the EU
- the US
- Japan
- the UK
- Canada
- Argentina, ...

While much of their infrastructure is already built, they still contribute heavily to the overshoot of planetary boundaries: they contribute 42% of climate change, 27% of nitrogen, 18% of phosphorus, 16% of freshwater use and 38% of land use change.

To find out what country profile your country belongs to, explore [this interactive story](https://circularity-gap.world) and search for your country on the final map.  


Shift

The built environment, including housing, commercial buildings, and the necessary infrastructure for mobility, is essential for our livelihoods, but:
- the extraction of minerals used to produce construction materials is responsible for a quarter of global land use change,
- approximately 40% of global GHG emissions can be attributed to buildings’ construction, use and demolition, and
- construction and demolition processes drive nearly one-third of all material consumption. 

Making the built environment more circular must prioritise a heavy reduction in material use—while also closing the loop on materials and bringing secondary and renewable material choices to the fore. Our four key solutions for the built environment are:
- Make the most of what already exists: Make the most of existing materials by reusing, repurposing, upgrading and renovating following circular approaches. Where new builds are needed, use secondary materials and be as efficient as possible with urban planning solutions that follow circular design principles so that buildings can be reused, repurposed, and easily disassembled in the future.
- Be as energy efficient as possible: From the design phase, utilise circular strategies to create material- and energy efficient buildings. Couple these designs with a rollout of clean energy solutions, and prioritise energy-efficient appliances and retrofitting. 
- Utilise secondary materials: Maximise the high-value reuse of buildings and components where possible. Ideally, enable the utilisation of construction and demolition outputs and ensure that as much of it as possible is recycled to avoid the need for virgin materials, such as sand and gravel.
- Prioritise circular materials and approaches: Transition to using renewable wood, timber or cross-laminated timber instead of steel and concrete, or move to other locally available materials. Utilise mainstream modular construction and prioritise lightweight frames and structures to reduce cement and steel use, as well as green roofs where possible.



🏢 Built Environment

The built environment, including housing, commercial buildings, and the necessary infrastructure for mobility, is essential for our livelihoods, but:
- the extraction of minerals used to produce construction materials is responsible for a quarter of global land use change,
- approximately 40% of global GHG emissions can be attributed to buildings’ construction, use and demolition, and
- construction and demolition processes drive nearly one-third of all material consumption. 

Making the built environment more circular must prioritise a heavy reduction in material use—while also closing the loop on materials and bringing secondary and renewable material choices to the fore. Our four key solutions for the built environment are:
- Make the most of what already exists: Make the most of existing materials by reusing, repurposing, upgrading and renovating following circular approaches. Where new builds are needed, use secondary materials and be as efficient as possible with urban planning solutions that follow circular design principles so that buildings can be reused, repurposed, and easily disassembled in the future.
- Be as energy efficient as possible: From the design phase, utilise circular strategies to create material- and energy efficient buildings. Couple these designs with a rollout of clean energy solutions, and prioritise energy-efficient appliances and retrofitting. 
- Utilise secondary materials: Maximise the high-value reuse of buildings and components where possible. Ideally, enable the utilisation of construction and demolition outputs and ensure that as much of it as possible is recycled to avoid the need for virgin materials, such as sand and gravel.
- Prioritise circular materials and approaches: Transition to using renewable wood, timber or cross-laminated timber instead of steel and concrete, or move to other locally available materials. Utilise mainstream modular construction and prioritise lightweight frames and structures to reduce cement and steel use, as well as green roofs where possible.


🏢 Built environment

Based on extensive interviews and desk research, this Report aims to show governments and industry leaders that if they want to turn theory into action and scale an economy that delivers on needs within the safe limits of the planet, they need to dismantle harmful entrenched processes and align enabling elements - policy, finance, and people

- Build circular expertise and skills: Ensure people are skilled and trained to ensure a just transition where opportunities and decent livelihoods are fairly distributed across and within societies.


People

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

LuisSosaResearch Analyst Circular Jobs Initiative

 Project
Resilient City Leestijd: 2 minuten 
 
 Van september 2020 tot februari 2021 vond een ronde van de TIP Community plaats die specifiek gericht was op Circulair Bouwen. Onder begeleiding van Cora Jongenotter maakte een team van vier studenten en vijf young professionals kennis met circulair bouwen en het ontwikkelen van toepassingsgerichte kennis.
 Het doel van TIP Circulair binnen Bouw & Innovatie, opleiding Bouwkunde, is het vormgeven van een kenniscommunity rond de circulaire economie en zo toepassingsgerichte kennis integreren in het mkb. Wat verandert er voor beroepen in de circulaire economie en hoe kunnen we dat vertalen naar de beroepsprofielen? Tijdens de bijeenkomsten besteedden we eveneens aandacht aan ‘Circular Skills’ en hoe we die skills kunnen inbedden, waardoor meerwaarde voor de student én de vakman ontstaat. De hogeschool werkte hierin samen met de organisatie Leren voor morgen.
Om inhoud te kunnen geven aan een dergelijke community is het van belang dat de deelnemers weten hoe ze hun collega’s en medestudenten in beweging krijgen. Daarnaast biedt de hogeschool masterclasses aan op het gebied van de circulaire economie die een bredere blik bieden dan het thema bouw. Kortom: TIP Circulair biedt kennis en vaardigheden om de circulaire economie verder te ontwikkelen.
Hoe werkt TIP in de praktijk?
Gedurende één dagdeel per week werkten studenten aan de kenniscommunity en kennisontwikkeling. Eén dagdeel per twee weken sloten zowel young professionals als kennispartners aan. De opdracht die de studenten van hun stagebedrijf meekregen, vormde hierin de rode draad.

Masterclasses
Gedurende twintig weken en tien masterclasses namen we de studenten mee in trends en ontwikkelingen binnen de circulaire economie. De sprekers tijdens de masterclasses werden geselecteerd vanuit een brede oriëntatie en afkomstig uit het bedrijfsleven en de wetenschap.
Drijfverentest
Een belangrijk uitgangspunt van de masterclasses is de drijfverentest. Drijfveren zijn een belangrijke factor in het begrijpen van gedrag, zowel bij onszelf als bij de mensen om ons heen. Waarom reageert iedereen anders op dezelfde situatie? Waarom is het met sommige mensen lastig samenwerken en loopt het met anderen juist op rolletjes? De antwoorden liggen vaak in een verschil in drijfveren. De uitkomst van de test is een drijfverenprofiel. Jouw combinatie van drijfveren maakt dat je de dingen doet zoals je ze doet en ze als juist ziet en ervaart. Door kennis en ervaring te verbinden aan drijfveren leerden we op welke manier we het geleerde kunnen delen en zo kennis verspreiden als een olievlek.
Nieuwe ronde
In september 2021 gaat een nieuwe ronde TIP Circulair van start rond digitale ketensamenwerking. Heb je interesse in deelname of wil je meer weten, neem dan contact op met Cora Jongenotter.
Lees ook het artikel over TIP Circulair op Constructif
Lees over TIP Circulair in de position paper van Circle Economy
 

   Voor meer informatie over Circular Skills kun je contact opnemen met projectmanager Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.. Wil je op de hoogte blijven van Circular Skills? Meld je dan hieronder aan voor de nieuwsbrief! Nieuwsbrief Circular Skills Welke vaardigheden zijn benodigd in de transitie naar een circulaire economie? Hoe zijn deze vaardigheden te verankeren in het beroepsonderwijs? En wat hebben docenten nodig om jongeren op te kunnen leiden tot circulaire vakmensen? Met Circular Skills werkt Leren voor Morgen aan het overbruggen van de kloof tussen het beroepsonderwijs en de beroepspraktijk in de circulaire economie. Dat doen we door de belangrijkste vaardigheden in kaart te brengen en deze te verankeren in het onderwijsproces. Daarbij gaat het om zowel technische, vakinhoudelijke kennis van de nieuwste innovaties als om generieke, vakoverstijgende competenties voor een nieuwe samenleving en economie. Op kennisplatform Guides vind je een actueel overzicht van Circular Skills projecten.     

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Leren voor Morgen is an Utrecht-based cooperative working on education for sustainable development in the Netherlands. Over 100 member organisations collaborate on projects to drive systemic change in the field of education, from pre-school to university and lifelong-learning programs. Leren voor Morgen acts as the national coordinator for the implementation in the Netherlands of Sustainable Development Goal 4, Quality Education.

Leren voor Morgen

The Goldschmeding Foundation for People, Work and Economy is working towards an inclusive and sustainable world based on the conviction that a better world is reached when people serve each other’s interests. To this they support innovative field projects and excellent scientific research within the themes Inclusiveness, Circular Economy and Humane Economy.

Goldschmeding Foundation

Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool Rotterdam) has more than 39,000 students and about 4,000 employees. There are a wide variety of programmes to choose from across all educational sectors, with the exception of the agrarian sector. Our education is closely connected to developments in the metropolitan region of Rotterdam.

Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences

The Circular Skills Programme was first created by the sustainable education cooperative Leren voor Morgen in collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Goldschmeding Foundation. The Circular Skills Programme works to bridge the gap between the vocational education and professional practice in the circular economy, such as in construction. It does this by identifying skills gaps in industries adopting circular economy strategies and puts in place regional projects-while encouraging educational reform on a national level to close the gaps.A partner of the Circular Skills Programme is TIP Circulair, run by Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. TIP Circulair is a learning community for students and professionals that looks at how the adoption of circular economy strategies is changing occupational requirements and how best to translate this into occupational profiles.To support the retention of young people coming into the industry and maximise the potential for innovation through knowledge exchange, leading professionals and engineers from the TIP community are paired with young interns and apprentices working within construction and installation companies. They meet once a week to discuss successes and challenges in order to jointly develop their circular knowledge. The TIP Community also comes together for ten half-days spread over 20 weeks to exchange knowledge and receive master classes on emerging approaches from the circular construction and installation field.TIP Circulair is an example of how to facilitate mutual learning between professionals and interns or apprentices, as well as how co-creation and action-based learning can be used to overcome concrete challenges in the workplace in a timely way.

Circular Skills Programme and TIP Circulair

The Rijkswaterstaat is part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Environment in the Netherlands. It is responsible for the reconstruction
project of 19 km of the A12 near Arnhem. The project is a Design, Build,
Maintain and Finance (DBFM) contract that demonstrates the benefits that
circular thinking and procurement practices can enable in large scale
infrastructure projects.The A12 refurbishment project is in two parts. The
first part comprised the reconstruction of the A12 motorway between Ede and
Grisjoord junction. Civil engineering works included widening, adaptation and
re-laying of carriageways; mitigation works (including noise reduction) and
ongoing maintenance of infrastructure over 16 years. The second part of the
DBFM contract is an 18 year contract for the regular maintenance of the A12
between Ede and Veenendal. This includes the availability of the
infrastructure and technical facilities such as emergency lanes, connections
and lighting.

