small_iclei.png

thumbnail_iclei.png

iclei.png

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>

large_Circular-City-Actions-Framework-infographic-scaled_gray background.jpeg

medium_Circular-City-Actions-Framework-infographic-scaled_gray background.jpeg

small_Circular-City-Actions-Framework-infographic-scaled_gray background.jpeg

thumbnail_Circular-City-Actions-Framework-infographic-scaled_gray background.jpeg

Circular-City-Actions-Framework-infographic-scaled_gray background.jpeg

Circular Cities

large_eugene-kuznetsov-swmakc2l4EM-unsplash_2.jpeg

medium_eugene-kuznetsov-swmakc2l4EM-unsplash_2.jpeg

small_eugene-kuznetsov-swmakc2l4EM-unsplash_2.jpeg

thumbnail_eugene-kuznetsov-swmakc2l4EM-unsplash_2.jpeg

eugene-kuznetsov-swmakc2l4EM-unsplash_2.jpeg

Policy case

Contribution to social parity, or impact on social disparity

Equality

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 agricultural products and processing them into food and beverageproducts for consumption

Agri/Food

Societal Services

Utilise waste streams as a source of secondary resources and recover waste for reuse and recycling

Use waste as a resource

Work together throughout the supply chain, internally within organisations and with the public sector and communities to increase transparency and create joint value

Team up to create joint value

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within other industries

Valorise waste streams - open loop

Industry peers to industry peer collaboration to create joint value and identify synergies

Industry collaboration

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

Circular procurement

Other

'Manage' influences the use and function of physical and material elements within the urban environment. 

Manage

'Incentivise' sends market signals and support to businesses, citizens and governments to promote certain activities.

Incentivise

Grant funding

 Public Procurement

Develop circular criteria for public procurement of assets

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

large_5R_Rethink.png

medium_5R_Rethink.png

small_5R_Rethink.png

thumbnail_5R_Rethink.png

5R_Rethink.png

Rethink

Eliminate waste by maximizing the recovery of resources at the end of the use phase so that they can be reintroduced into production processes


large_5R_Recover.png

medium_5R_Recover.png

small_5R_Recover.png

thumbnail_5R_Recover.png

5R_Recover.png

Recover

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 separation and recovery

Local governments can act as the first movers, and accelerate the transition towards a more circular food system through integrating circular criteria into public procurement policies for food. Purchasing decisions by local governments, -such as buying food for canteens in municipal offices and schools-, have a large economic influence in the region, and create important market demand for circular businesses and products.

Criteria within public procurement could, for example, prioritise regionally and organically produced foods, encourage the use of recyclable packaging and assess food waste prevention. Low-carbon and plant-based menus could also be developed. Used strategically, public procurement can be used to drive innovation in the sector to meet these circular demands,for example, new circular cultivation techniques and technologies, and low-impact food and packaging products.


thumbnail_procurement.jpeg

procurement.jpeg

🍏  Circular public procurement of food products and services

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

Cycle strategies aim to cycle and reuse materials at their highest value: they maximise the volume of secondary materials re-entering the economy, ultimately minimising the need for virgin material inputs and therefore also narrowing flows. Of course, virgin materials will always be needed to a degree: all materials degrade and can’t be cycled infinitely, use energy, and require blending with virgin materials to maintain strength and functionality.

Cycle

Impacts

small_climate-4803653_640.jpg

thumbnail_climate-4803653_640.jpg

climate-4803653_640.jpg

Industries

small_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

thumbnail_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policy Instruments

medium_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

small_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

thumbnail_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

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

large_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

medium_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

small_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

thumbnail_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

Urban Opportunities

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

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

Thematic Areas

City Stakeholders

![Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Screen_Shot_2024_10_21_at_16_53_12_12858da6aa.png)

Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

medium_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

small_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

thumbnail_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

 In Italia ogni anno si buttano nella spazzatura 145 chili di cibo per abitante. Nelle mense scolastiche, un pasto su tre finisce nel cassonetto e nei supermercati lo spreco alimentare pesa per 18,8 chili all’anno ogni metro quadro. Ma sul fronte del cibo sprecato, ci sono anche buone notizie.
L’Italia è il quarto paese al mondo nella lotta allo spreco alimentare e, secondo la Coldiretti, nell’ultimo anno quasi tre italiani su quattro (71%) hanno diminuito o annullato gli sprechi alimentari.
I “Diari di Famiglia dello spreco” raccontano che ogni giorno le famiglie gettano 100,1 grammi di cibo a testa: 36,92 kg di alimenti all’anno, per un costo di 250 euro annui. Per fortuna, è il 40% in meno rispetto al 2016, quando nella pattumiera erano finiti 84 kg. Il risparmio è stato di 110 euro. 
Il cibo più gettato è la verdura, seguito da latte e latticini, frutta e prodotti da forno. Nelle mense scolastiche quasi 1/3 dei pasti viene gettato, il 29,5%, 120 grammi per ogni studente. Lo spreco alimentare pesa anche nella grande distribuzione. 
Dai dati monitorati dai ricercatori delle Università di Bologna e della Tuscia emerge che negli ipermercati incide per 9,5 kg all’anno per ogni metro quadro di superficie di vendita e nei supermercati per 18,8 kg/anno per mq. Tradotto per ogni cittadino italiano significa una produzione di spreco di 2,89 kg/anno pro capite, vale a dire 55,6 grammi a settimana e 7,9 grammi al giorno.
In termini economici, l’incidenza dello spreco alimentare sul fatturato dei punti vendita è sotto l’1% per gli ipermercati, e di circa 1,4% per i supermercati. Ma secondo il Food Sustainability Index, l’Italia è anche quarta nella classifica mondiale della sostenibilità del sistema alimentare. Prima è la Francia, seguita da Germania e Spagna. Confrontando l’indice del 2016 con quello del 2017, nel nostro paese si è passati dal 3,58% del cibo gettato rispetto a quello prodotto, al 2,3%. 
Fonte: ANSA
Potrebbe interessarti:




Carnevale in Basilicata: tra piatti tipici, falò e campanacci



         Melania Di Clemente

         WHERE: Italy – Città Metropolitana di RomaWHEN: Ongoing: Call for tenders was launched in December 2017 and application deadline was in January 2018.WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY: Multiple – Prevention, Reusing, Recycling                                                                                                                  TYPE OF INSTRUMENT: Regulatory/normativeWASTE STREAMS: Municipal waste, Food and organic waste   About: The Metropolitan City of Rome published a tender for calls to award contributions to those municipalities willing to undertake projects aimed at reducing food waste and rescuing unsold food for charities or animal feed. Guidelines on the development of proper project proposals were included in tender documents.           
Reduction of waste management costs for organic and food waste with social and environmental benefits;
Engagement of private stakeholders (i.e. citizens, grocery retail sector, restaurants) in food prevention and recovery activities.
Donation of uneaten and/or unsold food to charities or animal feed.
Tax relief for those commercial activities supporting waste prevention and recovery projects.
       1. Knowhow: municipalities are required to develop specific projects aimed at raising awareness on food waste prevention and at rescuing unsold food.
2. Funding/budget: The overall funds involved in the implementation of this practice amounted to € 500.000 and were awarded by the metropolitan and regional authorities. Each municipality can receive up to € 25.000 for the implementation of its specific pro-ject.
3. Material resources:
–  Municipal Regulation for Waste Management modified to include tax reliefs fore-seen by national Law 166/2016 and other tax reliefs foreseen in relation to recy-cling practices (i.e. Home Composting).– Documentation for the request of tax relief and communication of termination of requirements for tariff advantages.
4. Human resources: Municipal technical and administrative staff to be engaged in the modification of the regulation, in the collection and verification of documentation, in the transfer of benefits in the waste bills.
5. Period of implementation: winning projects are expected to last at least one year.
     Italian waste in the food industry
Photo Source: Barrilla Center for Food & Nutrition       Expected results are the reduction of food waste and lowering the waste collection and management costs.
The Italian authorities in general (and Municipality of Rome, in particular) are permanently seeking for solutions in fighting against food losses and waste.
Every year in Italy are thrown away over 5 million tons of food, the equivalent of 15.4% of food consumption, an amount that would be enough to feed all the families still in poverty in this country.
At the same time, donations to charitable organizations represent less than 9% of the food surpluses that the entire supply chain produces. Encouraging donations, which allow waste reduction and related management costs, also by introducing a concept of reward, such as a reduction in waste tax, would represent a powerful stimulus to support donations.[1]
[1]https://www.casilinanews.it/80239/attualita/roma-spreco-alimentare.html       Urban metabolism relevance   Food is wasted before, during or after meal preparation in the households and is discarded during production, manufacturing, distribution, retail and catering.Food waste in industrialized countries is as high as in developing countries:-In developing countries, over 40% of food losses happen after harvest and during processing;-In industrialized countries, over 40% occurs at retail and consumer level.[2]

Rome

small_blob

thumbnail_blob

blob

Municipality of Rome

The Metropolitan City of Rome published a tender for calls to award contributions to those municipalities willing to undertake projects aimed at reducing food waste and rescuing unsold food for charities or animal feed. Guidelines on the development of proper project proposals were included in tender documents.

Incentives for commercial and productive activities related to food waste

Producing and providing business and consumer goods and services

Goods and Services

Producing electronics products for businesses and consumers, including cellular phones, personal computers, printers, servers, electronic computer components and peripherals, TVs, audio equipment, as well as household appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

Electronics and Appliances

Develop infrastructure to support sustainable lifestyles

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

Businesses

Rome negotiates on Public Administration Electronic Market (MEPA) for the supply of recycled (refilled) cartridges for printers, PC, copiers and fax machines for the offices. The purchase includes 39 Black/White recycled cartridges and 9 coloured recycled cartridges. The services of collection of used cartridges is in compliance with current legislation.

Procurement of recycled cartridges in Rome

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

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Direct and indirect reduction in economic costs

Cost Savings

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Producing transporation equipment and providing services for thetransportation of goods and people

Transportation and Logistics

Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities

Public administration and defense; compulsory social security

Collection programmes that process products and parts for reuse or recycling within the same industry

Closed loop collection

Initiatives with disadvantaged communities, minorities, people distanced from the labour market

Give-back programmes

Implementation of strategies to collect recyclable waste in order to make it accessible and available to be used as an input in industrial processes (big or small). These are door-to-door collection (higher recovery rates but more costly intensive), drop-off schemes (cheaper but less effective, more common in cities with high housing density), or a combination of the two, and their corresponding incentive schemes. 

Collect recyclables

Collection of waste arising from commercial and industrial actors

Collect non residential

Collect organic waste generated by households and related businesses for use in, for example, composting and anaerobic digestion facilities.

Collect organic

 Direct Financial Support

Do better with less by using and supporting infrastructure, processes and products that are designed to minimize material, water and energy use and waste generation from production to end of use


large_5R_Reduce.png

medium_5R_Reduce.png

small_5R_Reduce.png

thumbnail_5R_Reduce.png

5R_Reduce.png

Reduce

Ensure that infrastructure and built assets in the city are designed and upgraded to be as resource-efficient as possible.

Design infrastructure and the built environment for resource efficiency

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

The demand for transport is rising globally—but current modes are heavily material- and fossil-fuels-intensive. Emissions from the transport system could grow by 60% by 2050, and transport is the number-one user of oil worldwide. GHG emissions result not only in warming global temperatures, but also in ocean acidification, which has severe consequences for entire ecosystems and further destabilises our climate. The transport system also drives land-use change and biodiversity loss through the development of infrastructure—also releasing harmful pollutants into the ocean. Key circular solutions:

- Embrace and enable car-free lifestyles
- Invest in high-quality public transport
- Rethink unnecessary air travel
- Electrify remaining vehicles

🚌 Mobility Systems

Communities

Nace Sectors

Atac

The city of Rome has an increasing problem with trash: its inhabitants neglect recycling and waste disposal, leading to a lot of littering in the streets. As a way of changing their citizen's behaviour, Rome's authorities have taken an innovative approach. They placed machines in select metro stations that allow users to receive five cents of digital credit for the Roman metro for each plastic bottle returned at the machine. While the three machines are only a step on the way to a better recycling system in Rome, they are well-received and widely used by the local population.