Policy case

Impact on increased knowledge and understanding as a result of the case study

Increase Awareness

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)

Reduced use and withdrawal of water and rate of recycling and reuse of water

Save Water (SDG6)

Reduced use of fossil fuel energy sources and/or increased use of renewable energy

Reduce Energy Consumption

Extracting resources and processing them to produce materials for use bysociety

Materials and Fuels

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

Transportation and Logistics

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


Construction and Infrastructure

Providing public and private education and support services at any level or for any profession, and governmental and public administration services, including judicial, regulatory, and legislative activities, taxation, defence, public order and safety, immigration services, foreign affairs and the administration of government programmes

Education and Government Services

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

Use waste as a resource

Enacting measures that optimise energy use

Energy efficiency

Participating in government programmes that support and advance the circular economy

Government programmes

Other

Encourage workplace training

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

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Industries

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

Policy Instruments

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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

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

Urban Opportunities

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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

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Lorraine Cookson, Senior Behaviour Change Officer with the Climate Change and Environment Team reflects on the Sustainable Schools Programme
Just before the schools broke up for the summer holidays I had the pleasure of welcoming children and staff from nine of our Sustainable Schools to a special awards ceremony at the Council House.
Excited children (and staff) from schools across the city tumbled into the beautiful Banqueting Suite and Eco Teams took turns in giving presentations on the environmental work they had been doing as part of the Sustainable Schools Programme.  Everyone had a fantastic time celebrating the fact that children, staff and the wider communities had worked hard to reduce carbon emissions and raise awareness of environmental issues.  They also went away with certificates and tummies full of delicious cakes – which will help ensure the memory doesn’t fade.
The Sustainable Schools Programme has been running for three years and this year 18 schools across the city took part.  The programme offers schools a series of workshops on key topics around things like energy saving, sustainable transport, healthy eating, sustainable waste and recycling and various biodiversity and growing projects.  Each workshop is delivered by a specialist in the field and is following up with an action plan.
The programme supports schools in reducing their carbon footprint and involves pupils and staff alike in making the school more sustainable.  As a minimum schools save 10% on their energy bills.  For instance, this year Hodge Hill Girls retrofitted their school with LED lighting, new boilers and new windows and they have projected savings of £20k over the next few years.  At the end of the process, schools submit their evidence and successful schools are awarded Sustainable Schools Status.
This year we were also set the challenge of supporting the council’s Fleet and Waste Team with its wheelie bin roll out and the overarching objective of increasing recycling levels.  Children designed posters for the new recycling collection lorries and did homework about the importance of recycling and the effects on the environment if you don’t manage waste sustainably.  96% of parents who took part in our survey told us that they’d done more recycling as a direct result of this homework, so something of a success!
I wonder what we’ll achieve next year …. Tags:  Birmingham City council, Climate Change and the Environment, , Eco teams, Lorraine Cookson, Schools, Sustainability, Sustainable Schools Programme 

Municipality of Birmingham and Birmingham Green Commission

Municipality of Birmingham

<p>The Sustainable School Programme supports schools to save on their energy bills and become more sustainable with a package of guided, expert support. The programme offers a learning structure for taking actions towards sustainability supported through a series of training workshops. It includes: (1) introduction to sustainable schools programme; (2) energy saving; (3) advanced energy saving and water; (4) sustainable transport and road safety; (5) sustainable waste management and recycling; (6) biodiversity, food and growing projects; and (7) evidence assembly.</p>

Sustainable School Programme

Birmingham’s Green Commission is a partnership that acts as an advisory body
to the City Council and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise
Partnership on all matters relating to the environment and sustainability. The
Commission exists to monitor and inform citizens of the progress being made
towards Birmingham’s target of reducing carbon emissions by 60% by 2027. The
Green Commission’s priorities are (1)to accelerate investment in how we heat
and power the city; (2) to create more local renewable energy; (3) to improve
the way we travel and get around; and (4) to widen our investment in building
energy efficiency programmes.



Birmingham's Green Commission

The Carbon Roadmap is a framework which identifies the aims, objectives and
targets to be met in order for Birmingham to achieve its target of 60% CO2
emissions reduction by 2027. It provides a structure for the city to measure,
monitor and adapt to its low carbon future. The Roadmap has 5 themes: (1)
catalysing green growth & behaviour (enabling change to support jobs, green
growth and an improved quality of life); (2) natural capital & adaptation
(securing, enhancing and maintaining natural assets as a driver of the city's
economic success); (3) transport & mobility: improving how we travel and get
around Birmingham; (4) Energy & Resources: generating more low and zero carbon
energy and improving heating and power systems; and (5) buildings &
efficiency: improving the energy efficiency of the city's buildings.

