ICLEI Circulars accompanies local and regional governments along their circular development journey, regardless of their starting point.
The Circle Lab for Cities program provided a framework and digital tools that support circular development planning and implementation at the local level. Cities could learn about the circular economy, explore their city’s data to identify and match their climate challenges with the right circular solution, and act to advance their transition to a circular economy in priority sectors.
CIRC-PACK focused on developing bio-based and recyclable plastics and improving recycling processes. By creating new bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics for the manufacture of a wide range of products, this project aimed to reduce the environmental footprint of packaging. It also helped enhance the design of products to facilitate sorting, promote reuse, and encourage recycling.
With a focus on the intersecting areas of food, health, and climate change, the ACE Africa project guided entrepreneurs and new start-ups through an incubation program, providing a platform for exposure to and interaction with mature circular economy businesses, funders, and government officials.
Piloted in the cities of Apeldoorn, Bodø, Mikkeli, Porto, Seville, Høje-Taastrup and Roskilde, CityLoops focused on a series of demonstration actions to close the loop of two of the most important waste streams in Europe: Construction and demolition, and bio-waste.
PlastiCircle tested innovations in waste collection, transport, sorting and recycling, and aims to transform plastic packaging waste into valuable products. It helped develop smart containers to increase collection rates of plastic waste; cost-effective waste transport systems connected to IoT cloud platforms; innovative optical sorting technologies to improve sorting; and new value-added recycled plastic products.
CLEVER Cities reimagined urban development by putting nature at the center of social and environmental transformation. Working through “Action Labs” in Hamburg, London, and Milan, the project tested nature-based solutions such as green corridors and revitalized public spaces, designed not only to improve biodiversity and climate resilience but also to build stronger, healthier, and more inclusive communities.
Rapid urban growth is increasing waste in cities; reusable packaging offers a solution. The project ‘Circular City Labs (CCL) – Testing reusable packaging systems in cities’ aims to reduce and prevent waste through reusable packaging systems and strengthen women’s participation in local circular economies. Implemented in Tirana (Albania), Tbilisi (Georgia), and Medellín (Colombia), along with select areas in South Africa, it includes baseline studies, pilot testing for women-led companies, training for women in leadership and circular economy practices.
Funded by the European Union (EU) since 2007, SWITCH-Asia focuses on accelerating the adoption of circular economy practices among textile and apparel MSMEs in the Chinese cities of Huzhou and Shaoxing. ICLEI Circulars provides technical support and benchmarking expertise to foster greener business models throughout the entire value chain, from sustainable design and production to recycling and end of life strategies.
The UrbanShift City Academy is a global platform that offers eight online courses focused on city planning and climate action for decision-makers and technical staff. ICLEI Circulars developed the Circular Economy module, which helps cities create inclusive strategies, tailored to local needs and available in multiple languages.