ICLEI Circulars accompanies local and regional governments along their circular development journey, regardless of their starting point.
CIRCULAR BIOCARBON presents a first-of-a-kind flagship biorefinery designed to valorise the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and sewage sludge into high added-value products. The biorefinery will turn urban waste streams generated in cities into products for industries and end-consumers, including coating of products and mechanical moving parts, compostable waste bags, solid fertiliser and liquid biobased biostimulant.
In February 2022, the United Nations adopted resolution 5/14 to create a global treaty addressing plastic pollution. By August 2025, this treaty has stalled. The Local and Subnational Governments Coalition advocates for the recognition and meaningful inclusion of subnationals in waste management and community engagement.
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.
Involving 26 partners to improve food security and urban sustainability in over 65 cities in Africa (Mbale, Uganda, Kisumu, Kenya, Tunis, Tunisia, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Cape Town, South Africa) and Europe, AfriFOODlinks promotes healthy diets, transforms urban food systems, supports women and youth in agri-food businesses, and strengthens inclusive governance. ICLEI Circulars engages in the project through its Circularity & Inclusivity Business program, which supports up to 15 local food companies in adopting circular and socially inclusive practices.