Past projects

ICLEI Circulars accompanies local and regional governments along their circular development journey, regardless of their starting point.

1. H4C ECoP

The Hubs4Circularity (H4C) are intended to achieve a systemic change in circular resource use and GHG emission reduction within given geographic areas. Working closely with its sister consortium H4C Europe, H4C ECoP helped existing industrial-urban symbiosis initiatives across Europe and the communities around them overcome their common challenges and achieve the scale and access to key resources needed for the widespread uptake of circular economy models.

The project ran from June 2022 to May 2026.

2. SYMSITES

SYMSITES developed new technologies and solutions based on Industrial and Urban symbiosis for local and regional collaborations among diverse actors and sectors. Its aim was to improve the sustainability of the use of industrial and societal resources starting from wastewater and waste materials. SYMSITES operated in four European EcoSites, from the north (Bornholm, Denmark), through the mid- (Tullnerfeld, Austria), to the south (Alicante, Spain and West Achia, Greece).

The project ran from June 2022 to May 2026.

3. Switch Asia

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 provided 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 project ran from March 2022 to December 2025.

4. Circular City Labs

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.

The project ran from September 2023 to October 2025.

5. UrbanShift City Academy

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.

The project ran from October 2020 to October 2025.

6. DEFINITE-CCRI

The DEFINITE-CCRI project established a “deal engine mechanism” – an assistance program to help make circular economy projects bankable – to provide cities, regions and project developers with streamlined technical and financial expertise, thereby increasing investors’ trust in circular economy innovation.

The project ran from November 2022 to June 2025.

7. BIOMODEL4REGIONS

BIOMODEL4REGIONS supported the establishment of innovative bioeconomy governance models at local/regional level to achieve better-informed decision-making processes, social engagement and innovation. The project was piloted in 6 regions: Normandy (France), Delta region in Southwest Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden, Western Macedonia, Tuscany and whole Italy.

The project ran from July 2022 to June 2025.

8. Urban Rural Assembly

Urban-Rural Assembly improved the understanding of the urban-rural constellation and interdependencies that are emerging along China’s vast urbanisation corridors. Through the development of transferable strategic instruments, enabling tools and guidelines, it fostered knowledge dissemination and transfer across the corridor.

The project ran from June 2019 to September 2024.

9. BUS-GoCircular

BUS-GoCircular developed and implemented a circular construction skills qualification framework with a focus on multifunctional green roofs, façades and interior elements to increase the number of skilled workforce across the value chain. It also addressed the challenges of the stimulation of demand for green energy skilled workforce by involving companies, real estate, home owners and local authorities.

The project ran from September 2021 to February 2024.

10. CityLoops

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.

The project ran from October 2019 to September 2023.

11. CLEVER Cities

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.

The project ran from June 2018 to May 2023.

12. Procure2Innovate

Procure2Innovate established and expanded competence centers for innovation procurement in ten European Union Member States to improve institutional support and quality of advice for public procurers of information and communication technologies, and other product groups implementing innovation procurement.

The project ran from June 2018 to December 2022.

13. Circular Turku

The Circular Turku project designed a regional roadmap to operationalize circularity in the Turku region with the support of local stakeholders and ICLEI Circulars, and to equip local governments around the world with tools and methodologies to design their own circular transitions.

The project ran from August 2019 to August 2022.

14. Alliance + ICLEI Developing Plastic Waste-Free Cities

Involving two cities in India and three cities in Southeast Asia, the project identified and developed investment-ready potential projects to help in preventing leakage of plastic in the environment and in promoting circular solutions

The project ran from November 2020 to July 2022.

15. Circular Lab for Cities

The Circular 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.

The project ran from November 2021 to April 2022.

16. ACE Africa

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.

The project ran from May 2021 to October 2021.

17. Leading City Network on Green Public Procurement

The Leading City Network on Green Public Procurement (GPP) connected participant cities in South Korea, including Gyeonggi-do province, Goyang City, Bucheon City, Daejeon Metropolitan City and Busan Metropolitan City, and enabled local governments to acknowledge the necessity and significance of GPP in addressing climate change and achieving regional sustainable development.

The project ran from June 2019 to October 2021.

18. PlastiCircle

PlastiCircle aimed at a holistic process focused on increasing the recycling rates of packaging waste in Europe. It tested innovations in waste collection, transport, sorting and reprocessing in order to convert plastic packaging waste into valuable products. Through training and awareness raising activities, it promoted replication of the proposed solutions.

The project ran from June 2017 to June 2021.

19. Circular Food System

Circular Food System involved the Metropolitan City of Seoul (Republic of Korea) and the cities of Hiroshima and Sapporo (Japan) to assess the extent to which food systems in East Asian cities are circular, identify policy and action gaps, and provide recommendations and pathways for local governments. This empowered a practical and systemic approach to local food waste management and food system stability.

The project ran from December 2019 to April 2021.

20. BIOVOICES

BIOVOICES aimed to ensure the engagement of all relevant stakeholder groups and tackle bio-based related challenges across Europe through a multi-stakeholder Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) platform that promoted dialogue and co-creation of research, innovation, development and political context in bio-based economy.

The project ran from January 2018 to April 2021.

21. LEA

The Learning Technology Accelerator (LEA) aimed to accelerate knowledge transfer, dialogue and awareness of innovative public procurement in the field of Education and Technology Enhanced Learning. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability set up a European follower group of cities and public procurers, including the Konnevesi Municipality (Finland), the Metropolitan City of Turin (Italy), the City of Braga (Portugal), the Viladecans Municipality (Spain), the City of Gothenburg and the Halmstad Municipality (Sweden).

The project ran from March 2018 to June 2020.

22. CIRC-PACK

CIRC-PACK focused on developing bio-based and recyclable plastics and improving recycling processes to reduce the environmental footprint of packaging. It also helped enhance the design of products to facilitate sorting, promote reuse, and encourage recycling.

The project ran from May 2017 to May 2020.

23. Circular PP

Circular Public Procurement (PP) studied the state of knowledge on circular public procurement in the Baltic sea region, built capacity on circular procurement among relevant stakeholders, and delivered and implemented pilot procurement programs. ICLEI Circulars provided mentoring services to the city of Aalborg, Denmark, in the implementation of two circular procurement pilots, as well as project management and communication support.

The project ran from 2017 to 2020.

24. Development of a Holistic Strategy and Action Plan for Plastic Waste Management in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation

IGES Center Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies (IGES – CCET) works with UNEP-IETC to provide guidance on waste management strategies and their implementation. ICLEI Circulars acted as the technical partner, supporting the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, India, in developing a plastic waste management strategy and action plan, a state level policy, and in building capacities.

The project ran from December 2018 to December 2019.

25. Supporting the Development of Sustainable Solid Waste Management Strategies for the Mountainous Regions of Pakistan, India and Nepal

With support from the Korea Environmental Corporation and the World Bank, ICLEI Circulars assisted the cities of Dharamshala and Kullu-Manali in Himachal Pradesh, India, in developing solid waste management strategies and action plans. These efforts aimed to improve integrated solid waste management across the mountainous regions of Pakistan, India and Nepal.

The project ran from February 2019 to September 2019.

26. INCOVER

INCOVER innovative and sustainable technologies permitted to recover energy (biomethane) and bioproducts (bioplastics, organic acids, biofertiliser, biochar, irrigation water) from municipal, industrial and agricultural wastewater, while reducing the overall operation and maintenance costs of wastewater treatment.

The project ran from June 2016 to July 2019.

27. UrbanWINS

UrbanWINS followed the urban metabolism approach, in which cities are considered living organisms that use natural resources and create a flow of materials and energies. The project analysed waste prevention and management practices across 24 cities, assessing how they contributed towards urban resilience and resource efficiency. These results informed the Strategic Plans for Waste Prevention and Management in eight pilot cities across Italy, Romania, Portugal and Spain.

The project ran from June 2016 to May 2019.

28. The European NGO Network on Green Public Procurement

NGOs are well-placed to provide information to local, regional, and national governments to make them better equipped to engage in Green Public Procurement (GPP). To support them in their work with public procurers, a network of European NGOs was established with the support of the European Commission. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability organized several activities and produced guidance documents for NGOs.

The project ran from April 2016 to April 2019.

29. Solid Waste Management Workshops for Indian Local Officials

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, a flagship program of the Government of India promoting hygienic cities and efficient waste management, ICLEI Circulars conducted Municipal Solid Waste Management Exposure Workshops for more than 100 urban local bodies and strengthened their institutional capacities towards collection, treatment, disposal and efficient management of various types and categories of waste. The project also developed training modules, identified external experts and facilitated site visits for participants from local governments.

The project ran from September 2018 to February 2019.

30. The Urban Nexus

The Urban Nexus, implemented by the GIZ in partnership with ESCAP and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, aimed to enhance the synergy of integrated resource management (water, energy, land use and food) to improve the security of supply and efficiency of urban resource use. The project supported twelve cities across China, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam through practical nexus initiatives and regional exchange.

The project ran from 2013 to 2019.

31. Research on Environmental Industry and Technology Cooperation with India, the Philippines and Indonesia

To strengthen regional environmental cooperation and technology exchange in Asia, China, under the Asia Regional Environmental Technology Cooperation project framework, studied local environmental management in India, and waste/wastewater management systems in the Philippines and Indonesia. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability coordinated the effort and supported the development of three research reports.

The project ran from July 2018 to November 2018.

32. PPI4Waste

PPI4Waste aimed to support resource efficiency, sustainable consumption and waste management throughout Europe by increasing the use of public procurement of innovation (PPI) via a coordinated and structured action of capacity building, networking and dissemination. It delivered methodological and guidance documents, engaged procurers and suppliers, and made recommendations for a broader uptake of PPI in the waste sector.

The project ran from January 2015 to September 2017.

About ICLEI Circulars

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network working with more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.

Circular Development is one of ICLEI´s five strategic pathways towards sustainable urban development. Through the Circular Development pathway, local and regional governments decouple urban and economic development from resource consumption, encourage equitable access to resources and create closed-loop urban and peri-urban systems. They support new local economies that are productive and not extractive, where resources are exchanged and not wasted.