Press release

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Circle Economy, Metabolic and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation are launching the Circle Lab for Cities program, supporting cities in boosting their efforts toward a circular economy. “With this program, we are launching a digital platform for cities that offers knowledge, actionable insights and tools to support the implementation of practical circular economy solutions, helping them achieve their sustainability goals. This digital platform will continuously evolve and offer updated content and new features as more cities engage with it. We welcome user feedback so we can continuously develop content and release features based on cities’ specific needs”, says Ivonne Bojoh, Head of Digital at Circle Economy. Through the Circle Lab for Cities program, cities can explore the circular solutions implemented by their peers, scan their urban metabolism, and act to advance their transition to a circular economy in priority sectors.

Specifically, the digital platform developed as part of this program includes a wealth of tools, knowledge and actionable insights—allowing city practitioners to identify priorities based on a local assessment of resource flows and existing initiatives. City actors will also have the opportunity to explore and learn from the circular solutions their peers have already implemented. The program also includes the development of tools and materials to support planning, stakeholder engagement and monitoring of the circular strategies implementation locally.

“The Circle Lab for Cities program aims to provide each city with the right instruments to take the next step in their circular development journey. As a global network, we aim to develop tools with local governments, to ensure that they address practical needs and are adaptable to different local contexts. This is why we will be testing all tools with network cities from 5 world regions” says Sunandan Tiwari, Director of Global Implementation at ICLEI. Funded by the MAVA Foundation, the program represents a powerful collaboration that brings together leading expertise on the circular economy and one of the largest networks of local and regional governments working towards a sustainable urban future.

The program is guided by the Circular City Actions Framework, developed by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Circle Economy, Metabolic and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to introduce cities to the range of strategies and actions available to them as they work towards a circular economy at the local level.

The framework is structured into five complementary strategies, the 5 Rs:

The 5 Rs are linked to 15 actions local governments can take that reflect the different roles local and regional governments play, from public service delivery to cooperation with local stakeholders, asset management, urban planning and regulation. They can be applied to all production, consumption and waste management processes influenced by the city, local businesses or residents. In addition, Circle Economy and ICLEI are launching a Cities Collection on the Circle Lab Knowledge Hub. The collection features city examples across the 5 Rs and diverse sectors cities can influence.

Local governments and city actors are invited to participate in the Circle Lab for Cities program, which offers a hands-on, cost-effective and practical process equipping them with the strategies and tools their city needs to take the next step towards a circular economy.
From engaging in the program and making use of the tools it offers, cities can expect:

Are you a city practitioner interested in testing tools to make your circular economy strategy more actionable? Register below and be among the first to test circular development tools which will help make your city more circular.