Analysis of the widest assessment to date of circular city actions in Europe identifies six priorities to accelerate local circular transitions. As momentum for the transition grows, European cities are leading by example.
By Joshua Newton, Institutions & Cities Programme Manager, and Isobel Pinckston, Editor
The CCD Report 2024 brings valuable insight for decision-makers at every level of government. To cities, it provides inspiration and practical learnings, and to governments, it will shed light on implementation and will hopefully inform future policies. - Minne Arve, Mayor of Turku
From Bergen’s furniture reusereuseThe repeated use of a product or component for its intended purpose without significant modification. department to an annual circular festival in Bruges; Ghent’s car share fleet to Guimarães’ pay-as-you-throw tax, cities across Europe are leading by example in the transition to a circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.. In collaboration with ICLEI Europe and Circle Economy, the latest Circular Cities Declaration Report 2024 offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of local implementation of circular economy actions in Europe.
Based on self-reported evaluations from city officials, the report profiles key circular economy strategies and activities of 54 European towns and cities. It finds the majority (78%) of cities have circular economy strategies in place, either explicitly designed for a circular transition or embedded within other strategies, such as climate action plans. As well as synthesising key lessons from strategy implementation, the report focuses on how cities are navigating two areas of growing importance for the circular transition: (1) how to measure progress and (2) what regenerating nature looks like in practice for urban centres.
Many cities are already measuring and reporting on a wide range of ’circular’ indicators, as well as setting more ambitious, upstream targets such as increasing reuse and reducing consumption emissions. However, a lack of common indicators and significant variation in understanding of what needs to be measured risks duplication of effort and further divergence between cities which will make comparison and validation harder.
The report also finds that cities remain in an exploratory phase regarding regenerating nature. Although cities are using planning and food policies to achieve nature-positive outcomes in recognition of the critical role natural systems play in underpinning city resilience and prosperity, the links between circular economy and nature impacts need further strengthening.
Common focus areas: Food and bioeconomy and the built environment
Amongst the key insights on implementation, the report finds over 200 distinct circular actions are underway across the cities. Around a third of these actions focus on either food and bioeconomy or the built environment value chains — the two largest contributors of global carbon emissions and waste generation.
In food, municipalities of all sizes are nurturing closer relationships with local food producers growing in nature friendly ways: Ljubljana provides technical assistance to farmers, meanwhile Izmit is making more land available to local cooperatives. Braga, Evora, Mechelen, and Zurich are among many cities supporting local food markets or local food stamps that encourage nature-friendly food production and consumption.
In the built environment, over half of cities (57%) identified planning processes as a decisive way to embed circular principles into city activities. Spatial plans allow cities to protect and restore nature, connect or create more space for nature, as well as grow the city and build with nature. Cities such as Espoo and Bodø have implemented planning measures that integrate circular economy principles into the fabric of new district developments. These initiatives prioritise carbon-neutral and regenerative solutions, setting a new standard for urban development. Additionally, by encouraging material reuse, recycling, and repurposing, local authorities are fostering the development of a nature-positive and resilient urban landscape that aligns with the principles of sustainable development.
Getting governance right enables success
The report’s city profiles demonstrate the policy-innovation potential of local governments to test and prove new circular solutions. Funding and resources are crucial to unlocking this innovation potential. Despite an increasing number of dedicated circular economy strategies and clear governance structures, lack of resources was the most commonly cited challenge.
Still, the report reveals that as well as establishing dedicated circular economy teams (such as five full-time staff in Florence), cities are also ensuring the integration of the circular economy across different city departments. Eskiltuna’s integrated governance approach, for example, ensures all key teams have distinct and clearly defined responsibilities including procurement, property management, internal labour, and adult education services. Ensuring cross-departmental coordination as well as collaboration with external bodies appears key to unlocking resources and stimulating real policy innovation.
Six priority actions that can accelerate local circular transitions
Despite more circular activities than ever, all cities’ reports made clear that further concerted, collective action is needed to achieve systemic change. Six priority actions were identified for policymakers, businesses, civil society, and citizens.
Work towards common circular economy metrics
Performance data can help cities provide an economic rationale for adopting circular economy approaches, and demonstrate how these help tackle global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution. Through collaborative action, cities can consolidate behind a set of priority indicators which align to key reporting initiatives. Doing so will improve comparability and ensure that cities have the information they need to make effective decisions.
Set more ambitious targets, including on consumption-based emissions
Alongside adopting more upstream material targets, such as on reuse and virgin material consumption, frontrunner cities are setting Scope 3 consumption-based emissions targets. Such goals will ensure that cities move circular economy discussions beyond focusing on downstream interventions such as recycling, and challenge the need for costly waste management in the first place. Looking further upstream in this way can ensure that cities reap the full benefits of the circular economy transition, particularly in relation to meeting climate goals and targets.
Integrate circular economy approaches across city departments to unlock resources
In order to ensure that the circular economy is not seen as a siloed solution to specific problems but an integral part of a city’s strategic plan and operations, it is vital that circular economy principles and approaches are integrated across all areas of governance, planning, and decision making. Through cross-departmental coordination and working groups, taking a whole-of-city-government approach will help cities access more resources and tap into relevant but previously overlooked funding pots.
Innovate circular systemic solutions
New policies and circular systemic solutions are still urgently needed. While this report identifies over 200 actions that cities could replicate or learn from, significantly more progress is needed to unlock the economic and environmental potential of the circular economy. Cities must continue utilising all policy levers available to test and innovate solutions that can be scaled.
Advocate for a new paradigm
In areas where local government innovation alone is not enough, cities must also clearly advocate to central governments, financial actors, and other stakeholders for more coherent circular economy policy frameworks and packages, and create connections between these key decision makers. To confront the true costs of linear production and consumption, fiscal reforms and cost recovery mechanisms like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are also critical.
Embed nature into all decision-making processes
Cities need to continue building their understanding of the natural environment that sustains them. Full spatial mapping of green, blue, and grey infrastructure, and monitoring the nature impact or ecological footprint of city operations and urban flows will support this, in much the same way that stakeholders are accounting for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Meanwhile, utilising toolkits such as the Urban Greening Plan Guidance and Toolkit will inform target setting and nature-positive action planning, and in turn help cities take a more systematic approach to regenerating nature.
In a decisive year for European democracy and the future of the European Green Deal, the Circular Cities Declaration Report 2024 provides the state of play for policymakers to draw on.
Cities should be a focal point for public-private collaborations at scale to ensure effective implementation and achieve a more just transition to a circular economy. This requires multi-level governance at the centre of national and EU circular economy-related strategies. Civil society, alongside closer business relationships, also plays an integral role in ensuring local circular transitions are distributive, inclusive, and tangible.
