Cities and the circular economy
This topic area looks at the role cities play in the transition to a circular economy.
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A pioneer in systemic change, the City of Amsterdam has set itself the ultimate goal of becoming a fully circular city by 2050. Its work towards achieving this while balancing environmental, social, physical and economic aspects has been recognised by the prestigious Earthshot prize.
In 2020, the City of Amsterdam became the first city in the world to commit to becoming a 100% 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. by 2050. With interim targets of halving its use of new raw materials by 2030, and all the City’s public procurement to be circular by 2025, the city’s ambitions focus on three key sectors:
Food and organic waste streams
Shortening food chains to provide a robust regional food system where local agriculture meets local food needs
Encouraging healthy and sustainable food consumption for the people of Amsterdam
Improving the processing of organic waste streams
Consumer goods
The City uses its purchasing power to reduce its own consumption by 20% by 2030, from consumables and furnishing of City premises to public real estate
Supporting citizens to use what they have more sparingly, through effective infrastructure and awareness raising
Making the most of discarded products through public-private partnerships to improve designs, ensure products are easily reusable, and extract value from products at their end-of-life.
Built environment
Bringing together stakeholders along the entire construction value chain to integrate circular principles into current and future developments
The City sets the right example by formulating circular criteria, to challenge the market to innovate
In cases where the City is not the developing party, cooperating with the market to promote the supply and demand of recycled and reusable materials, reward circular private developments, stimulate knowledge and data sharing.
Amsterdam’s leading circular economy work has been recognised by the Earthshot Prize, for which it was a 2022 finalist. Over the years the City has developed and implemented a wide variety of circular economy projects, including:
The City’s Stadspas discount card is a well-established scheme allowing people on a low income to access arts and culture, fitness and other services for less. To encourage circular behaviour among citizens, the City added circular economy activities to the card, including a 40% reduction on clothing repairs and discounts on cycling and gardening classes, thrift stores, and energy efficient appliances.
A pilot textiles project including a commitment from brands to make denim production circular, a clothes sharing system, and a sustainable shopping route in Amsterdam.
Buiksloterham, a neighbourhood in the district of Amsterdam-Noord, will be based entirely on circular principles. 80% of materials in public space will be circular; a digital inventory of available materials enables architects to incorporate them into their designs; and collaborations with the private sector to provide a smart grid that will optimise energy use, electric shared vehicles and a new sanitation system enabling high-quality processing of organic waste flows.
A toolbox for circular construction on the city’s online knowledge sharing platform.
Offering a ‘circular scan’ to the City’s manufacturing that provides insight into the circularity of a product or service and the economic potential of a circular revenue model
In 2022, Amsterdam ramped up its circular economy work with cross-cutting initiatives including the Amsterdam Circular Monitor, giving a picture of the total material flows in Amsterdam and the social and ecological impact of the transition; a circular learning community to help organisations to grow internal capacity for circular activities; and Lessons and Recommendations from the City’s experience implementing its previous circular economy programme.
More information: amsterdam.nl/en/policy/sustainability/circular-economy
Case example: Sharing economy action plan
The ‘sharing economy’ generates opportunities to make better use of materials and resources. One of Amsterdam’s actions towards a circular economy was to develop a sharing economy action plan in 2016, leading to multiple innovations increasing access to and use of public and private assets - including sharing household items, space, modes of transport, and even food. A well-developed sharing economy offers many advantages to the city and its residents - it makes use of public and private assets that would otherwise be underused, it creates new business opportunities and revenue streams, and it can create connections between residents and visitors.
Download the policy case study on Amsterdam’s sharing economy action plan, originally published in March 2019:
