A long-term platform connecting cities and stakeholders to accelerate the transition towards circular economy.
With the global economy currently being only 9% circular, it has been estimated that circular economy measures could cut 33% of greenhouse gas emissions embedded in productions and serve as a key lever in bridging the 1.5ºC emissions gap – the toughest target of the Paris Agreement. However, the potential of circular economy approaches and material-related consumption and production has often been overlooked.
ICLEI has identified Circular Development as one of its five integrated pathways toward sustainable urban development and promotes sustainable urban ecosystems where material loops are closed, and the value of resources is efficiently maximized by applying the circular approach – Redesign, Reuse, Repair, Remanufacture, Recycle and Recover.
To support local governments in strengthening their joint efforts in fostering transitions towards low carbon and circular development, providing social benefits while respecting ecological boundaries, ICLEI launched the Green Circular Cities Coalition in 2019, presenting a platform to connect cities, experts, businesses, and relevant stakeholders to shift the mindset from “waste management” towards “resource management”, reduce waste, and increase circularity via experiences exchange and mutual learning.
The Green Circular Cities Coalition is also highly connected to the ICLEI Circulars platform, which is managed by the ICLEI World Secretariat, aiming to gather the latest knowledge on circular economy interventions at local and regional levels around the world.
Green Circular Cities Coalition: Objectives
Strengthen connections and cooperations regarding the urban circular economy transition between cities across the world, and synergize the potential in achieving the SDGs;
Support cities in analyzing their circularity, acting on being circular, and accelerating and up-scaling the circular transition;
Bridge local governments with experts, businesses, and relevant stakeholders to shift the mindset from “waste management” towards “resource management”;
Assist Coalition cities to showcase their achievements by actively participating in regional and global events, and producing publications.
Thematic Areas
Spatial Planning and Governance Mapping the urban metabolism with urban spatial planning to identify cities’ potentials and opportunities and to reflect on local policies and decisions.
Circular Public Procurement Mainstreaming the circular approach in the process of public procurement to close material loops with the support of ICLEI's intensive experience in Green Public Procurement
Industrial Symbiosis / Circular Industrial Park Facilitating local governments to enhance the collaboration between individual companies on resources and by-products exchange with the consideration of both physically and virtually geographical proximity.
Municipal Resource Management Identifying municipal waste stream, minimizing the generation of waste, recovering waste into resources, and maximizing the demand for secondary materials within cities.
Building and Construction Mainstreaming the circular approach and life cycle assessment in local governments’ building code regulation, and synergizing with ICLEI’s expertise in Building Efficiency Accelerator and GreenClimate Cities to retain the value of building materials as much as possible in the urban system.
Water-Food-Energy Nexus Implementing a systematic process to link and close the loops between food-water-energy, and applying nature-based solutions to regenerate Green Circular Cities with natural features.
Green Circular Cities Coalition: Activities
Annual Forum
International summit for the Coalition cities and partners to exchange insights, demonstrate progress, co-create solutions, and secure political commitments.
Capacity Building and Awareness Raising
Regular workshop for the Coalition cities to exchange thoughts, identify challenges and barriers, and brainstorm for possible solutions.
City-to-City Learning and Exchange
Overseas study tours and field trips for the Coalition cities to strengthen peer learning, and to develop a better understanding of advanced practices from experiences on the ground.
Best Practices Collection and Analysis
As the Coalition Secretariat, ICLEI East Asia will collect, analyze and disseminate best practices of local implementation from all over the world.
Associate Partnership is available to non-governmental organizations, universities, state and national government agencies and not-for-profit research institutions. The purpose of Associate Partnership is to facilitate dialogues between local governments and these partners, to provide knowledge transfer in line with ICLEI’s Mission and Charter, and an avenue for which partners can support ICLEI’s work and mandate.
HARNESS the power of the ICLEI Network!" Governments need to give (the sense of) direction, as Business leaders we don't make the wind, we sail the boats. So policy should set the winds in the right directions if you want the boat going fast to the right harbor."Philippe JoubertSenior Advisor, World Business Council on Sustainable Development
VITO-Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek
Water Research Commission
First benefit point
Sed ut perspiciatis uncle omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem.
Second benefit point
Sed ut perspiciatis uncle omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem.
Third benefit point
Sed ut perspiciatis uncle omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem.
Fourth benefit point
Sed ut perspiciatis uncle omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem.
Rates and Dues
Application Form
Eva MadeiraHead of ICLEI Global Membership & Governance
Got any questions? I will be happy to assist. Please contact me at iclei(at)iclei.org
ICLEI membership application
Joining ICLEI means connecting to more than 1,500 local and regional governments as well as technical experts and a diversity community of partners worldwide. ICLEI Members actively engage with their peers through conferences, workshops, webinars and online platforms and take advantage of our connections with businesses, financial institutions and other implementation partners that help strengthen innovation and resourcing.
Eva MadeiraHead of ICLEI Global Membership & Governance
Got any questions? I will be happy to assist. Please contact me at iclei(at)iclei.org
Want to be a model?
First benefit point
Sed ut perspiciatis uncle omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem.
Second benefit point
Sed ut perspiciatis uncle omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem.
Third benefit point
Sed ut perspiciatis uncle omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem.
Fourth benefit point
Sed ut perspiciatis uncle omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem.
Eva MadeiraHead of ICLEI Global Membership & Governance
Got any questions? I will be happy to assist. Please contact me at iclei(at)iclei.org