CIRCULAR CITY CHALLENGE: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ENDS 1 OCTOBER
As part of the Circular City Challenge, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Vienna, Hamburg and Leipzig, along with the municipalities of Zeuthen, Ringsheim and the Lippe district, are looking for innovative solutions in the field of circular economies. Enterprises and organisations that are working on visionary concepts are welcome to take part.
Cities are currently the largest producers of waste and overconsumption, generating 70 percent of greenhouse gases and around half of global waste. With an upward trend: according to a prognosis by the United Nations Office of Economic Social Affairs (UN DESA), two out of three people will be living in urban centres in 2050. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) expects an even higher number, namely 80 percent of the world’s population.
Circular economies can help cities and municipalities meet their climate goals and set urban transformation on a sustainable course towards the future. For the second year running, the Circular Berlin initiative has once more teamed up with Circular Munich, Materialkreislauf (Stuttgart, German only), Circonnact (Vienna), Fab City Hamburg, Circular Black Forest (Karlsruhe, German only) and Creative Climate Cities (Berlin) to announce the Circular City Challenge. The project aims to promote the implementation of circular solutions at municipal level – in cities, districts and quarters. Over the course of the challenge, the participating cities – Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Vienna, Hamburg and Leipzig, along with the municipalities of Zeuthen and Ringsheim and the Lippe district – will become regulatory sandboxes where innovators can apply circular approaches to meet climate goals.
Until 1 October 2023, companies and organisations that are working on innovative solutions within the circular economy can apply to take part in the Circular City Challenge.
They will then be requested to present their existing solutions to the participating cities and municipalities, which will then select their favoured solutions, in line with their respective field of activity; the next steps will then be determined together. Local representatives from the Berlin area include: the Treptow-Köpenick (and Wista) and Neukölln District Offices; the Zero Waste Agency (“Zero-Waste-Agentur”, part of the Berlin Sanitation Department); and the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises (Berlin Industrial City Master Plan).
Eight key challenges:
Proposed solutions must relate to at least one of the following fields:
- Built Environment
- Logistic and Mobility
- Energy
- Nutrition and Food
- Industry and Commerce
- Events and Gastronomy
- Waste Management
- Consumption and Use
The most promising applicants will be given the opportunity to present their ideas to a select jury, which will nominate the Circular City Challenge finalists.
What are the next steps?
- Matchmaking: until 23 November 2023. Applicants will be matched with the appropriate municipal partners; the short list of initiatives will be announced on November 23, after which they will present their concepts to the jury.
- Implementation and mentoring: 1. December 2023 to 30 June 2024: The implementation of the selected matches will be accompanied by workshops, trainings, mentoring offers and formats to exchange and discuss ideas.
- Local events and project conclusion: April to May 2024 (vdo)
Click here for more information and to apply
