Organised as a non-profit, we accelerate Berlin’s transition towards a circular city.
Organised as a non-profit, we accelerate Berlin’s transition towards a circular city.
We are reshaping Berlin’s metabolism by developing the local circular economy agenda and its implementation, through research, community-building and practical programmes.
Our work spans the fields of built environment & urban strategy, product & material design, food & biomass and textile & fashion.
We envision Berlin as a resilient, citizen-oriented region. Resources are sourced locally if possible, used only if truly needed, and their value is maintained as part of a continuous loop ー within the limits of our planet. Waste and pollution are non-existent. People’s lives and jobs positively affect their neighbourhoods and communities.
Our approach
Open
We believe a circular economy can only happen when information is openly shared – all our work is publicly available and open source.
Systemic
Some problems can only be solved by looking at the system as a whole.
Collaborative
We bring together interdisciplinary skills, knowing that big challenges cannot be solved in isolation.
Enabled by technology
We see technology as a key enabler for a circular economy, but not a cure-for-all.
Local
The best way to make a change is in our immediate surroundings, directly benefiting Berliners and their environment.
Who we are
A group of strategists, researchers, designers, practitioners and everything in between. What brings us together is the desire to positively affect the future.
Friends of Circular Berlin
Our journey
Finding the local actors
Our story started when 4 volunteers joined forces to organize the Circular Economy Mapping event in February 2018. Together we discovered more than 120 initiatives in Berlin which are involved in the circular economy. Along with the impressive results, it marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with EIT Climate-KIC and Berlin Partner.
Identifying industries with circular potential
The collaboration with Climate-KIC continued, supporting an in-depth research study on what approach should be taken to “anchor” the circular economy topic in Berlin. This gave the first impulse for developing Circular Berlin as a platform. The research identified 4 industries with great circular development potential in Berlin: the built environment, food & biomass, textile & fashion, and materials & products.
Mapping industry hurdles and opportunities
In a next step, we brought together the local actors through the dedicated industry events. We aimed to find the main hurdles standing in the way of developing more circular practices, as well as defining tangible solutions to overcome them.
Expanding our reach
We are currently focusing on expanding our reach through community-building, education, project development, research as well as developing a local circular economy agenda.
As a non-profit, we rely on financial contributions from people and organisations who believe our work is valuable and helpful. We appreciate your support.
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