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Circular News Digest: September 2026
Was bewegt die Kreislaufwirtschaft in Berlin diesem Monat? Wir haben die neuesten politischen Updates, lokalen Berliner Initiativen und Innovationen der Kreislaufwirtschaft in den Bereichen Verpackung, Bauwesen, Elektronik und Textil für Sie zusammengestellt.
vorbereitet von Casper van Alfen
Neues aus der zirkulären Verpackung
No more “eco-friendly” from the 27th of September
No more “eco-friendly” from the 27th of September In the upcoming ‘EU green claims’ directive, ****generic green claims are banned unless you can prove them. Things like; “eco-friendly”, “sustainable”, “climate neutral”, now need specific, substantiated backing. The biggest challenge: there is no transition period. So everyone with a unsubstantiated claim on their packaging means: reprint. A big step against greenwashing!
Packaging represents 4–5% of global emissions
A new white paper on decarbonising the packaging industry estimates this. A key finding of the report is that plastics remain the central challenge, accounting for 44% of packaging emissions. Another key highlight is that Europe’s circularity gap remains wide, with only 42% of EU plastic packaging waste being recycled and recycled material accounting for a mere 9.7% of plastic packaging inputs, well below the EU’s 2030 recycled-content targets of up to 35%. To put it all in perspective: the aviation industry is responsible for 2.5% global emissions and the steel industry is responsible for ca. 8%.
McDonald’s in The Netherlands has until January to go reusable
The Fair Resource Association and The Dutch environmental inspection found that McDonald’s Netherlands has been breaking the single-use cup rules since 2024, still serving 175 million disposable cups a year. They now need to switch to reusables by 5 January 2027, or pay up to €3.75 million. Enforcement has been rare in the last few years, but with this landmark case it seems to really take off.
Ottawa is pioneering the city-wide reuse system
Ottawa prepares to pilot a city-wide reuse system for home and personal care this quarter. Big brands like Unilever, P&G and L’Oréal are supplying, while Walmart Canada, Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart are taking returns, run by Reposit. One shared bottle, small deposit, return at any participating store, washed and refilled. Very cool, and definitely something to look out for!
The EU bans plastic waste exports (in principle).
From 21 November, the EU will ban exports of plastic waste to developing countries, for at least two and a half years, until May 2029. Europe currently exports around 1.5 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. The catch: the rule considers OECD membership. Turkey is a member, and already produces the most European plastic waste. So the export doesn’t exactly stop, it only moves closer.
German Business associations launch protest against PPWR.
An alliance of IHK Schleswig-Holstein, UVNord, Die Familienunternehmer and the Verband der Unternehmerinnen is demanding improvements to the EU Packaging Regulation. The campaign, “”Stop the Clock for the PPWR”,, is mobilising companies to back a temporary suspension of certain requirements, and runs until 5 October. The central grievance is the administrative burden of appointing an authorised representative for certain cross-border transactions. They also want the labelling rules improved. The PPWR has applied since 12 August.
Updates from Circular Textile
Sustainable Textiles: Multi-Million Research Project at TU
Home textiles and footwear in the European Union are set to become more sustainable; this is the goal of a new research project led by Dr. Luana Ladu at the Department of Innovation Economics under Prof. Dr. Knut Blind at TU Berlin.
When we throw our discarded clothes into a clothing donation bin, we often feel good believing they will be donated or recycled. However, the reality of the textile industry is completely different. We are currently still miles away from a genuine circular economy. On a global scale, the rate of so-called fiber-to-fiber recycling (where an old T-shirt is turned into a new piece of clothing) is less than 1 percent. And in the end, can the fibers even be separated from one another and processed into something new?
A research project at the Technical University of Berlin called STEPH (Strengthening Ecodesign pathways with performance assessment Parameters for Home textiles and footwear) is investigating such questions.
The project, part of the EU “Horizon Europe” program, has a total budget of four million euros over three years and brings together 15 partners from all over Europe, including universities, research institutes, industry associations, manufacturers, standardization bodies, public authorities, and civil society organizations. It is coordinated by TU Berlin, which receives over 500,000 euros of the funding.
Berlin & Brandenburg host public dialogue on sustainable workwear procurement
On 11 November 2026, Berlin’s Senate for Mobility, Transport, Climate Action and Environment and Brandenburg’s economics ministry are hosting the 4th expert dialogue on socially and environmentally responsible procurement of workwear (Dienstkleidung) – bringing together companies, procurement offices, and experts from both states. Topics include how EPR obligations affect procurement offices, how collection and hand-over of old workwear should be organized, and the costs of disposal and textile recycling. So what: Registration is open now – the results feed directly into Berlin’s official Circular Economy Strategy, so this is a real chance for CB members active or with intrests in this field to shape how public workwear procurement, textile collection, and EPR obligations get designed.
German industry forms “Alliance for Textile Circularity”
Germany’s two biggest textile and retail associations, textil+mode and HDE (both based in Berlin) have launched a coalition to shape the country’s upcoming textile take-back law, open for other companies to join. So what: This is the alliance’s founding moment – textil+mode and HDE are explicitly calling on companies, associations and other players across the textile value chain to join now and help shape how textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) gets built in Germany.
Neues aus dem zirkulären Bauwesen
vorbereitet von Jerry Popoola
North Rhine-Westphalia presents comprehensive Circular Economy Strategy
On September 1, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) unveiled its new Circular Economy Strategy, aiming to drive innovation while reducing dependency on global raw material imports. The comprehensive framework targets the region’s industrial core: the chemical industry, plastics, circular construction, and mechanical engineering (with a strong push for remanufacturing). A key milestone of the strategy is expanding local recycling capacities to cover at least 25% of the demand for critical and strategic raw materials with secondary resources. While federal policies often move slowly, German states are actively stepping up. Combined with regional initiatives like Saarland’s new circular construction alliance, NRW’s holistic industrial strategy shows that the implementation of the circular transition is currently being driven heavily at the state level.
Updates aus der Industrie
Circularity in hotels is possible and economically viable.
In various projects, WWF, Kühne Logistics University, Leonardo Hotels, and Motel One have tested how resources can be conserved, waste avoided, and economic benefits simultaneously achieved along the circular economy principles of “reduce, reuse, refurbish, and recycle”. The results clearly demonstrate: sustainability and profitability are not a contradiction, but can mutually reinforce each other.
Deloitte Study: Circularity Readiness in German Industry
A new study by Deloitte highlights that while 85% of German industrial companies recognize the strategic importance of circular economy practices, only a fraction have integrated scalable circular business models into their core operations. High upfront investment costs and complex regulatory frameworks remain major barriers, underscoring the urgent need for targeted funding and cross-sector collaboration to turn circular potential into economic value.
Updates aus der Zirkulären Ernährungswirtschaft
Germany’s Action Week Against Food Waste kicks off in Berlin
From September 29 to October 6, the nationwide action week “Zu gut für die Tonne!” returns for its 7th edition, this year focusing on conscious shopping and meal planning. Berlin is actively participating with several local circular initiatives. Notably, the Berlin Consumer Center (Verbraucherzentrale Berlin) is expanding its public food-sharing fridges (“Kiez-Boxen”). Starting September 30, new fridges for sharing perfectly edible, surplus food will open in shelters for refugees and homeless people. Additionally, the Berlin Senate, together with the retail association (HBB) and DEHOGA, has launched “Beste Reste,” a practical recipe booklet to help local hospitality businesses and consumers repurpose leftovers instead of tossing them.
