As 2024 draws to a close, we at Circular Berlin reflect on a year marked by significant achievements, collaborative endeavors, and a steadfast commitment to advancing the circular economy in our city. Building upon the foundations laid in previous years, we’ve expanded our initiatives, engaged with diverse communities, and fostered innovation across various sectors.
Building a stronger community and awareness
This year saw tremendous growth at Circular Berlin, both in terms of our team and community. We were thrilled to move into a new office space owned by St. Oberholz and Freiraum in der Box. This vibrant hub serves not just as an office, but as a collaborative environment fostering co-creation, innovation, and dialogue among like-minded individuals and organizations.
Our community continues to flourish, with nearly 150 active members, including new additions like Repair Circle, which promotes repair services to tackle electronic waste. By connecting people with trusted local repair shops, Repair Circle is making repair the norm and reducing the need for new products. This growth was supported by our expanding team, which now includes 12 full-time and part-time employees working across various initiatives. In 2024, our team grew to 12 dedicated individuals, both part-time and full-time, enabling us to expand our impact through more projects and initiatives. With this dynamic team and engaged community, Circular Berlin is more poised than ever to drive the transition towards a circular economy and raise awareness of sustainable practices throughout the city.
In 2024, we hosted 24 events, including the launch of Circular Expeditions, where we explored the intersection of technology and sustainability in the electronics sector. We also began work on the Manifesto for Circular Economy in Berlin, a shared vision for the city’s circular future. Among our standout initiatives was the Circular City Challenge 2.0, which attracted 120+ submissions from cities like Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart and Vienna, aimed at creating climate-positive, circular urban solutions. The impact reports and guidebook from this project will continue to support future cities on their path to a circular transformation. Additionally, we launched the Circular City Guide, offering Berliners practical tools to embrace circularity in their daily lives. This guide serves as a helpful resource to reduce waste and make more sustainable decisions.
Advancing Circularity Across Sectors
In 2024, Circular Berlin made great strides across multiple sectors, propelling our mission to advance the circular economy.
Textiles remained a key focus, with the launch of the SOLSTICE, project, which seeks to enhance textile recycling through improved sorting technologies. We’re excited to see prototypes of circular textile solutions emerging in Berlin in 2025. Our ARCA project, a cross-European collaboration, introduced a circular wardrobe concept that integrates agender design and promotes sustainable fashion practices.
Our collaboration with the Or Foundation in Ghana was a pivotal international exchange, exploring Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies and connecting designers, retailers, and waste management experts from both regions. Meanwhile, the Textile Journeys program, which concluded in 2024, successfully salvaged over 100 kg of textiles, encouraging participants to repair and extend the life of their clothing.
The A-gain Guide project made substantial progress, continuing to provide resources and tools for sustainable wardrobes. This year, the team created new knowledge materials, and worked on the development of tools to integrate circularity into daily routines was advanced.
In construction, we continued to promote circular practices through initiatives like the BuildSkills Academy, which trains construction professionals in sustainable practices such as material reuse and waste reduction. Additionally, the Circular Material Systems project, continued its vital work in documenting and sharing best practices in material recovery, supporting the industry’s shift toward sustainability.
In 2024, we launched our efforts in the electronics sector, focusing on reducing e-waste by promoting circularity in design, production, and disposal.
Education is a cornerstone of our vision for a sustainable future. The Fit für Circular Economy initiative took a major step forward by integrating circular economy principles into vocational school curricula, ensuring that future professionals in sectors like food and construction are well-prepared to contribute to a circular economy.
The Tech and Spaces project launched with partners including Creative Climate Cities and WISTA Management GmbH, explores the potential of innovations in optics, photonics, and materials sciences to drive circular practices across industries. More events and topic’s exploration will follow in 2025.
In 2024, Circular Berlin also participated in the CircularPSP project, marking a milestone with the launch of a €5.64 million tender to develop digital solutions for circular economy practices. This initiative is crucial in supporting municipalities and businesses in their circular economy journeys.
Looking Ahead
As we close out 2024, we remain excited for the future and the next steps in our journey. Circular Berlin continues to grow, innovate, and collaborate to make Berlin a leading city in the transition toward a circular economy.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to our volunteers, freelancers, team members, and partners for their invaluable contributions throughout the year:
Stefan Aufrichter, Phoebe Blackburn, Arno Bouma, Marie Budde, Cherelle Escaffre, Tobias Jänecke, Sarah Keller, Rémi Laoubi, Laura Llonch, Davit Markosyan, Maximilian Mauracher, Inga Mücke, Arianna Nicoletti, Cristina Orizzonte, Valeria Ossio, Dina Padalkina, Josi Quitzke, Daniela Raffo, Anna Reiners, Chiara Rinaldi, Irali Rodarte, Susanne Rummel, Julius Schaeufele, Felipe Schmidt Fonseca, Ronja Scholz, Patrick Teuffel.
Circular Berlin wishes you a safe and joyful holiday season and a positive circular start to 2025!
