Amsterdam was one of the first cities in the world to initiate the transition to a circular economy. FABRICations, Circle Economy and TNO went to answer the challenge to the central question: where and how do we start this in a city? The scan showed that the construction industry and organic residual flows had the most potential, and could therefore be addressed with eight practical and tangible strategies for circularity. These strategies could then be presented in cooperation with Rabobank to local businesses and entrepreneurs, who could then sit together to implement these strategies. For each of the strategies, there was a need to calculate the impact on job creation, economic growth, resource use and CO2 emissions. Together, the strategies reduced Amsterdam’s total CO2 emissions by 12%. Finally, a roadmap to circularity was prepared for both chains, which now serves as a basis for the circular economy policy of the city.
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Program: Circularity Scan
Year: 2015
Commissioner: Gemeente Amsterdam
Partners: Circle Economy, TNO
Design Directors: Eric Frijters, Olv Klijn
Team: Bas Driessen
