Amsterdam Circular Ecosystem
Connecting businesses to accelerate the transition to a circular built environment
The city of Amsterdam has high ambitions on transforming its economy to be fully circular by 2050. The buildings and construction sector is responsible for 39% of energy related CO2 emissions. At the same time, there are multiple local businesses working on implementing circular economy strategies to improve the environmental impact of their products and services for the built environment sector. The Economic department of the City of Amsterdam came to us with an ambition of supporting these circular businesses to enable their growth in the region, the collaboration and help them to export their circular products and services.
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Aga Biedalak
Esther Baar
Gabriela Chuecos
Economic Department - Gemeente Amsterdam
Aectual
And The People
Excess Materials Exchange
Fiction Factory
Finch buildings
Madaster
OMRT Tech
RESPACE
Stone Cycling
Studio Solarix
Tolhuijs
Triple solar
UNStudio
VenhoevenCS
Wikkel house
1 — Mapping circular businesses in Amsterdam region
Our sustainability experts have created a comprehensive framework for identifying circular businesses operating in the Amsterdam region. The framework takes into account the entire life cycle of construction, from the extraction of raw materials to the end of a building's useful life and its potential for reuse. With this framework, we have identified over 120 businesses operating in the region and have evaluated their circular products and services, providing a comprehensive overview of their construction sector's circularity potential.
2 — Interviewing circularity champions
In order to gain a better understanding of the challenges that companies face in their efforts towards circular transformation and business growth, we conducted a series of interviews. Our diverse group of respondents included a range of businesses, from small start-ups to long established companies, and encompassed various industries such as manufacturing, design, and building technology. Through these interviews, we were able to gain valuable insights into the shared challenges faced by these businesses. Now, the question remains: what are the expectations of business owners, managers and consultants in terms of collaboration with the city?
3 — Co-creating future pathways for circular ecosystem
To translate our research findings into applicable solutions that would benefit both local businesses and the City of Amsterdam, we organised a workshop. The workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from local circular businesses as well as four officials from different city departments. By involving multiple perspectives in this conversation, we were able to share our research findings and co-design pathways for the creation of a circular ecosystem in Amsterdam’s built environment.
Roadmap towards creating a circular ecosystem
Throughout this process, we have come to realise the immense potential for collaboration within the sector. It has become evident that companies must work together to effectively implement a circular economy, and that the city has a vital role to play in supporting the transition of the built environment. As a result of our results, we have developend potential pathways and a roadmap outlining actions that should be taken within the next year, two years, and ten years.
