What will make circular construction work, and what’s still holding us back? Munich generates around 5.6 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste every year, most of it downcycled into low-grade fill or sent to landfill, rather than being reused. Across Europe, construction and demolition waste is the single largest waste stream, responsible for major resource depletion, high greenhouse-gas emissions, and added pressure on already strained urban systems.
To turn this challenge into an opportunity, Munich is developing a Circular Construction Hub (CCH): a 2,000 m² material bank paired with a digital marketplace, open to both public and private actors. The hub will store and redistribute reclaimed components (such as windows, doors, steel, wood, and lighting) making them available for immediate reuse or refurbishment. Temporary on-site hubs at demolition sites will further increase recovery rates. Together, these measures can reduce demand for virgin materials, cut emissions, save costs, and create local jobs in logistics and refurbishment.
The concept is inspired by successful European examples, such as Uppsala, Sweden, where a physical marketplace for secondary construction materials was launched in 2024. As a Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) Pilot municipality and NetZeroCities Pilot city, Uppsala has already demonstrated the potential to cut between 386 and 1,534 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents annually while fostering private-sector collaboration and reinforcing its reputation as a climate-positive, circular city.
In Munich, momentum is building. Workshops earlier this year brought together over 60 stakeholders from city departments, academia, state agencies, and the private sector to identify barriers and solutions, ranging from demolition procedures to reuse standards and logistics. The next workshop, scheduled for November 2025, will present the first draft concept, marking a decisive step toward implementation.
Munich’s CCH is part of CirCoFin, a Horizon Europe project involving ICLEI Europe as well as Member Cities Lisbon and Munich, and a broad consortium of experts, to accelerate circular construction across Europe.