Cities are at the forefront of the circular economy, but they cannot act alone. Collaboration, scaling up, and integrating circularity across all levels of governance are essential for building sustainable, resilient urban areas.

These sentiments were echoed at the European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns, where a circular economy session delivered a clear message: cities must stop working in silos and integrate circular principles into their daily operations across all departments. The circular economy needs to become a core part of city planning, not an isolated project. Panellists urged cities to shift from piloting projects to scaling up solutions, while ensuring the transition is fair and inclusive.

The importance of political and departmental integration was highlighted by Aitor Zulueta from ICLEI Memberi Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) and Iris Kriikkula from ICLEI Member Turku (Finland), who shared how Turku is embedding circularity across its administration. “We are moving away from working in silos and integrating circularity and climate action horizontally as part of our everyday work,” Kriikkula noted while Zulueta stressed that circular practices need to be interwoven into all aspects of city governance.

Monitoring the progress of circular projects was another key theme. Kristin Strandberg (Circle Economy) and Anna Bernstad from ICLEI Member Malmö (Sweden) underscored that while there is no shortage of indicators, cities must focus on those that are most useful and align with other policy key performance indicators (KPIs) to track impact effectively. Shifting public attitudes is another challenge. While people generally agree on the importance of reducing waste, Malmö’s representative Anna Bernstad highlighted that their willingness to pay for circular solutions remains low, especially when costs increase. “We need to change the attitude around reuse,” Bernstad said, calling for a cultural shift that recognises the long-term benefits of circularity over immediate financial concerns.

At the same time as these discussions, a coalition of cities, led by Amsterdam, sent an open letter to the newly elected Members of the European Parliament, urging them to support stronger policies for cities’ circular transitions. Supported by ICLEI Europe and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, this initiative underscores the need for EU policies that empower cities to scale up circular practices and meet sustainability targets.

In addition to the key discussions, the conference introduced several new resources to support cities in their circular transition. These included ICLEI's briefing note on "Enhancing Industrial(-Urban) Symbiosis at the local scale", the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s report "Building Prosperity", which explores the economic potential of a circular built environment in Europe, and a briefing note on "Resource-Oriented Sanitation", which addresses the recovery and reuse of nutrients from human sanitary waste.

Learn more about ICLEI Europe's work advancing a circular economy at the local level here.