Circular economy strategies and

roadmaps in Europe

Identifying synergies and potential for

cooperation and alliance building

Interim report – 31 January 2019

Interim report overview
1) To assess possibilities for cooperation and alliance building
between circular economy strategies
Overall
2) To assess the involvement of civil society organisations in circular
project
economies strategies and define ways to enhance their involvement
goals
3) To develop an adaptable model strategy supporting more
stakeholders to develop their circular economy strategy

The first phase of the project provides the foundation ground by:
collecting information on existing and prospective strategies
providing an overview of commonalities and differences in
objectives, rationales, and thematic focus
providing a framework for analysing governance arrangements
identifying early elements of good practice
drafting a proposal for an adaptable model strategy structure
 1

Identifying circular economy

strategies in Europe
Collecting information on existing and prospective
strategies
Collecting strategies across Europe
1
“
Circular economy strategy definition in the scope of the study
Documents focused on a circular economy, with a clear strategic plan,
defining objectives or describing a desired outcome and including key

”
steps or milestones to reach them

Sources to identify additional Circular Economy strategies:

ECESP Coordination Group members
National experts in the Spatial Foresight network
Desk research on different sources (Cordis DB for H2020 projects,
Keep DB for Interreg projects, Urban partnership on circular
economy, Circular Europe Network, Ellen MacArthur Foundation,
other)
Identified

33 existing strategies 29 planned strategies

 1

Location of
existing and
upcoming
strategies

Own elaboration based on

the strategies collected for
this study and on information
collected from stakeholders
about upcoming strategies.
A growing number of strategies
1
Development of circular economy strategies over time
60

50
Number of adopted strategies

40

30

20

10

0
De 4

De 5

De 6

De 7

De 8

De 9
Se 4

Se 5

Se 6

Se 7

Se 8

Se 9
M 4

M 5

M 6

M 7

M 8

19
5

9
1

1
1

1
-1

-1

-1

-1

-1
1

1
p-

p-

p-

p-

p-

p-
c-

c-

c-

c-

c-

c-
n-

n-

n-

n-

n-

n-
ar

ar

ar

ar

ar
Ju

Ju

Ju

Ju

Ju

Ju
Development over time

Own elaboration based on the review of existing strategies and information collected on upcoming strategies
Key findings
a b
1
Certain territories have a higher
Strategies are roughly equally
concentration of strategies (e.g.
distributed between national,
the Netherlands, Belgium, the
regional, and city level
UK, France, Spain)
c d

Countries where early adopters

Decentralised systems may
are located tend to have more
generate more regional level
territories with strategies: early
strategies (e.g. Belgium, Spain)
adopters inspires more strategies
e
National strategies may
encourage and prepare for the
development of regional and city-
level strategies (e.g.
Netherlands, France)
 2

Objectives and focus of circular

economy strategies
Providing an overview of commonalities and
differences in objectives, rationales, and thematic
focus
Different orientation of strategies
2
Different rationales for the development of strategies
Different rationales
Different levels of ambition (leaders vs. followers)
Different degrees of concern/integration with global challenges and
objectives
Different degrees of orientation to territorial context-specific
challenges

Different thematic/sectoral
Differentfocus
thematic and sectoral focus

Strategies with a
restricted sectoral Integrated strategies
focus… with no specific sector
focus
10

All-encompassing
strategies with a clear
setting of priorities
19
Own elaboration
Horizontal sectors by incidence
2
Repairing, reusing, refurbishing

Public procurement

Design and eco-design

Urban planning and development

Enabling innovation

Knowledge sharing and education

Sustainable development

Platforms for closing loop

Network building

Regulatory action

Social enterprise

International cooperation

Labelling

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Own elaboration
Economic sectors by incidence
2
Manufacturing

Construction

Waste processing

Food and feed

Mobility

Energy and Heat

Education

Agriculture and forestry

Chemicals (incl. plastics)

Water processing and management

Electronics/electricals

Clothing and textile

Mining, metals, and minerals

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Own elaboration
Key findings
a b
2
Different criteria are used for the
Many strategies select sectors
selection of sectors: economic
following a rather
importance, circularity potential,
explorative/pioneering approach
political importance
c d
Choice of economic sectors is
Scalability and transferability different according to territorial
often have little consideration in level (e.g. manufacturing is in all
the selection of sectors regional strategies but in half of
national ones)
e f

Choice of economic sectors is Choice of sectors shows that

somewhat different in newer understanding of circular
strategies (e.g. design) and in economy is changing across time
older strategies (e.g. mobility) and geographies
 3

Governance practices in circular

economy strategies
Providing a framework for analysing governance
arrangements
Governance: early findings
3
Governance arrangements will be analysed in more detail in the next
phases. Early findings include:
a b

Public authorities take a leading The inclusion of different types of

role in issuing circular economy stakeholders is considered
strategies differently in strategies
c d
Stakeholder involvement is better
Stakeholder involvement is better
managed when a board or ad-
defined in strategies that include
hoc organisation is established
specific governance sections
for strategy follow-up
e f
Stakeholders roles are “Government by enabling” is the
heterogeneous (active vs. most common approach, using
passive role; involvement in facilitation, coordination, and
development vs. implementation) networking to develop capacities
 4

Elements of good practice

Identifying early elements of good practice

Good practices (1/2)
4
Early elements of good practice with respect to strategies focus and
objectives include:
A complete understanding of the circular economy concept
Tailoring to the territorial context
Understanding of local environment and knowledge of examples
Linkages with other strategies
Appropriate thematic scope
Appropriate criteria for sector selection
Inclusion of scalability and transferability arrangements
Appropriate time horizon
Early elements of good practice concerning governance include:
Incentives and momentum ensuring involvement of i) political sphere
ii) civil society iii) general public
Established structure in charge with strategy development,
networking, follow-up, monitoring, dissemination, communication.
Good practices (2/2)
4
Early elements of good practice concerning tools include:
Appropriate tools for network building and stakeholder involvement
Tools for the generation and sharing of competence and knowledge
Appropriate communication tools

Main identifies shortcomings in current strategies are:

Lack of political backing;
Lack of public awareness;
Lack of provisions for scalability and transferability;
Lack of tailoring to the specific territorial context;
Lack of economic incentives;
Lack of knowledge of the existing efforts in the territory.
 5

Adaptable model strategy

Drafting a proposal for an adaptable model

strategy structure
 Proposal for adaptable model strategy
5
Possible needs
Create Mobilising Crating a Diversification Focusing
awareness on stakeholders leverage effect of circular initiatives in
the benefits economy preparation of
and need initiatives programme
development
Rationale for
the strategy
Strategy
objectives
Strategy elements

Experience and
links to other
policies and Intersections between the strategy elements (rows of the matrix)
strategies and needs (columns of the matrix) are used to display the points
Implementation of concern that may arise when addressing a specific need in a
plan specific section of the strategy.
Governance
This layout allows for the consideration of a broad range of issues,
and provides a visual cue of the variety of issues that must be
Time plan
considered when building a circular economy strategy.