The Circular City Centre – C3

The success of the circular economy doesn’t just depend on new technologies or business models. It’s about people – changing how we think about “ownership” and redefining the journey of products from the moment we buy them to their disposal. The #sharingeconomy is a critical part of this shift. Rather than owning, consumers can rent, lease, or borrow products, from garden tools to high-tech machinery, meaning products stay in use longer and fewer #resources are consumed. This move reduces #waste and helps embed sustainability into daily life. Local governments play an essential role here. By creating policies that make sharing easy and accessible, cities can reshape consumer habits. They can map reuse hubs and repair cafes across the city or bring multiple sharing platforms into a single, convenient city-wide service. A great example of this comes from Göteborgs Stad. Its Smart Map SmartaKartan.se is a digital tool for people to discover sustainable options, from bike sharing and clothing swaps to community repair days. Founded by Jonathan Mattebo Persson🐸, the app is built on a collaborative approach. This initiative has caught on, expanding to other in the country cities like Umeå, Malmö, and Stockholm. How is your city embracing the sharing economy?  #EIBAdvisory 

Learning how to #reuse products and resources and minimise waste isn’t simple – it takes #planning, #expertise, and the right #partnerships. That’s where the C3 Circular City Advisory (CCA) programmes step in, offering tailored guidance to EU cities at each stage of their circular journey. Created by The Circular City Centre – C3 at the European Investment Bank (EIB) and funded by the European Commission as a part of the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), the CCA programmes are designed to support cities in their progress from circular ambitions to projects and tangible results. Whether a city is just beginning to explore circular principles or getting close to financing and implementing specific circular projects, CCA offers the structured support needed. City representatives will collaborate with experts from European Investment Bank (EIB), Circle Economy, Arup, ICLEI Europe, and Ecorys, gaining insights and co-creating solutions tailored to their local context. All services are provided free of charge. Applications are now open!  Discover the CCA programmes and apply by 13 December: https://lnkd.in/e5e2wExz ➡️ If you have any questions, join our Q&A session on Wednesday, 4 December, from 11:00 to 12:00 CET. Register for this session here: https://lnkd.in/eFJSS7su #EIBAdvisory 

If your city is getting ready to draft a circular #strategy, make sure you’re setting off on the right path! The Circular City Centre – C3 has developed a comprehensive guide presenting the 15 key steps in the circular journey. It aims to support cities in driving the #circulartransition. Divided into three actionable phases, this guide offers clear steps and practical resources to help #cities engage and lead in circular practices effectively. Read the guide below or download it to explore at your own pace. ⬇ #EIBAdvisory

It’s easy to think of #cities as the source of environmental challenges, from waste generation to resource #consumption. But cities are also uniquely positioned to drive #sustainable solutions. The Circular City Centre – C3 is at the heart of this transformation, helping cities turn ambitious goals into actionable steps toward a more circular future. Learn how C3 is supporting cities in adopting concrete measures that enhance #circularity, reduce waste, and promote sustainable resource use. #EIBAdvisory Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI)

Considering joining one of The Circular City Centre – C3 advisory programmes? Don’t miss the chance to connect with us in person! We’ll be at the upcoming Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) Coordination and Support Workshop on the 13th of November in Brussels. If you have questions about the C3 application process, our team will be there to help. 📩 You can also contact us at c3@eib.org to schedule a meeting and learn how C3 can support your city’s journey toward circularity. https://lnkd.in/e4MhNXWB #EIBAdvisory

From linear #agriculture to a circular food system: the case of Murcia.  The Circular City Centre – C3 offers specialised support for cities aiming to advance their circular economy transition through its Circular City Advisory (CCA) programmes. The updated CCA programmes, now being introduced, provide support tailored to the varying needs and circular progress of different cities. The Spanish city of Ayuntamiento de Murcia participated in the pilot phase of CCA, opting for the programme CCA 2 | Next Steps: Facilitate and Act. The city had already adopted a circular economy strategy and wanted to take circular action. During the four CCA workshops, Murcia and the C3 team focused on the priority area of #food systems and discussed projects with the greatest potential to attract #investment to form a robust circular project pipeline. The CCA experts then presented project screening and assessment criteria and advised on sources of financing and funding for the projects with examples of how other cities successfully secured funding and/or financing for their circular projects. As a result, Murcia is now ready to put its #circulareconomy strategy into action. Representing an agricultural area, the city is aiming to build a resilient, future-proof food system to benefit the whole region.   If you are seeking to build a circular project pipeline to achieve your circular economy goals, the CCA 2 programme provides support in this.  Find out more about the CCA programmes here: https://lnkd.in/e5e2wExz     #EURegionsWeek #EIBAdvisory 

How Prague is streamlining #investment into a circular #builtenvironment. The Circular City Centre – C3 provides tailor-made support for cities seeking to advance their circular economy transition. Through its Circular City Advisory (CCA), C3 offers flexible advisory programmes adjusted to different city profiles. The CCA programmes 2 and 3 are a good fit for cities like Prague, which have a circular economy strategy but have yet to develop projects that are ready to secure #financing for implementation. During the CCA pilot phase, Prague focused on building a project pipeline for the built environment, its priority sector. Together with circular economy and finance experts, participants discussed four circular projects and ways to secure #finance for them. The city received valuable insights on best practices and funding possibilities. Equipped with these tips, Prague is now improving the soundness and readiness of its circular projects to be able to progress to the stage of implementation.  Your city can benefit from the CCA support too! Whether you are just embarking on a circular journey, want to get or develop new circular project ideas or discover how to secure financing and/or funding for projects already underway, CCA can support you.  Find out more about the CCA programmes here: https://lnkd.in/e5e2wExz   Apply to participate here: https://lnkd.in/eSbm4HiU     MHMP, Pražský inovační institut, Pavla Antonínová #EURegionsWeek #EIBAdvisory 

How stad Leuven is leading the circular economy transition by scaling up its circular projects.  The Circular City Advisory (CCA), provided by The Circular City Centre – C3, is expanding its advisory programmes for cities that want to accelerate their circular transition. The latest CCA iteration includes a new track: CCA 3 | Final steps: Invest and implement. Designed for cities with a pipeline of circular projects, it facilitates access to #financing and implementation. This programme was inspired by the Belgian city of Leuven, which participated in the CCA 2 pilot programme. Leuven had several #circularprojects under preparation and was seeking #finance to scale them up. The workshop participants were aware of the challenges and risks the projects faced and were interested in advice on how to develop them further and mitigate risks. The CCA 2 programme was adjusted to support the city in the further development of their circular projects with a view secure #finance. After the programme, the city is now well-positioned to enhance the soundness and readiness of their projects, and to secure the #loans needed to implement the projects. The European Investment Bank, which advised Leuven during the C3 workshops, is currently processing a request for financing of the city’s climate and circular projects. “Bringing together related projects from different domains into one circular project pipeline, C3 strengthened the collaboration between city departments and resulted in circular economy being placed higher on the internal agenda. We appreciated the C3 team’s flexibility in adapting the programme to Leuven’s specific needs.” - Lieve Van Espen, Circular Economy Policy Advisor for the Municipality of Leuven.  Your city's journey towards securing #financing for your circular economy projects can begin with the C3 CCA programme. Discover our programmes for different city profiles and apply to benefit from free training. Find out more about the CCA programmes here: https://lnkd.in/e5e2wExz   Apply to participate here: https://lnkd.in/eSbm4HiU     Leuven Circulair, #Leuven2030 #EURegionsWeek #EIBAdvisory Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) Circular Cities EU 

From idea to impact: how Turun kaupunki - Åbo stad - City of Turku took its circular economy strategy off the ground.    The Circular City Advisory (CCA) programme by The Circular City Centre – C3 offers specialised #training to help #cities achieve their circular economy goals. Many European cities have developed #circulareconomy strategies, but securing #finance for projects remains a common challenge. CCA addresses this by offering two advanced advisory tracks: CCA 2 | Next steps: Facilitate and act, and CCA 3 | Final steps: Invest and implement.  These programmes are designed for cities like Turku, Finland, which already have a detailed circular economy strategy. Turku used the pilot phase of the CCA 2 programme to develop a structured pipeline for circular projects in the built environment. During four workshops, Turku representatives discussed with experts the challenges, impact, and feasibility of three selected projects as well as generated new project ideas. One of the projects discussed was the Linnanniemi area of Turku, where the city will implement circular economy and nature-based solutions to better control stormwater. Other areas nearby were also discussed as the Forum Marinum Centre. Additionally, the city gained valuable insights into securing #finance for these initiatives. Turku can now apply this knowledge to develop project pipelines in other sectors, such as the food system and manufacturing. If Turku’s example inspires you, consider joining the new phase of CCA. “The C3 pilot provided us with useful learnings from other cities’ circular economy construction projects. During the pilot, we also started to develop stronger collaboration between the teams and managers who have a key role in implementing full-scale circular economy actions in on-going and future construction projects.” - Niina Ruuska – Senior Specialist in the Climate team / Green transition for the city of Turku. Find out more about the CCA programmes here: https://lnkd.in/e5e2wExz  #EURegionsWeek #EIBAdvisory Circular Cities EU

The circular economy is set to help Porto combat #water scarcity. The Circular City Centre – C3 offers Circular City Advisory (CCA) programmes to support EU cities in their circular economy transition. The programme’s pilot phase included two tracks: CCA 1 | First steps: Prepare and plan, and CCA 2 | Next steps: Facilitate and act. Considering the insights from the pilot phase, C3 developed a new programme: CCA 3 | Final steps: Invest and implement. What inspired this addition? Porto, a Portuguese city with an existing circular economy strategy, participated in the CCA 2 programme for experienced #cities. Although the city had multiple circular economy projects, most were in the early stages. The programme was customised to fit Câmara Municipal do Porto’s unique needs. Facing water scarcity, the city selected water systems as the priority sector and focused on its largest project, a #wastewater treatment plant. The workshops discussed access to #finance and strategies for enhancing the project’s #investment readiness. Porto’s experience inspired C3 to create a programme to help cities that already have a circular economy strategy and pipeline of circular projects but need help to develop a strategic project further towards readiness for #finance. The CCA 3 workshops are now flexible to support the development of circular projects in different sectors. “Engaging with C3 allowed the Municipality of Porto to gain a unique insight not only on the range of opportunities for the circular economy offered by the EIB and EU funding programmes, but also on the requirements that need to be met to successfully finance and implement circular economy projects.” - Ruben Fernandes, Executive administrator of the Municipal Company Water and Energy of Porto, Águas do Porto, EM.  Discover the different C3 CCA programmes, choose the one that best fits your city, and apply to receive customised circular support.  Apply to participate here: https://lnkd.in/eSbm4HiU or find more information about the CCA programmes in the comments. #EURegionsWeek #EIBAdvisory Circular Cities EU