The need - The city government wanted to stimulate innovative economic activity, create new jobs, and improve the quality of life for Brussels’ citizens in unity with the city’s environmental goals.
The solution - The Brussels government set up Be Circular, a regional programme for the circular economy, in 2016. It focuses on harnessing opportunities presented by a circular economy, including reconciling economic and environmental objectives, supporting local production, optimising land use, and integrating transportation requirements.
The outcomes - The programme has played an important role in giving entrepreneurs and businesses the confidence and momentum to apply new ways of operating, and opened up additional networks and partnerships.
How does the initiative support the transition to a circular economy? - Through this initiative, the city is giving businesses the opportunity to implement and scale circular economy solutions, helping them reduce the ecological footprint of the region, and speed up the transition towards a circular economy.
This case study belongs to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy in Cities suite of online resources, which acts as a reference point for urban policymakers on the circular economy. It draws out opportunities in three key urban systems - buildings, mobility, and products - and looks at how city governments can enable a circular economy transition.
Five modules aim to answer the critical questions on this topic:
We have detected that you are using an older browser. Please update to the latest version of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge to improve your user experience.
If you are unable to upgrade your browser, please see our Technical FAQ page to get tips on how to improve your user experience.
